Where Love Waits

It was the Memorial Day weekend in the U.S. One of the things that happens on or around this holiday is the official opening of quite a few of our favorite swimming areas at the local state parks.

My husband and I have usually been in the water long before this, but the weather this spring has not cooperated to allow for an earlier swim. So on this day, with great excitement, we set out for our first swim at Bald Eagle State Park.

It was actually still raining when we woke up in the morning, but by around lunchtime, the clouds were clearing out a bit, and blue skies and sunshine showed up to brighten the day. The afternoon turned into a real peach, and we were happy to be out in it.

We had a lovely swim, and the beach area - which wasn't too crowded when we got there - started to perk up as the afternoon wore on. As we often do, after our swim, we took off for a less populated part of the park.

This is the parking area near the old docks that I have talked about and shown you before. The parking lot is lined with trees, and an old cement stairwell runs down the middle of it. (The old stairwell is just to the left outside of frame.)

My husband pulled his car into a shady spot between two trees and flung our towels out to dry in the sun nearby. We set our chairs up and got out our books to do some reading.

A really snazzy looking bird was hanging out nearby, and it obliged me by posing for some pictures. It turns out that it was a killdeer, and you may see its photo in the extras. Of course, as is my nature, I also had to get up with my camera and wander around for some photos of the area.

When I was done, I was feeling very happy and content. As I looked up the hill toward where my husband was sitting, reading his library book, my heart just swelled up. It was a beautiful day, and there he sat.

My chair was next to his, waiting for me to sit in it. My own book sat waiting for me to pick it up again. In the cooler were some cold drinks: my choice of a cold Diet Pepsi or a lemonade (both = win).

The sky was blue, the sun was shining, and there sat my love - my north, my south, my east, my west - waiting for me. You might spend a whole lifetime trying to figure out all of what love is, but sometimes the answer is the simplest one that is right in front of your face. This right here? This is what love looks like to me. . . .

The soundtrack: Foreigner, with I Want to Know What Love Is.