Back from Carolina

The last few days have been a whirlwind of final goodbyes to the beach, Carolina pines, antebellum towns, gleaming Atlanta buildings, Tennessee hills, and miles upon miles of highway rolling beneath our wheels. The last day on the beach was sunny, the water sparkling and frothing with foamy chemicals washed up by the rainstorm the night before. We walked along the shore, watched the morning take shape, and finally splashed into the surprisingly tepid water for a while. Then we were off on the road home.

We drove relatively short spurts every day, taking leisurely meals at Chick-fil-A and Subway, playing word games for hours, and following a detour so we could jump out of the car just across a state line and yell, “We’re in Alabama!” Yesterday we stopped to visit some cousins, Emily and Rachel, who I hadn’t seen in at least fifteen years. As with the other family I’ve re-met over the past year, we got along easily. I played with their kids (and the amazing toys), ate a yummy supper Emily made us, and stayed up late with an intense game of Scattergories. This morning, Emily sent Mary and me on our way with a massive bag full of clothes to try on. 

Although I’ve enjoyed this trip immensely, I felt the tug to be back home. It hardly feels like we’ve been gone— it’s been a year and a half since I’ve taken a trip of this length, so it flew by. However, I know that I’ll be heading right back out in ten days, and for much longer (in fact, I don’t know how long I’m going to be gone on my trip to California and Oregon). I want to spend time with my parents and friends and brothers before my sister and I take to the air toward the west coast. The drive today felt long even though it was only about seven hours. I listened to a lot of music and looked at the atlas to see where we were. Midwest landscape flew by. The sunset glowed over snowy cornfields and through the black silhouettes of trees, framed by the branches like a stained-glass window. At last we pulled up to my driveway, where I saw Christmas tree lights blinking in the living room. We all piled out of the van and spent the next few hours swapping stories and showing off shells. I’m tired in the way that makes me want to snuggle down into my own bed and savor the feeling of sinking into sleep.

It was a very good trip.

~~~