It’s a big, beautiful world out there, but maybe we can stop screwing it up?

It's Valentine's Day, and it's officially been a year since my husband and I have gone ANYWHERE. What a strange year.

Our last trip into an unfettered and COVID-free world took us to Eagles Mere (pop. 120), a sweet and adorable village that's not quite an hour away from us. The population swells there in the summer because there are a ton of vacation houses that surround the 114-acre lake, but in February it was us, a handful of fellow winter tourists, and the locals.

Oof! This was a heckin' cold day. A heckin' cold weekend, if I remember correctly, with the wind whipping right off the lake. And because of recent, heavy, snowfall, we didn't get a chance to hike around the lake. Playing outside in the winter is one thing. Hoofing it through 8 inches of snow just so I can say I completed a hike is entirely another. And you have no idea how hard it would have been on my poor husband. To deal with me. Cold, sweaty, cranky, tired me. It was for the best, really.

I still can't believe they wouldn't let us take out the canoes. She said facetiously. I promise, I won't go ice fishing. She said with complete sincerity.

This very small town was easily walkable, and the population may be small but everyone we met was welcoming. We went to The Barn, a local tavern, for dinner on our second night there, and had so much fun that it was hard to leave. The food was good, but the company was outstanding.

We're striving for patience, trying to remain sensible and healthy almost a year into the COVID pandemic, but it's impossible to not look beyond the borders of your ordered world to see what else is out there. Since we are travelers we have lots of revolving ideas about where to go first--family and friends, possibly New England, and I keep looking at Greece--but until it makes sense to set those plans in motion, we've taken the time to look back at where we've been. Eagles Mere was close to home but far enough away to not be home, jam-packed with brisk winter air and old-growth pine. It's on the list of places to visit again, and frankly, I can't wait to get there.