Bring no baggage

This feels like a place my mom would have hiked

Jun 17, 2024

Shropshire in the West of England, intermingled with Wales. Surrounded not by cities but by green space, water, hills and trees. The light formed about 3:30 and the birds were already singing, dispersing the quiet. Ushers to the dawn.

The rustic house feels more like a homestead… with beams, uneven floors and low ceilings. The space sprawls wider than you would expect with nooks and crannies. It is warm and lived in, feeling older than the whole of my own home town.

The map looks like it’s straight out of a Lord of the Rings inside cover…

or perhaps it’s the other way around.

Yesterday on the plane from Munich to Manchester I was surrounded by blokes. Blokes that I think were heading home after a football match. They reminded me of classic hoodlums from pretty much any movie or British TV show you may have ever seen. They were loud and boisterous with puffed chests and an overconfident attitude - by appearance. Seemed to be a facade. A front. Perhaps combined with wary looks of concern. Attempts to listen to the flight announcements. Concern that they not do what they were supposed to. The lady flight attendants easily herded them where they needed to go. None of them talked to me. Not even the fellow next to me on the plane. That’s okay though. I was suffering from sensory overload.

Last night I dreamed of thugs being jerks on bikes in a place that looked vaguely like Cannery Row. I confronted them and it turned into a 911 call. Then Katie drove up in the Silver Shadow wearing Steve’s old shirt (as a jacket) and her blue hat and yelled out the window, “Everything okay?!” Then she drove off and I woke up. This might be the first time she has said something in a dream… at least that I remember.

This morning was rather lazy. Got up around 7:00. Ate some toast. Had some coffee. Chatted with T and M. Went for a drive around the neighboring hills with T. He really gave me the grand tour.

Afterwards I went for a little walk. Read for a while. Borrowed some clothes and washed my only pair of pants, underwear, and socks. What? Only pair you ask? Why yes. My luggage decided to take a different flight. In theory it will be here tomorrow but honestly, I have a bad feeling. I might be roughing it out of my carry on for a while. At least I have some warm clothes, something to sleep in and a toothbrush. It helps that T is roughly my size and they are tolerant of smelly people.

On our driving journey T bought some posts.

This afternoon we took the little four wheeler out, trudged through some bushes and across a creek and started putting in posts to replace an old fence. I like having a job. Based on what T has told me, we’ll be doing it for a while. Sounds like a big job. It felt good to get out, lug some things around, swing an ax and run a chainsaw. bzzzzzzzzzt. It’s electric…. and light. Not like the beast of a machine I used back in college.

Weather - well, check out the photos. Rather idyllic, really.

The gate to the house