Winding Down

One more day left.  Tomorrow at this time we’ll be on the road towards home.  One of the things that makes it hard to leave this area is the beautiful weather.  Sunny, about 70 degrees today. Sunny, 73 degrees tomorrow.  Looking towards Michigan it seems it’s been gloomy and rainy for the last couple of weeks.  Our fellow SOWERs think we’re crazy for returning to Michigan in November.  Both of the other couples are staying on here for another month and then heading farther south after that.

I probably won’t miss the painting, however.  It is a necessary thing on many projects, however, it is not my favorite activity.  I’ll do what needs to be done, so if it’s painting, I will paint, but I’m ready to put down the paint brush for a while.

Today was more painting.  I finished the cabinets in the kitchen in the Lake House.  It will probably need another coat, or two, or three, as the color from the underlying wood is bleeding through the paint, giving it almost a dingey green color, but we’ll leave it up to the staff to make that decision.

We also had to clean up some ceiling A/C vents in the cafeteria.  Took them down, sand blasted them, and spray painted them. We’ll put them back up tomorrow.

The women worked in the thrift store again today.  They need a lot of help.

At 11:30 we knocked off and changed clothes and met at Dale’s Seafood for lunch.  Lee treated us all to lunch.  It was a good time of fellowship and the breaking of fish.  The meal was delicious, just like the other day.  Dale’s is the one place in Lake Waccamaw for a good meal and they do a good job.

Talking with Lee afterwards, he told us to take the rest of the day off.  So Deb and I hopped on the bikes and rode to the dam at the Waccamaw River.  From there we hiked the trail that circles the lake towards the State Park.  A very pleasant hike on a picture-perfect day.  Lake Waccamaw may be a puddle by Great Lakes standards, but the surrounding swamp and the differences in the flora and fauna give this a whole different brand of beauty.

That’s one thing cool about doing the SOWERs thing.  It puts us in some places where we would not otherwise go, and leaves us there long enough to explore the local area and the beauty and variation it offers.  Lake Waccamaw would have otherwise never crossed our radar screen.

SOWERs also puts us in the company of some pretty awesome people.  Backgrounds and experiences vary widely, and you spend enough time with these other couples to learn what makes them tick and to appreciate them for who they are.  We’ve made quite a few friends on these trips, people we otherwise would have never met, and you spend enough time with them to go beyond just casual acquaintances.  It’s something we plan on continuing to do.

As long as it doesn’t involve too much painting.

And tomorrow we leave for home.  Right after work, we will make sure the water tank is full, disconnect the electrical umbilical, and say goodbye to our new friends and our campsite behind the horse barn.  Then it’s pedal to the metal to make it home by Sunday.