sparks on screen

A wander into the woods would be lovely.  If the light would sparkle through the trees and the breeze would blow through my hair, that would be a bonus.  Once I found a clearing I would take out my journal and, under a crown of trees, write my thoughts and doodle my ideas.  When my hand ached from writing, I’d simply lay and enjoy the sun on my skin.  

The sun on my skin is the most revealing part of that little reverie.  In reality, I’m home from my tropical vacation and staring out the window as the snow descends as quick as rain: none of that softly fluttering stuff over here.  It was so cold when we returned to Minneapolis that our tires were frozen to the street.  Can you imagine?  I should have stuck that Jamaican sun in my pocket.  

All this rambling is getting me thinking: do we have a natural habitat that we instinctively crave?  Do you prefer the mountains to the sea or the woods to the city?  A mix of all things, perhaps?

I mentioned yesterday that the beginning of our vacation was, well, comical.  The second day, however, brought what Jon calls my ‘Peter Pan smile.’  Background: there is a childhood photo of me grinning like Elf because I’m going to see Peter Pan on *ice.*  My family always tells me to do the Peter Pan smile, but when I swam with the dolphins, it came out all on its own:

We wanted to get the classic ‘kiss pic,’ but I was squealing too much and couldn’t keep my eyes open – it was that good.  The rest of our day was spent exploring on foot, but we found all sorts of gems: