windinthemaples

Friday's travel was easy-peasy. I sipped a soy chai at the airport and then hopped aboard a short (hour and a half) flight to Buffalo that arrived around 5pm.
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Universe Practical Joke #1: The flight was bumpy, though, and so all beverage services and getting-up-to-go-to-the-lavatory options weren't on offer. I'd been so happy with that toddler-unfriendly scalding hot soy chai of mine until I had to pee like crazy. A little plea, a little push of energy, and the pilot turned off the seatbelt sign. I was off like a shot down the aisle and arrived to a small line. The flight attendants, clinging to their work stations there, muttered to each other about how they hated when the pilot turned the fasten seatbelt sign off during active turbulence. There were a few ominous wiggles and jolts. "I'll take what I can get", I said aloud to the powers-that-be, "because I have to go." Well, I could feel the suppressed mirth, the giggle behind hands from the ether as I stepped into the lavatory. I can't explain that better, but throughout the weekend I heard the laughing. :) So, it wasn't surprising when the minute I locked the door, the plane leaped and bounced and had a hearty belly-laugh at my expense as I clung to the safety bars and did my best to get out of there without hitting the ceiling or peeing on myself. I couldn't help but laugh. I had gotten my request, despite turbulence, to go to the bathroom. :D
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mermaiden and

willow_cabin were waiting just out of security for me and they had a handmade sign that read, "songtoisis". Ha! :)

We made some quick negotiations while waiting for my pink suitcase to wheel around into baggage claim, loaded up into Sarah's witchy bumper sticker festooned car, and drove off to find some of Buffalo's vegan options for dinner.

Oh! Let me say that some low-level circling in the airplane and then our drive around allowed me an instant appreciation of Buffalo's beauty. I saw the white mist of Niagara Falls, the satin gray drape of rivers and lakes and the green textured quilt of forest and farmland rolling out over hills, under impossibly blue skies. It has an old energy, a tree energy, that really calls to me. Such a stunning place!

Quite by accident, through the disappointing and unexpected closure of one place, we ended up at another. Merge, a vegetarian restaurant, was pretty shmancy and spectacular. We sat on display at a table in the window and had some verra tasty stuff. My dish was an ambrosial lasagna with pine nut cheese (how does one milk a pine nut?) and a side of broccoli. There were green beans baked into my pasta. It was heaven. Carby, vegan, great good friends heaven. :) I felt full and nourished and happy.

Though there'd been some talk of seeing The Tempest performed at the Shakespeare festival, we ultimately drove out to Niagara Falls for the sunset viewing there. I'm so glad we did. What a magic place! With the long summer night, the brilliant, slow sunset, the dancing white waters of the Niagara River and then the deceptively peaceful curving plunge of the falls, it was visually arresting. Energetically, it was weighty old energy, strong and waiting tree energy, and the luring siren-call of dangerous water energy. And hey, natural wonder of the world, I've seen it! :)

We walked along the shores of the Niagara River, watching the rapids increase into deep whirlpools, rowdy runs, and riotous tangles before it smoothed out on the horizon in one gracefully deadly plummet. There were crowds at the Falls themselves, yes, but most of the time we had a surprising amount of contemplative peace and solitude. It was a wonderful walk towards the sunset, crossing footbridges over the river, into the dim, primitive shelter of the forest, across spacious park lawns and back again through the breathing slumber of dusk.

We arrived at Sarah and Jenn's home in full dark, the pups waiting eagerly for a nighttime walk. There were tummies to rub and ears to scritch before we drifted off to our beds to sleep. I'd had such a full day and here I was going to sleep in the house they've crafted down to the very last detail to reflect love, love, love and being included and invited into that haven. Having gotten a text message from Daniel that Graeme had gone to sleep, "piece of cake", I was able to surrender to sleep completely. Such luxury. :) Such a perfect day.