After so many years living in downtown Nashville, you just forget how amazing the night sky can be when you are gazing up at it from out in the country. There are literally too many stars to even begin to focus on a single one. You just let the expanse of it take over and soak away all of the tension and worry that you don't even realize that life has been slowly injecting into your soul. You would think it might make you feel small and insignificant, but it does just the opposite. There is a sense of connection with "everything". The fact that so many of the stars you are looking at aren't even there any more, having burned out even millions of years ago, almost makes you feel like a time traveler able to reach back into the distant past before humans had even existed!
OK, guess I went a little over the edge there, huh? I just really got inspired recently when I spent my first night out on the property, camping right on the creek bank by the shoals. I didn't even use a full tent, just a gazebo in case it rained.
I did use a cot since the ground there is just dirt and also to help deter any "creepy crawlies" that might have wanted to snuggle up with me in the middle of the night. Rhonda was out of town so I figured it was a great opportunity to do this since she is NOT really the outdoor camping type, which is funny because she will hike, swim, and get down and dirty clearing brush....just something about sleeping outside....I guess.
I grilled up some great local smoked sausages with peppers and onions, toasted the buns and along with a bottle of good wine I was fat and happy. I had my "whole Itunes Library" set on shuffle which meant you might hear anything from Mozart to Sevendust, and as the sun started to go down and "Light My Fire" by the Doors started playing, I responded and built a fire. Didn't really need the fire but any of you who like to camp know that a good camp fire is not dependent on the current temperature.
One of the great things we have discovered is there are little or no mosquitos out here at The Destination for some reason, especially right by the shoals. Maybe it is the running water, who knows? It sure makes just chillin' outside at night a lot more enjoyable. I had even bought some mosquito netting and carefully rigged it over my cot, but I really don't think I needed it at all. Even later in the wee hours of the morning when I got up to, well...you know why I got up, I never once heard that annoying whining sound instantly around my head.
I do have one camping confession to make, I brought a generator and a fan. It was the end of June, so cut me some slack! I ended up turning it off and using a blanket around 3 in the morning but it sure helped when I first fell asleep, which I did very easily. It's funny because everyone I have told this story to has asked the same question, "With no tent, weren't you afraid about snakes or spiders or some other kind of animals?" Nope, I just wasn't. Didn't even really cross my mind till others brought it up. I think I attribute it to the very peaceful vibe that we have experienced out here since we bought the place.
I topped the whole experience off with a great breakfast the next morning of left over sausage and hashbrowns. I couldn't have asked for a better "first night out" and I know there will be many more. Hopefully some of you will be here to enjoy some great nights as well. Whether you choose to sleep outside like I did, or inside in luxury, I'm sure you will feel the same peace here at The Destination that I did!
It sounds like a little slice of heaven, Skip.