When we purchased a Groupon for two days in the Carolina mountains, I believed wholeheartedly that a relaxing getaway was exactly what we needed. Obsessed with finishing my Resilience Workshop eBook, I had spent so many hours hanging over my laptop. I reached a point where I was staring out of the window or losing myself in political diatribes more than I was working. My energy and motivation had gone missing.
The weather people predicted rain for our travels, but the sun goddess waved her magic wand and instead we had a beautiful, crisp, clear, cool day. Once on the road we headed south and west past the lovely peach water tower. (I posted the pic on Facebook, but have re-posted it here in case you missed it. Feel free to share your thoughts. My favorite comment so far was “Trump’s salute to America”. But there were others!)
The day we left happened to be Valentine’s Day. Trust me, it was an accident. I, for one, have no idea what month it is. Plus, Scott and I usually avoid restaurants on holidays. This would be an exception.
DESTINATION MOUNTAIN AIR
We arrived at our destination on the evening of the 14th. Tired and hungry we settled into our room at the Pine Crest Inn, which consisted of a main building and several smaller ones built in 1906 as a sanatorium. (What? We didn’t know that beforehand. It seems people with breathing issues flocked to this destination because they found they could breathe better.)
It was true. The air was fresh. In fact, I breathed several extra times just to make sure. Camellia bushes in full bloom dotted the landscape and Daffodils peaked out beneath them. The grounds were beautiful. We tried not to notice the peeling paint on the building exteriors and the wallpaper hanging loosely from the bathroom walls. A gas fireplace roared in our room and a bottle of wine was chilling. What more did we need?
We found our way to a local restaurant in the small downtown, expecting a crowd. What we found was a nice sized restaurant of 20 + tables of which three were occupied. As I scanned the room, I noticed groups of little old ladies (well, they looked older than me) dressed in red. I wondered, wasn’t Christmas long past? By the end of the meal I remembered it was Valentine’s Day. We stuffed ourselves on shrimp and grits and shared a slice of cheesecake for dessert. Life was good.
COFFEE PLEASE
When we signed in, we committed to an 8:30 time slot for breakfast in the main building. A little early for me, especially since there would not be coffee in the room first. I did, however, manage to make it. Three cups of fresh and delicious coffee and an exceptional breakfast and I was good to go. (Reality check: brain fog, stomach out of sorts, back ache. . . but we were enjoying ourselves!)
We did some sightseeing, some napping and some rocking on the front porch with a glass of Port before dinner the next night. Cold and windy, I even wrapped up in a blanket just to stay outside and breathe more fresh air. That night we fell into bed full and tired. Just shy of 3 a.m. the ground beneath us shifted. There was a mighty crack and the bed, with us slumbering away on it, crashed to the floor. Sitting bolt upright while leaning substantially to the left, I said, “What the hell just happened?” As quickly as reality sunk in, we jumped out of bed to assess the situation.
AH, GOOD OLD COLLEGE DAYS
Now what were we going to do?? No option that came to mind was ideal, but we chose the path of least resistance. We pushed and tugged and pulled the mattress onto the floor. There was just enough room between the bed and the fireplace but getting to the bathroom meant climbing over each other.
The next morning we packed earnestly. We were ready to leave. As we drove home I wrote reviews of the place in my head. I couldn’t decide which side of the proverbial fence I would land on when the time came. The people were nice, the food was excellent. . . but relaxing? Inviting? Comfortable? Not so much. But, they’re trying so hard to keep the place going I told myself. . . and maybe a little paint would keep people wanting to return. Oh, and beds that didn’t collapse would be nice; And, coffee in the hallway in the morning; And, a hook on the wall in the bathroom, not to mention a shelf by the sink to put things on. But, they had bathrobes in the closet. We didn’t need bathrobes.
AWAKENING TO WHAT IS
It has taken us 3 days to recover from the trip with relaxing in mind. We both wondered out loud why we just didn’t stay home. We have a lovely deck and a fire pit for sitting in the evenings, a comfortable bed and just the right kind of food, food that doesn’t lead to lethargy and stomach pains. A bottle of Apothic Crush is chilling in the fridge.
Sometimes you have to go on an adventure to appreciate home. I know I too often take for granted what’s right in front of me. Is there something you overlook most days? If you need an adventure to appreciate what you have, I can recommend a place . . .
“You can’t cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water.” Rabindranath Tagore
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Hilarious! My first laugh came with the peach image I saw first on your Facebook page.
You’ve written your review here, and besides got an entertaining blog post out of it. Did you ask for a price adjustment in the morning? Either my husband or I would have. 🙂
Yes, I neglected to mention that they are refunding us for the night as soon as hey’re paid by Groupon. They offered us a free night’s stay, but we declined. 🙂 Like your new pic and you have a new website! Been too long since I’ve paid it a visit.
Thanks for the comment and the tweet. Glad you were re-funded – ha!
Had to Lol at this wonderful post Dorothy. Your broken bed story took me back to my younger days and a broken bed story of my own, possibly more x-rated, lol.
I hope your backs weren’t injured and dare not ask what may have provoked the bed to snap, lol. 🙂
ha ha ha I know, right?! The woman at the desk was very gracious and said several times “I know this is a hard story to tell. . . ” I wish it were so! Trust me, at 3 a.m. it was pure gravity or perhaps the vibration from our loud snoring! Not nearly as rambunctious as we once were!
I appreciate your style of being so kind with your words despite all the discomfort Dorothy! My big smiles evoked a quick response from my hubby who is amused at the slumbering bed finally giving way!
An adventurous life could be that exciting is news to me!! 🙂
After each travel I have to remind myself of the age-old dictum ‘East or west, home is the best’ yet we get excited with the plans of vacation, forgetting the compressed seats of an aircraft and yearning to get back to the comfort of our own bed.
We had a lot of laughs through it all, and more after. It always is good to be home. Your age-old dictum is perfect! And travel amnesia must be something akin to pregnancy amnesia — wait long enough after having a child and you swear your up for it again. Ah, the good old days.
Fun story. Since I lived in the SF bay area for over 20 years, my first thought was “EARTHQUAKE!” Well, I suppose it’s better that the answer was just an old, too-used bed. :-0 On the other hand, you and your man did have a great adventure, and saw some things (and breathed some air) that otherwise you would not have. I love to travel (not a lot, just enough) in order to appreciate my home that much more every time I return.
Ha ha ha – It does happen to be an earthquake prone area. I actually thought there was an animal under our bed earlier in the night. The sound apparently was made by the side boards slowly separating. I was in no mood to chase a raccoon around the cabin, so when it stopped (albeit momentarily) I went back to sleep! Thanks for stopping by, Pam!