Unfortunately, with Jude just having changed jobs, her time with us on the mountain (as they say) has been limited. She was here Saturday and Sunday, then came back up Tuesday night to be here for Wednesday (the 4th of July) and drove back home yesterday morning.
During the day, the boys (JP, Joe and Cooper) have been in the St. Andrews Sewanee All Sports Camp, while Russ, Susanna, Ella and I hung out. The boys have caught fish in Mugg's Pond, just a short walk from our cabin. We've hiked the Bridal Veil Falls trail - Susanna, Ella and I did it twice. Ella, 13, had to be coaxed to join Susanna and me on the first hike to Bridal Veil Falls. I couldn't help but smile when she said it was her favorite part of the trip as she gazed in wonder at the waterfall in the middle of the forest.
To say it's been a much needed, relaxing week for me is an understatement. All Star baseball is over - more on that later. The week of the 4th of July has been fairly slow at work, so I didn't miss much. My mom's been on my mind, as always, but I'm comfortable with the fact that Tracy and Alice have been seeing her regularly.
Mostly, it's been going for a run in the morning after dropping the boys off at camp, coffee at Stirling's Coffee House on campus, lunch at home, a nap or reading in the afternoon, pick up the boys at camp and figure out where to go for dinner. Lots of down time and lots of good, fun conversations with the kids. I finished one book - Janesville: An American Story, by Amy Goldstein (fantastic read) and started another one.
I discovered a trail run close to the cabin, just off 41A. I've run the Beckwith's Point Trail twice. It's rocky with lots of tree roots and very hilly, but under the cover of the forest almost the entire way. In total, out and back, it's about a 3.4 mile run. I love trail running, especially on new trails. The first time I ran it, I found a bit of nirvana. Spotify songlist (the Haunting) in the background and me, running. Difficult trails like Beckwith's Point require more concentration and engagement so I can avoid falling ass over tea kettle or breaking another toe. Maybe that takes my mind off things, that focus on the physical act of running.
Yesterday, my friend, Russ, and I ran the Beckwith's Point Trail together. I don't think he really knew what to expect and it was difficult - for him and me - but he enjoyed it. It's just a different feel from running on pavement. Different in a good way.
We set up a tent on University Avenue that Russ brought the evening of July 3, so we would be ready for the 2 p.m. parade through Sewanee on July 4th. The kids - especially the boys - had a blast catching candy from the people driving the cars and riding on one of the three floats in the parade. Sewanee is a small, campus town and it was at its finest on July 4th. Craft tents, lemonade stands, a pie eating contest, a dog show ("the Mutt show"), a tent of locals selling homemade BBQ (very tasty) and the parade. Very Sewanee.
Why do I love it up here so much, up on Monteagle Mountain? I've thought about that a lot. I enjoy being so close to Sewanee, in much the same way I enjoy living so close to Belmont U. There's a certain energy and youthful optimism on a college campus. The temperature, of course, is a good 10 degrees cooler than in Nashville. That's helpful, for sure, in July. Trails to hike and run on are everywhere. I love that. Most appealing to me, maybe, is the slower pace.
It's been a good, relaxing week. I'm already reentering reality, working for a couple of hours yesterday and today. Almost time to get back at it. But, until then, one more afternoon and night with the boys and the Allens on the mountain.
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