Respite Ride

ccc118-woods

 

The sun splashed warmth onto her cheek and she raised her head in wonder. It’s been overcast for days. The rain spitting intermittently through heavy banks of fog. She has been so intent on her needle work, her thread meandering upon the canvas in search of hue-filled flower beds, that she had missed the change in weather altogether.

Her lips lifted and she put the sewing down. However jolly, the pattern was no substitute for the real tapestry that unfurled under bright light outside.

She made haste. There was no way to know how long the patches of blue sky will stay unclothed by clouds.

In the stables, Sally hoofed the earthen floor and shook her head to echo her mistress’s excitement.

“I know,” Mauve tightened the saddle on the mare. “We both of us cannot wait to take a respite ride. The paths await. The sun’s still there!”

 

 

For Crispina‘s Crimson’s Creative Challenge

 

 

Get Connected

Walk with me OsnatHalperinBarlev

Photo: Osnat Halperin-Barlev

 

Walk with me

Into nature

Where the fresh air

Flows through.

 

Walk with me

As we shelter

Under skies

Me, and you.

 

Walk with me

Hand in hand

Muddy boots

Flowers, too.

 

Let us breathe

And connect

With everything

That is true.

 

 

For the Tuesday photo challenge: Connect

 

 

 

Not Here!

KeithKreates253

Photo: Keith Channing

 

They had everything.

The Papa Chair. The Mama blanket. The two Cub chairs. The inner tubes: one small, one large. Even tin cans emptied to serve as sand pails in the refilled beach’s rectangle.

What a perfect day!

The lake awaited, wet and cool. The silty mud. The pebbles, the weeds to wade across or pull.

They swam. They flipped. They raced. They flopped.

The hours passed. The contents of the picnic basket made their tummies nice and full.

They rested till the water once more called.

Then one cub disappeared.

“Nicko!” they yelled, frantic with the possibility of the awfulness that might unfold.

“One moment!” the junior responded from the direction of the small structure. “I’m not done.”

Relief was quickly replaced by wonder only to be followed by surprise and whiff of horror.

“Nicko??!!?” the Mama dashed across the small beach to stop what was already well set into motion. “That’s not an outhouse! It’s my changing room! Go in the bushes! Not here!”

 

 

 

For Keith’s Kreative Kue #253

 

 

 

Elysian Fields

Elysian Fields AmitaiAsif

Photo: Amitai Asif

 

“There is no need to die,”

He stretched his long legs

And sighed,

“To experience bliss

In the here

In the now.

We need only

Allow.”

She leaned back

And exhaled

What should have long been

Expelled.

As the breeze kissed

Her cheeks,

She prepared to be

Healed,

In the Eden on Earth

Of Elysian fields.

 

 

For Sammi’s Weekend Writing Prompt: Elysian in 56 words

 

 

The Essentials

 

Finally.

She shrugged her pack off and lowered herself so her back rested against a tree, blessing — for the umpteenth time — the waterproofs she’d splurged on several years ago.  The purchase had meant giving up puddings for two months, but she’d never regretted the trade-off.

Food was essential, but so was heeding nature’s call for spending time in the outdoors. It was required nourishment for her soul.

In any weather, no matter damp or cold.

Soon she’d make the tent, gather wood, and light a fire to cook her oats on. But first she just sat, filling her lungs with air and her mind with calm contentment.

Raised in the city, she didn’t know how hungry she was for the outdoors until friends invited them to join a camping trip. She was ten.

Her parents hated every minute of it. For her, it had been like finally finding home.

 

 

 

For Crimson’s Creative Challenge #52

 

Marine Park Wonder

AngThong Marine Park NaamaYehuda

Photo: Na’ama Yehuda

 

Layered cakes of history

Over turquoise water

Topped with jungle hats

And splurged with hidden wonders

Under every gentle splash

And kayak paddle pat.

 

 

Info and so on: Ang Thong National Marine Park is a fabulous archipelago of 42 islands in the Gulf of Thailand. It features amazing limestone mountains, jungles, sandy beaches, waterfalls, and hidden sacred lakes. About an hour fast-boat ride from Koh Samui, it is a protected area of about 100 square kilometers of land and sea and is home to an abundance of exotic wildlife and sea creatures (snorkeling is something you’d really wanna do!). Kayaking, diving, and hiking some of the rocky mountains make for a fabulous time. The Blue Lagoon (AKA Emerald Lake) is absolutely mandatory to climb to!) . Usually a day-trip boat charter from Koh Samui or one of the neighboring islands, there are also some rustic bungalows and tents available for overnight stay. Our family did the day trip from Koh Samui last summer, and it was fantastic!

 

For the Sunday Stills challenge: Parks

Outdoor Essentials

Alma Packing OsnatHalperinBarlev

Photo: Osnat Halperin-Barlev

 

“Come on Daddy, let us go

To the great outdoors

And so,

Pack this rock in

And that, too.

I’m all set

And so should you!”

 

 

 

For the Tuesday Photo Challenge: Outdoors

The Great Outdoors

The great outdoors NaamaYehuda

Photo: Na’ama Yehuda

 

There’s naught much more needed

To fill the heart with song,

Than the Great Outdoors

With loved ones along.

 

 

 

For Sunday Stills: The great outdoors

 

 

Potential

Balcony SmadarHalperinEpshtein (2)

Photo: Smadar Halperin-Epshtein

 

From shade onto sunlight

From old bricks

To plastered walls,

She gazed out

To the terrace

And a horizon

Pregnant with

Potential

Rainfall.

 

 

For Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge