"A Blanket of Stars"
"Let's drive to the mountains today!" Jim said excitedly.
"Is the Parkway open?"
"Yes! I called Tom and he said it was wide open. There's only one thing though..."
"Yes?" I wondered what plan he was hatching. I smiled.
"It's going to be an after dark trip."
"In the Winter, with icy roads, in the dark?"
"We will leave earlier, of course, but the place we're going needs to be seen in the dark."
I was puzzled, but also intrigued. We spent the afternoon preparing the picnic: roasted chicken, Quaker Oats best oatmeal cookies, smoked Gouda cheese and a baguette. We would stop for wine on the way out of town.
We found our warmest clothes, for the forecast was clear and very cold, like 10 degrees. Eek!
The drive was quiet and we began to climb the mountains. Luckily, a 67 VW could heat you well in no time at all. The 8 track tape player blasted Zeppelin and Hendrix as we climbed.
I read the sign, "Mount Pisgah Scenic Overlook". Ah! I had heard of this spot! We smoked a joint and drank some wine, for medicinal purposes only, and ate our picnic. Jim kept looking at his watch and soon he opened the door, icy air blasting inside the bug.
I shivered and shuddered, but left the car with him. He helped me on top of the bug and threw down a blanket.
"Close your eyes before you lie down."
"Comfy?" He asked.
"As comfortable as I can be on a frozen metallic surface in 10 degrees." He laughed.
"It will be worth it. Open your eyes."
I opened them and had to hold on to the car. The sky was immense, endless... it was the deepest blue surrounded by navy blue and then topped with blackness. The rest was stars, billions of stars!
I saw some constellations I recognized, but then just relaxed. It was so beautiful, twinkling, sparkling and sometimes falling or shooting stars. I had never seen anything so beautiful.
He had to drag me off the car, for it was a life-changing moment in time, but I was shivering uncontrollably.
We warmed up and I said, "I will never doubt your weekend destinations again!"
"Yes?" I wondered what plan he was hatching. I smiled.
"It's going to be an after dark trip."
"In the Winter, with icy roads, in the dark?"
"We will leave earlier, of course, but the place we're going needs to be seen in the dark."
I was puzzled, but also intrigued. We spent the afternoon preparing the picnic: roasted chicken, Quaker Oats best oatmeal cookies, smoked Gouda cheese and a baguette. We would stop for wine on the way out of town.
We found our warmest clothes, for the forecast was clear and very cold, like 10 degrees. Eek!
The drive was quiet and we began to climb the mountains. Luckily, a 67 VW could heat you well in no time at all. The 8 track tape player blasted Zeppelin and Hendrix as we climbed.
I read the sign, "Mount Pisgah Scenic Overlook". Ah! I had heard of this spot! We smoked a joint and drank some wine, for medicinal purposes only, and ate our picnic. Jim kept looking at his watch and soon he opened the door, icy air blasting inside the bug.
I shivered and shuddered, but left the car with him. He helped me on top of the bug and threw down a blanket.
"Close your eyes before you lie down."
"Comfy?" He asked.
"As comfortable as I can be on a frozen metallic surface in 10 degrees." He laughed.
"It will be worth it. Open your eyes."
I opened them and had to hold on to the car. The sky was immense, endless... it was the deepest blue surrounded by navy blue and then topped with blackness. The rest was stars, billions of stars!
I saw some constellations I recognized, but then just relaxed. It was so beautiful, twinkling, sparkling and sometimes falling or shooting stars. I had never seen anything so beautiful.
He had to drag me off the car, for it was a life-changing moment in time, but I was shivering uncontrollably.
We warmed up and I said, "I will never doubt your weekend destinations again!"
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