Weekend getaway

On Friday, I went into Camden Town. It is a bizarre area of Northern London filled with various Gothic shops and punk vendors selling anything from 3 foot long bongs, to Hello Kitty socks. I bough a postcard with the district's motto: "We don't need permission to be free." Had I given into the peer pressure, I would have bought some fishnet tights. However, I realized I'm over the "life-is-pain" phase. I'm glad I saw the area though-had I missed it, I would have been left wondering where all of the mohawks lived. I did eat a fabulous traditional English lunch though. I had a white Belgian beer coupled with beef sausage and mash. Mmmm...thick.
Friday night, after some delicious take-out Indian dinner (or tea as the locals call it) we headed off for a weekend getaway on the Southern coast of England. The drive was crowded and somewhat dull as it was getting dark and the girls were asleep next to me. I counted 12 bunnies on the side of the road and dozed off a bit. The cottage that we stayed in was absolutely delightful!-right out of a fairytale. It was 300 years old and still shared many characteristics of it's previous lives. Beautiful wooden plank floors, thick aged ceiling beams, heavy wooden doors with small brass handles and stained glass windows to let in light between rooms. The town was gorgeous as well with horses as chauffeurs, cows grazing freely, and homes with endless history lining narrow winding roads.
On Saturday, we went to the beach and people were dressed in winter jackets and beanies. It was so cold but it reminded me of playing on the beaches of Puget Sound as a little girl. The girls were so cute and didn't let the weather phase them. They ran around and flew kites and collected seashells. The beach was right on the English Channel and France was straight across from us (though way too far to see.) Although it was fun to watch the girls, I couldn't help but wish that I was there with some friends on a blanket with a bottle of wine.
Later we went to dinner at an old fisherman's pub. I became fat with grub and had a dull drunk off of one large English beer. By the time we got home, everyone was exhausted and I was the lone survivor. Without internet or a phone, I was left to think...
I began to realize how much I'm going to miss Walloon Lake this summer. This is the first summer in my life that I won't be visiting my grandparents at our summer beach cottage. Life at Walloon is bliss and carefree. I'll miss sitting on the dock and listening to the waves crash on the sand and rocking in the swing with my family sipping on lemonade and doing the crossword puzzle. It makes me realize how badly I want to raise a family near the water and how important that was in my childhood. I have the most vivid memories of my childhood at Walloon or on the rocky cold beaches of the Pacific Northwest.

I'm now completely procrastinating. I should be packing and planning- I leave for India TOMORROW and I'm so anxious I could flip any second. I talked with my mom and Colin again tonight though and their encouraging words are always helpful. I just don't know when I will be able to connect (either via phone or email) to anyone and it leaves me feeling a bit desperate and lost and alone.

Take a deep breath. If it all gets screwed up....I'll look back and laugh.