What did I get for my birthday? Lost!

Mountain Laurel near New Paltz, NY. I love the shape of the buds before they burst open. The individuals I’ve seen have varied from pink to white.

Like a mountain lion stalking a helpless deer my 64th birthday caught me unawares. That’s nothing new for me, mind you. As a relatively reclusive sort they tend to come and go without much notice.

The difference this year–and I suppose I should say last year as well because this is the second birthday running that I’ve celebrated on the road–was that when I woke up in the morning not only did I not realize what day it was, I also didn’t know where the hell I was! I don’t think it was because of my aging gray matter as much as it was due to the fact that I’ve been living on the road, changing location from day to day. Hey! It’s hard to keep track! Now, where was I?… oh yeah…

An iPhone grab: Looking out of the window from the second story of Hopkins Winery at toward Lake Waramaug, New Preston, CT

…Waking up not knowing where you are isn’t necessarily a bad thing. No, not at all. After the panic subsides it’s a fun game to try and remember. Hahah! As it turned out, this year I awoke to a riotous chorus performed by a plethora of songbirds–a most pleasant way to awaken–on a little farm in Connecticut. It belongs to a couple, a couple that prefers to maintain anonymity on these pages, but a couple of great generosity and hospitality. You see, it was as I wandered around the campground at Lake Waramaug that they stopped me as I passed by, engaging me in conversation which led to their invitation for me to park on their farm.

Using my iPhone I made a quick grab shot of a pond in New Milford, CT.

After climbing out of bed the inevitable passage of moment to moment, hour to hour, and day to day continued as it always does, but this day was special, not only because it was my 64th, but because of where I found myself and with whom. The day included a trip to the beach with a lovely, local lady as my companion, silly as she was for finding me worthy of her companionship. This was followed by a pizza fest at the farm and a trip to a local ice cream parlor which likewise was on a farm, producing their own ice cream from their own cows. You have to admit that’s something a bit special these days. There were congratulations and gifts to which I am unaccustomed on my birthday for what few friends I maintain usually offer up a greeting some other time of year along the lines of “Oh yeah, your birthday is in the summer some time, right?”, and gifts are something very rarely encountered.

Before you decide to feel sorry for me due to the dearth of attention my yearly anniversary usually garners, know that I have a great deal for which to be thankful. Yes, that certainly includes making it from the last birthday to the next, but it also includes my great fortune to be able to live the lifestyle that I do, merrily traipsing around the country from one spectacular location to the next and meeting all sorts of wonderful and interesting people along the way such as those with whom my most recent birthday was enjoyed. I’m not sure what I’ve done to deserve all this, and I’m uncertain that I do, but here is where I find myself… wherever I am.