Flying and Feasting

After enjoying the Zip Line Canopy Tour, I went back with Mary and her family to their timeshare at the Resort.  I've seen these places and wondered what they were like inside.  They've got an amazing view and lots of wildlife.

I had fun taking photos from the balconies and enjoying the wild life.

The sun was starting to go down.

The sky turned more beautiful than usual.

They are all lined up like soldiers, very orderly.

It was dusk, the sun was setting.

Such a pretty sky.  So we jumped in the car to go up to the top of the ridge.

I grew up in a house with a view of Massanutten Peak, it was the landmark of my youth.  Whenever I got lost, all I had to do was look to the Peak and then I would know exactly where I was.  Now I'm looking out at my "home land" from the very mountain that I looked to.

The sun had set, we were hungry, it was time to make some dinner.

We played with the groundhog, who didn't mind eating right from our hands.

Fat ol fella.  That peanut butter cracker seemed to slow him up a bit.

Later on the night shift came out to gather up whatever the groundhog had left behind.

Jody did steaks on the grill.

I fried up some green tomatoes until they were nice and crispy.

Now THAT'S a feast!  I don't think I've ever eaten such a big steak!  And there were hot fresh biscuits also.  And yes, I ate it all.  And it was good!

A lovely time around the table with friends from a distant time in my life.  It was so fun to enjoy their time together, it was a place of warmth and lots of laughter and stories of practical jokes.  I nearly laughed myself off my chair with the tale of the imaginary bear.  Mercy, it was good!

Some moments in life are so sweet, often made more so when in contrast to the darker things.  This was one of those and I'm so grateful.  I have the best friends in the whole wide world!

Flying and Feasting to you,
-Carmen Rose

Time of my LIFE!

I have never been on a zip line though I've seen photos of a number of my friends who did the zip line canopy tour in Costa Rica.  And I really want to do that some day.  So when a friend of mine mentioned she'd be in the area and they were going on a zip line canopy tour, and invited me... I GOT EXCITED!

I couldn't decide which gadget to take.  The phone that takes fuzzy photos if I'm jittery (and I was sure I WOULD BE jittery) or the old unreliable camera that I wouldn't mind loosing. 

My hostess, one of my very best friends in college.  I haven't seen her in approximately 17 or 18 years. 

We started the course with a little training session and some fun little obstacle course type things. 

Jody was getting ready to fly, that's me behind the guide in yellow.

Two of the best guides ever, these two were amazing.  We were laughing the whole time!

Me on top of the world.  I was terrified but they didn't give us time to stop and think about anything, just move, move, move.  And it was SO exhilarating! 

This just goes to show that there was never a serious moment, the whole time.  He was a RIOT!

That's me showing good form.  I'm not spinning, which means I'm doing a good job steering.  That hand in the air is ready to brake if I started coming into one of the bases too quickly.  And I won't tell you how  many times I was yelled at for doing it wrong but it didn't matter.  Your body has instincts that aren't consistant with good flying form.  So... I did learn how to do it and I was pretty pleased with myself!

That's me flying.  I can't begin to describe what a rush that is!

They called this one "The Step of Faith."  I figured that each time I'd stepped into thin air up there in the sky I was making a step of faith.  I was up there on that platform in the sky, and I stepped off that platform like it was the most natural thing in the world.  Did the falling and the landing quite nicely.  Actually, they thought it would be fun to dangle me while the guy at the bottom spun me.  I was laughing so hard I could barely yell "Hey, don't mess with the white girl!"

View from the top.  When I look at this photo I can almost feel that platform swaying under my feet and the wind in my hair and that exhilaration feeling I had up there.  I still can't believe I did it, I was certainly scared.  But it was SO MUCH FUN!

One of these days I'm going to do that canopy tour in Costa Rica!

If you ever get the chance to take a zip line tour, do it!

Living full tilt and loving very moment,

-Carmen Rose