We drove up and up seeking higher mountains. Zigzagging through winding roads we drove all the way to “deer” campground—the campground where deer ramble about freely... or used to, but they were not. For this year, none was found. Except for the large crows, not a bird of prey either like it used to be... and the campground felt so emptied and void of splendor without the beautiful presence of these creatures.

This campground had always been notorious for the amount of wildlife. We even had a beautiful red fox visiting our campsite last year. It sat very closed from where we stood and it stayed there for a long, long time... just there, as if dreaming or pondering on some deep thoughts. It felt so peaceful. But everything felt so different and strange this year. For this is the year of the great calamity and this is the year of the angel of death, and perhaps, somehow our wildlife knows that something is very wrong in the world of humans and they want to stay away? They must be aware too, I supposed, of something else coming... something we humans can’t see, or fathom, but they do. And thus, they’ve fleet.

It seems to me, that even the animal world has taken a different course this year, and as this terrible virus keeps taking human lives, something sinister has descended upon our earth and it has been affecting humans as well as nature and other forms of life too—our animals, our trees and our flora and even our waters.

Our gypsy caravan, however, felt wonderful... comfortable, colorful and just gypsy sweet!

Eating our breakfast in the early morning in the comfort and cozyness of our gypsy caravan

it always is so good... so perfect so dreamy!

 

The Fisherman is the guy in charge of washing the dishes... 

I force myself to put on a little bit of make up so I won't scare people away, 

and I'm done!

Don't even have to comb my hair... 

...just be who you are, witchie look or not!

  

We walked and rode our bikes that evening, and I found a little gift left behind by some awesome soul for me to find...

The following day, I found yet another one! I adore it!

I can’t explain exactly why I always seem to find these little gifts; I have an eye for it, I guess, because I have an eye for nature and these little gifts stand out from nature in very obvious ways, so I find them... and they are like little blessings to me; or little joys to my soul when I find them and bring them with me like the precious treasures they are.

I also went searching for treasures in nature and found these amazing branches covered in moss. I’m planning on placing them on a pot and displaying them just as they are. The lady at the quaint little souvenir store in downtown, by where we had coffee this morning keeps two large pots filled with them at the entrance of her shop, and I love how they look, along with the many other beautiful flowerpots she keeps all around. They bring such joy to the place!

 

 

This is such bohemian town and I love that the campground is just miles from it, and from the lake and many other local shops that you can always visit.

The sun never came out on our second day, but for a little moment in the afternoon, and it was cloudy, and the atmosphere carried a hint of a pink haze in it. We walked down to the lake in the morning and it was quiet and precious, and the lake seem phantasmagoric and far away under the pink haze light.

 

...the gypsy caravan in evening light...

 

 

   

The only thing that steal from us a little bit of this joy it was that the Fisherman lost his reading glasses somewhere in that beautiful area where we sat down to enjoy the view of the lake while enjoying our coffee. We looked and looked around and asked people at the shops if someone may had found them, but nobody did. I felt sad for him

After what it seemed hours on top of wild horses going up hills and neve ending hilly dirt roads, we finally found it—the black rock in the middle of the river, from which the campground gets its name. 

And what beautiful, beautiful place in the middle of nowhere—a small camp site with only the perfect few campers which, like us, prefer the solitude of the mountains to four wheelers and such... what pain those noise people are.  Always looking more to the fun they can get than to the respect for nature and the solitude this world needs so much on these crazy days we’re living.

Right below our campsite—the river.  Like a belly overhand, the terrain lays out above the river on a curb, leaning on the one side to the forest, with the amazing views of the mountains above our heads; and the water, crystalline and pure running below, where geese found their natural pool and for hours just stopped swimming and let the waters take them down... slowly and graceful..

I was afraid it was going to be super-hot like our last campout, but instead a beautiful breeze run over the entire place and the tall pines and trees protected us from the intense sun in a most blessed way.

Down at the river there was a part where a natural pool had been established by large rocks so campers could go down and swim and even take baths... 

We walked all the way to where the black rock was and walked atop rocks formations and fished and came back to our camp singing and laughing.  We cooked and eat better than ever thanking God for His amazing love and protection.  We read, sipped coffee and ate watermelons and sleep a long night—deep and happy.

  

The old gypsies got together with some friends and friends of their friends this time and head out to the mountains and rivers.  This time, they rode onto the opposite side of the sun, which meant they rode west, instead of east, which is the way they usually take, and crossed onto another state.

It was fun spending time with friends and getting to meet new friends.  It was hot that Friday afternoon.  So hot that my brain overheated and my body felt very hot and uncomfortable and thus, I put on my swimming suit and walked down to the river by myself... I walked on the rocks and went to sit in the middle of the river—its cold, clean water rushing through my body and my thoughts, until I cooled down and regain my senses...

We sung hymns and worshiped our Heavenly Father with the music of guitars and ukuleles, we share food and told stories until the sun came down and the atmosphere cool down, we talked and got to meet each other and we prayed and laughed and we had such a good time that it never downed to us that we are still living under a mean pandemic and not once thought of wearing our masks or don’t be too close to each other... and later I sat down and regret having done all this...

What were we thinking? 

 Thankfully, everything was fine and everyone is still doing good.

We bless our Lord for his protection, we bless Him for His guidance and we commend ourselves to Him each hour, then, we trust, and we go to work and trust some more and keep praying and wait for His return.