
I had a lot of plans for the week -- most of them involved brisk walking in the Spruce Knob National Recreation Area (using my spiffy Nordic walking poles!), shooting some arrows at a local archery range, and writing. Lots and lots of writing.
However, a few days before leaving for the cabin, while recovering from bronchitis, I coughed or sneezed and utterly screwed up something in my lower back, still unhealed from June's car accident. Overnight I went from Relatively Mobile Merujo to Weeping, Gasping, Crippled Merujo (also known by my Native American name, She Who Walks and Grunts Like Yoda.) My physical therapy doc told me I shouldn't be traveling ANYWHERE and handed me a Disability Certificate for work, with the box for "Totally Incapacitated" checked. Ugh. Not good.

But I was committed to going away for a few days, and I refused to let the spine get in the way of an escape from DC. You have to understand, I haven't taken any vacation since 1997 that wasn't connected to a family illness, death, or had at least one sibling in tow. (And I loved the trips with siblings -- I just needed Alone Time in a big way.)
The Sasquatch loaned me a tripod for this trip, so I could try to take some non-wobbly nature photos with my point-and-shoot camera. Alas, my back radiated so much agony, I couldn't have picked up the tripod from the car to set up the whole damn week. Most of the week was a "lay-cation." Not a stay-cation, since I did travel a whole three hours away from This Nation's Capital. But there sure was a lot of lying around like a big, mellow slug in front of a fireplace, watching DVDs of "Battlestar Galactica" and drinking wine.
Courtesy of being remarkably crippled with pain, the only photos I have to share with you are almost all taken from the relative comfort and safety of a parked car or from the porch or sofa in the cabin. The full story of the week? That will have to wait a bit. It may take a different form, in a different venue. More on that as developments happen.
Right now, I have to keep my online time to work hours and a few minutes here and there, stolen from the sofa. It's hard to blog from the laptop when you are curled up like a human pretzel. So, for now, I'll leave you with these images, fuzzy and shaky - much like the photographer...
after my one and only nature walk all week.
Those are my Nordic walking poles in my hand.
They work great. As long as you can walk...
I love the font they use to spell out "National Forest."
I've asked a web guy at the Forest Service to tell me what the font is called.
It immediately takes me back to camping with my family as a kid...
Just a couple of miles down the road from the cabin.
It retains that fabulous 1960s/1970s feel with the signage. Love it!
UPDATE: Very sadly, only four days after I took these photos, a fire has destroyed the gift shop/restaurant at the caverns on 11/10/09. I'm glad I got to see at least the exterior in all its wonderful kitschy glory. Fire officials call the blaze suspicious. Not good.
I didn't go in, but I bet they had stick candy and jackalope piggy banks.
(This is the building that burned down.) :(
I'm pretty sure there's no coral occurring naturally in the Monongahela Forest...
at the start of the road up to Dolly Sods...
and there are some lovely old headstones...
The bottom text is the Psalm 73:26...
Not sure of the significance, but it's lovely...
"After all - if you're gun's loaded, shouldn't you be, too?"
5 comments:
Making a trip down the stairs without screaming in agony is indeed a feat.
Seriously, though. I hope you're on the mend now and that you have a better run of luck coming up!
xoxo
Nice pics! I do miss the fall New England colors. But not the New England winters. I think they didn't look blurry at all.
I have the same associations with that font. Well, that and Yogi Bear, maybe. Or was it Smokey? Or both... hm.
Beautiful location! Sorry your back wasn't cooperating...but the view from the cabin looked fine too.
Regarding the font:
http://www.myfonts.com/WhatTheFont/forum/viewthread.php?threadid=160722
Lovely pictures!!!
Oh, and I found this: http://www.myfonts.com/WhatTheFont/forum/viewthread.php?threadid=160722
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