what a weird vacation

I’ve just returned from the strangest vacation. Well, I returned for the second time last night at nearly 10.  The first time I returned was Saturday night at like midnight. See? It was so… strange.

Okay. Baker B and I went to Charleston Saturday. For our much-anticipated Birthday Week trip of a few days of sun, boiled shrimp, nut brown ale and walking miles around the historic district. It’s a five hour drive from here, which was pleasant and uneventful. Baker B was happy and cheerful on the trip down, and although he’s been having weird back troubles for some time now, I thought he was fine. We get to town, check in the motel, take up our bags … and he starts getting whiney. Well, not whiney, not like the giant neurotic toddler that he is capable of morphing into when he’s not happy, but he starts saying his back is bothering him and he doesn’t know if he can walk like we usually do (we generally log 10 or 11 miles a day around town and on the beach) and what’s he going to do because it isn’t going to be any fun and he can’t just sit in the bars and drink for three days and he doesn’t like hanging out at the beach all day and what’s he going to DO… and I’m like, "ummmmm…. why have you waited till we GOT here to figure this OUT????"

Well, we went to our beer and boiled shrimp hangout and found they were out of the nut brown ale we love so, and we got boiled shrimp that Baker B found too mushy and then we went to Starbucks for a mocha although I made the mistake of getting a frappachino that was WAY too sweet and also was all melted and watery, and we walked around some and Baker B complained that his back felt weird. We went to the Shiny Tank Place where they brew their own beer in shiny copper tanks and we split another pint and things got even weirder. Not only did we not get into a huge enormous fight, with him blaming me for us being there since he went because I wanted to go, not because HE wanted to go and so that means it’s all MY fault — although that was in the air, we had a sensible discussion about what to do. Instead of blowing up at each other. I suggested we see how he felt the next day, and if he didn’t feel like staying we could go home. We had the motel for three nights, but we could cancel Sunday and Monday. He didn’t even want to stay that night. He wanted to go home THEN. And we somehow came to the fairly insane conclusion that the logical thing to do would be to turn around, go back home that night, and then I could come back myself the next day.

Yeah, it was kind of crazy. But it worked. So that’s what we do. We leave Charleston at 7:00, get back to Boone around midnight, go right to bed, and I got up again and went back the next day. We had to pay for the room Saturday night, but it was a small price for domestic tranquility and that way I had a room booked for the next couple of days. All the way back we have a very pleasant trip, Baker B is happy again, and I’m happy too because I get to go back to Charleston and spend two more nights ALONE. By MYSELF!!!! It’s like one of those things I’ve always thought would be really fun, but never thought I’d actually DO. For one thing, I’d expect Baker B to freak out. But he was all for it.  And the whole "drive five hours down, turn around and drive five hours back, turn around and drive five hours down AGAIN" thing was something I’d NEVER think he’d agree to. He’s usually much more sensible than that. But it’s the easiest drive ever, being four-lane from the time we get on 105 which is a mile from our house, until we arrive in Charleston. I just put on the cruise control, opened the sunroof, and listened to my iPod for ten hours of driving. Well, except for the torrential downpours I kept encountering last night, but even that wasn’t THAT bad. It was worth it.

 So. I’ve just had three very weird days all to myself, in one of my very favorite places. I spent most of Monday on the beach – two beaches, I went to both Sullivan’s Island and Folly, because there was nobody there to tell me that was nuts, going to both – Sullivan’s is very close to where we stay, but Folly is a fairly long drive. Well, I think it’s under half an hour but it’s not five minutes like Sullivan’s. It was really nice, going wherever I wanted, whenever I wanted to go. The alone time was wonderful, too. And it was also nice to realize that even though I could have stayed last night too – providing I could get a room – I was ready to come back by then.

Lots of pictures on the way, and LOTS of catching up to do. I have been without internet access since SATURDAY, horrors, so am hopelessly behind on reading and noting. But I’m off the rest of the week, hooray! So I’ll be catching up. Just wanted to mention that I have not vanished from the face of the planet, contrary to appearances. I’m just too relaxed to move.