This could be the best heart I have ever come across.
I’d walked on this road across from the Hawk and Hawthorn a few times and never noticed this pothole.
On my last evening, after a rainstorm, I took another stroll, and found this perfectly formed heart reflecting the clearing clouds above it. It is large, too, at least a foot across
Perfect timing, perfect heart shape! At that moment in time, I was just where I needed to be. A little less rain, or a single car driving over it, and the best found heart would never have been found.
There were a few more finds during the week. My boy took us up to Mineral Springs to look for garnets. See the polka dots in this heart?
Garnets!
These two are mica and garnet in granite.
And this one has some shiny quartz.
We parked ourselves at a little waterfall in the stream, then sorted and sifted through the water and stones to find treasures. I could spend hours looking at pretty rocks, and we did.
The first few times, I gathered lovelies to take home. I wanted some for my garden and also larger ones to add my mushrooms to as well as smaller ones to put in the moss at the base of my schroomies.
But then, there was the accident.
We had driven two cars across country to get one to my son. He had been driving Ryan’s Jeep and it needed a transmission. So, we were to haul the Jeep back to KS for repairs.
But, oops. We were also in NC to help Rich’s mom after a fall. He had just left her side and pretty wrecked himself, so when the truck also got wrecked mere blocks from the hospital, it was very understandable. It left us with no vehicle at all, so my 2-3 tons of rock souvenirs needed to be left behind.
We bought a suitcase, booked a flight, and rented a car in KC. Now, I’m in the process of car shopping while hoping the truck isn’t totaled and that I won’t be shopping for a replacement for that too.
So our truck and my rocks are out east. We are home safely, Rich is fine. Rich’s mom is in her rehabilitation center and he will be heading back to see her when he is no longer truck-less. Then he’ll haul the Jeep and my mountain of shiny stones back to Kansas.
The reasons for being there, as well as the accident did not make for what you’d call an ideal vacation.
But we managed to have lots of family time and a peaceful visit to the retreat at Hawk and Hawthorn. Throw in a few hikes and spectacular dinners with the fam and we decided that it was going to work out fine.