It's been an...almost disturbingly...uneventful October thus far (hence the radio silence from this little corner of the blogosphere). Normally this month is prime time for cool(er), colorful exploring, when Summer finally begins to loosen its steamy hold, affording Fall the opportunity to reassert dominance over both the climate and the tapestry of the Great Outdoors. Yet this year I suspect--and lament--that the notable lack of rain in our region will result in an uncharacteristically dry, dull Autumn.
Even now, a glance outside reveals an oddly divided landscape. Some of the trees remain bright green and full-canopied. Others have shed their foliage without ceremony--or any variation in hue. And the remainder are covered with limp, crackly, brown leaves that just hang there, looking like they've given up on the whole idea of cooperating with the natural order of things...or what have you. So I guess what I’m saying is: not terribly scenic, as a whole.
Fortunately, an alternative distraction arrived to break up the boredom caused by the lack of leaf-peeping opportunities, in the form of one college kid, returning home for his 4-day Fall Break. (Whoo hoo!) Even better: due to the automobile now in his possession, he was able to ferry himself back, rather than needing a parent to commit 8 hours to the round-trip extraction. Furthermore, since he inconveniently has a class that doesn’t wrap up until after 7 p.m., he could just hit the road when it ended, saving his elders from the unenviable late-night commute. (Phew!)
So he texted me when he left Columbia, allowing me to calculate an approximate ETA. Not unexpectedly, I was the only one still awake to greet him…although he arrived somewhat…earlier than anticipated. (He swears he did NOT drive like the proverbial bat out of hell, but instead chalked his efficient travel time to the lack of traffic during those hours, and the fact that he opted to plow straight through without a restroom/snack break. Hmm…I suppose since there’s no speeding ticket, we’ll take his word for it? Let’s go with that….for now, at least…)
A couple of other things were different than previous visits as well--such as him showing up without any dirty laundry, since he now has a washer and dryer inside his apartment and can easily do it on his own time. Also, I posed the usual question about what errands we should tackle together during his stay, because we’re accustomed to stopping by the grocery store and/or Target, for a mid-semester restock on edibles and household goods.
But he considered for a moment, then shrugged and said, “Nah, I’m okay.” Aahh, right…I’m not yet totally used to this new reality--that having access to a vehicle means he can take care of those supply runs whenever the need arises, without waiting for the Mom assist. (Yay for independence and adulting!)
Not having chores to deal with provided Derek with some well-earned downtime, away from his academic pursuits, as well as a chance to enjoy some leisure activities with his beloved family…like catching up on personal news, watching playoff baseball…and taking a fabulous Fall Break Friday Field Trip with yours truly. The forecast called for a warm, sunny, all-around gorgeous day, so I proposed we pop over to the NC Museum of Art, which boasts not only exhibits inside the buildings, but a lovely campus dotted with outdoor installations along a pedestrian path that meanders throughout the grounds.
Being the easygoing kid he is, he readily agreed to the proposal, and off we went to Raleigh for an afternoon of culture…and stuff. Now, I won’t claim that either of us is remotely an art critic…or even particularly well-educated in the realm of sculpture, or painting, or any other kind of medium, for that matter. We simply amuse ourselves by walking around, examining whatever catches our eye, discussing pieces we happen to either appreciate or dislike…and occasionally standing in front of a display with our jaws on the floor, stunned by something absurd/hideous/offensive/inexplicable. Hey, art is subjective, right? We sometimes have strong opinions….but regardless of how we feel about the…expression…we never fail to have a great time taking it all in, so….WIN!
Besides, after we finished the enclosed portion of the museum, we were able to take a delightful stroll around the outskirts of the park. Then, having achieved our educational--and incidentally, also our daily step--goals, we refocused on a different, but equally important objective: LUNCH! A bit further into the city, adjacent to NC State University, we found one of our trusted go-to eateries…Chipotle. (I didn’t say we were food snobs, did I?)
Well, folks, it was an altogether satisfying outing--the stellar weather, the excellent company…the chance to bond over sharing our unqualified evaluations of artistic prowess. And while it’s true that I am loooong past my own undergrad days, I still say, let’s hear it for Fall Break: good times!
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