Twilight on the Taconic

There's a glimmer of a sunset of tonight-- finally-- after days of rain-- so I decided to share some pictures of our last twilight drive through the Hudson Valley on the Taconic Parkway. Before we had a weekend house, we always marveled at people who would drive three, four, sometimes five hours to get to their weekend house. It just didn't seem worth the hours in the car. But what we've discovered on our drives up to Potic, three hours door to door on average, is that the drive itself becomes part of the experience. Once we get past wrestling potential traffic hotspots, it's a pretty predictable trip through some picturesque terrain. The Taconic is a beautiful road, winding its way through quaint towns and rolling hills. During the ride, I can feel the entire family unwind after each mile. What helps that is the spotty cell service slowly and symbolically cuts us off from our everyday lives. We've established certain guideposts-- an hour on the nose from Hopewell Junction, the GOLF sign is almost there-- and then of course is the ritualistic "Rip Van Winkle Bridge" song we created on our first trip. Normally James and I are destination-oriented, impatient by nature, but the car has become part of our family time; the books on tape, the 'i spy', the passing of snacks from front seat to back, the dog curled up between two sleeping children-- the journey is now all part of the experience.