Sisters' Weekend!

Marie, Betty, Joan

Sometimes you just have to get away. This past weekend was one of those times.

My sisters and I try to get together away from home several times a year. It started out as once a year, then twice, then whenever we go to a concert, now we just go when we need to.

After debating the merits of different locations (Natural Bridge is a favorite; it's beautiful, peaceful, and there's nothing to do but enjoy the scenery), we ended up on a mountain top in a motel ("hotel" is really pushing the definition) in a room that was barely adequate, but clean enough and the place has a nice pool and a mostly-decent restaurant.

After thinking about it, we asked to be moved to another room because there was a group of big bushes across the sidewalk from our room, which was on the ground floor next to the pool. Evidentally "poolside" is ground floor and "pool view" is upper floor. There were only a few rooms available "poolside" (many were either empty of furniture or piled high with stuff from other rooms), but we were able to move to one a few doors down.

Joan came in about that time (Betty and I had gotten there a couple of hours earlier; Nancy had work to do and didn't come with us), so we went to dinner. The dining room has a wonderful view from two walls of floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the valley to the east. An incredible lightening storm with purple clouds came tearing through, and it was exhilarating to watch. Then the sunset was reflected from the clouds. We also saw a bobcat walking through the back yard of the property; he stopped and posed for a while and Joan took photos.

We didn't go back to the room till about 9:30, and we went to bed soon afterwards. By that time Betty and I were having respiratory difficulties; we both have allergies and I've been getting over bronchitis (after being put on prednisone for a few days, I was just starting to feel better and able to breathe more easily), but there was so much mold, mildew, dust, and bugs in that room that we choked up. But since it was late (by that time, it was about 10:30) and dark, we decided not to request yet another room change that night.

Filthy bathroom floor, room 2

Mold and filth in the bathroom

Stuff in the a/c unit of room 2

Mess under the headboard (the lamps weren't plugged in because the headboard was in the way)


The next morning we were pretty miserable, so when we went to the restaurant for breakfast, I requested another room change, this time on an upper floor. We moved again, this time into a much nicer (relatively speaking), cleaner room that didn't smell bad. What a pain that was, moving twice after settling in.

We spent the afternoon by the pool; the water was chilly, but Betty and Joan got in while I watched. I don't do cold water.

We had a wonderful time.