Tuesday, August 2, 2011

good ol' volks



like the colors of bubble gum pink and baby blue swirled on my tie-dyed top, so the people of the high country bus festival blended. there were past-the-glory-days hippies walking around with dream catchers and headbands. there were sweet mamas and papas bathing their babies in the river. there were great danes and labrador retrievers swimming in the warm water and teenagers sitting in a circle on the great big rocks that broke up the current.

and then there was us. my bearded husband, intelligent brother and his devastatingly fashionable girlfriend. just a couple of kids from the triad, deep in the heart of the carolina mountains. we hopped on intertubes and spent two hours floating lazily down the river, warming our faces in the morning sunshine. we listened to live music (you've got to check out the honeycutters--a delicious blend of patti griffin and emmylou harris and all sorts of good folksy roots).

on the particularly balmy saturday afternoon, we drug our air mattresses onto the riverbank and slept under the shade trees. we woke to raindrops.

then, from 4 pm. until midnight, the sky let loose in a thunderous, dramatic and loud display of prowess. it absolutely poured. so hard that our little tent shook. we crammed ourselves inside and dove under warm blankets. then, for the next six hours, we stayed there. we ate pop-tarts and drank bottled water. we read books and my brother played his mandolin. we talked and told stories and stayed awake long past quiet hours, the next night's live music, an old bluegrass band, playing in the distance.

then, when night fell on the camp and the bluegrass started to fade, we got out some speakers and played cat power in the darkness. and lying there, three people i love to the left of me, listening to cat's deep rasp float between us, i closed my eyes and finally slept.

it was a fabulous weekend, and integrating myself back into reality has proved quite cumbersome. yes, for many it was a weekend of parties. for some, it was a weekend of children and animals and music. but for me, it was a weekend of beauty. of God's great nature and man's great machine. co-existing and cohabitating the same blessed space.

18 comments:

Amy @ AGirlCalledBeloved said...

You have such a way with words and details! I felt like I was there! How when you read a book you can picture everything. Almost feel it!
It sounds so amazing! Definitely my type of getaway. Loved seeing all the different buses!

Meg said...

perfection! :) i'm green with envy right now. now i'm off to check out the honeycutters. :)

jeanette from everton terrace said...

Sounds simply divine.

Lillian C said...

How fun! I've never seen that many cool VW buses together - so awesome. And it doesn't happen often - but I love being caught in a spontaneous rainstorm with loved ones. It always ends up being a wonderful memory :)

Amber said...

that sounds like a brilliant trip. I miss floating on rivers, there is nothing more relaxing.

Meri said...

I love the VW bus! I'm a proud VW driver too, but a much smaller and less fun breed of volks :)

Southhamsdarling said...

As always, you have made your post so special my friend, with your wonderful use of words. Amazing photos of all those VW Camper vans. What fun. Sounds like a beautiful weekend all round.

Shay said...

Everything about that weekend sounds amazing! So glad you had a good time!

Abbey said...

That sounds amazing. I love being outdoors, and camping. Sounds like you had a great time!

Steph said...

Awesome! Sounds perfect.

Katie said...

I'm so in love with the look of campers :) Sounds like a great time! xo

Erin {pughs' news} said...

Oh this brings back memories of a camping trip I went on in my senior year of high school. My boyfriend's aunt let us take her fab VW van, and there were 7 of us squeezed in it. We had so much fun!

Great post. Love the way you described it all.

Eleanor at Mirror Of My World said...

this is such a beautiful post, reading your writing always calms and relaxes me :) and makes me feel happy sounds like you had a wonderful weekend xxx

kimbirdy said...

i love this! what a fun and dreamy time. :)

American in Bath said...

It sounds wonderful. Then I was complaining about the heat today, so probably wouldn't have been a great VW guest.

charla beth said...

i don't think i've ever heard of a weekend more perfect. <3

Amanda said...

I was waiting to hear more about your camp out adventure. It sounds like it was such a good time to be with your family + husband.

Once again, you've stolen my heart with your writing. :)

Melanie said...

A girl after my own heart! This sounds like where I live! Especially since we just had our annual Folk Music Festival! Not only that but you'll find the shaggin' wagons (sorry for lack of better words) all over town here. Canmore is full of hippies and it makes my heart warm. :)

Thanks for introducing me to this new amazing band. I can't get enough folk music into my world.

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