What Shawn Would Have Missed

I woke up early Sunday morning feeling refreshed. I sat outside having coffee and watching the morning open up. It did not take long to realize there was no way I could spend this day at home. It demanded to be lived. I called Timmy and Sara; yep, they will be home. I called my neighbor, Shawn, and announced that I was calling a road trip, which he turned down. Something about not being up to it and having to do laundry. I demanded that he get his ass up, shower and show up at my place…you will thank me later…your laundry will be here tomorrow, but this day will not…if you die tomorrow, do you want me to tell everyone you spent your last day doing laundry when you could have been enjoying this road trip. I knew I was right. You have to take that bite out of life whenever you can. I have taken a lot of bites. Some not so good, but there was no way this bite would be anything but delicious. Shawn did show up. We drove Rt. 42 all the way to Clifton Forge, VA to Timmy and Sara’s casa. You can’t do anything but relax at their place. We did that for a while by the pool and then Timmy and Sara took us on a road trip on the Highland Scenic Byway. This is a one lane gravel road offering up plenty of oh-look-at-that stuff. For me, the day was delicious. Please allow me the indulgence of showing you what Shawn would have missed if he had not joined me on this day-journey.

Shawn would have missed seeing the flowers around the pool...

He would have missed the bees he tried to photograph...

and seeing all the hanging tomato plants and knowing it is working for somebody...

He would have missed seeing how the moss grows on this building.







And the feathery grass around the outdoor cooking area.















He would not have seen how Sara used the shed to try out new paint colors for the house.

Shawn would have missed meeting Timmy and Sara and swapping
stories with Timmy. They are among my favorite people on this earth.

I'm pretty sure Shawn might never have seen Rainbow Rock just below Timmy and Sara's house on Rt 220.

It is possible that Shawn would never have known about the Highland Scenic Byway and the beauty within that has been kept hidden from him until now.

I am certain Shawn's couch or the smell of clean laundry would
not have given him the feeling that this little waterfall did.
And finding those cups on the rocks!




















Only a lazy ass would not want to get off the couch and see the beauty of all the mountain laurel and rhododendron in full bloom hiding among the trees in this forested area. Shawn would have missed that and seeing what the soft mountain laurel looks like against the rough fungus on these rocks.

He would have missed seeing this fantastic tree offering up this view...the one that made me yell out to Timmy, "STOP!" Bless his heart, he does stop when I say STOP! And he waits patiently until I have all the photos my heart desires. Never complaining. What a good brother.

Shawn would have missed seeing this seemingly dead tree with pine cones hanging on for (to?) life. I have felt like that at times.

























And some other cool stuff like this stand of ferns.






































Shawn would have missed out on these mountain views. Ooooh, that would have been a shame.

Shawn would have missed out on being able to go back in his mind to that waterfall and remember how beautifully the moss grows on the rocks and the sound of the water falling over and around the rocks.













































































































































When I got home Sunday afternoon, there was a herd of cows in the field behind my apartment. Guess they had found a way out of the fenced area and were taking a bite out of life on the other side of the fence. See. Ya can't blink or ya might miss something.

So, get up and live. When you snooze, ya loose. Someday you will thank me, Shawn.