Edges Like Sea Glass

By Leah LaRocco

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Miles On The Trail: Leaving The Everyday Behind

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Sometimes you reach a point in life where you realize something is
missing or feels woefully unfulfilled and it causes you to search for
joy in places unexplored.  Some things have changed for me over the past six months that have left me trying to figure out what I love, what is truly important in life, how life is meant to be experienced, what can I do to live a life without regrets, how can I seize and fully embrace moments in the short time I have on this planet…deep stuff like that.

Since this is my 100th blog post, I want to talk about something near and dear to my heart – hiking.  

Earlier this year I stumbled upon a podcast called Sounds of the Trail, which has been a source of long-missing inspiration and happiness for me.  When I was a kid, my parents often vacationed in Vermont because we had a little camper we stored up there.

How I started hiking…
 The infamous Skamper…our home away from home for many years.  
Now most commonly referred to as “glamping”

These trips were sometimes internally frustrating for me because I saw other kids jetting off to Disney World or traveling to Europe with their families and I often thought, “Why the heck do I get stuck with old Vermont?”  Dad would drive maddeningly slow down these out of the way dirt roads and go like 15 miles an hour so we could look at the scenery and it nearly made me lose my mind at times.

 The famous bridge off River Road in Arlington, VT

But the most fun thing we did on these trips was exploring the woods.  We would go hiking at places like White Rocks, Merck Forest, and Hapgood Pond.

There were lots of little trails in the campground where we stayed and I would go off on my own and just walk through the woods or explore down by the Battenkill River.

These outdoor experiences embedded themselves in me and caused me to seek out trails in college down by the Ocoee River.  When I moved to Franklin, there wasn’t much hiking in the near vicinity, and I would occasionally go to Edwin Warner Park, but that was about the extent of it.  Then last year we went camping with some friends and hiked the Fiery Gizzard trail up to Raven Point in South Cumberland State Park and I got hooked again.

 Fiery Gizzard trail

Then I found Sounds of the Trail.

I hope I get to write more about this podcast because I want everyone I know who loves the outdoors to hear about it.  It’s a podcast about hiking that follows the path of one woman as she is hiking the Appalachian Trail and another woman (and eventually a guy) who are currently hiking the Pacific Crest Trail.  They interview hikers along the way, chronicle their own journeys, and encourage people like little old you and me to get out there and hike.  The producer, whose trail name is Gizmo, hiked the PCT last year and also talks about her own experiences.  The episodes are utterly inspiring and make you feel like you’re sitting around a campfire with old friends, talking about adventures. 

So far this year, following our epic trip to Colorado in July…

 Along the trail to Lake Haiyaha in RMNP
 Black bear we ran into on the way to Cub Lake in RMNP

…I’ve hiked nearly a hundred miles on short and long trails within two hours of where we live.  I realize there are some people that literally hike this type of mileage in four days on the AT, but for me whose back is twisted by scoliosis, who has gained some 30s-metabolism-betraying-me weight and feels anything but athletic, it’s the biggest personal accomplishment I can speak of that’s happened in a long time.  The most I’ve done in one day has been 13 miles, and Rob was with me for that and still hates me for it, I think.  This past weekend I did a total of 18 miles (which included my regular walk downtown).  Being in the woods has been exhilarating, and while it will never replace being close to the ocean, I find so much joy in the nature I’ve been able to experience there.  Rob has come with me on a few trails, and a couple of friends have joined as well, but the times when I’m alone with my thoughts and the birds, and trees, and surrounded by peaceful green is the time when my soul has come out of its funk and my heart has been refreshed.

 Foot bridge at Fall Creek Falls
 Climbers Loop at Foster Falls
 Mossy Ridge at Percy Warner
 Mashomack Preserve on Shelter Island
 Couchville Lake
 Garnier Ridge at Radnor Lake

Those trails we walked on many years ago in Vermont set something in motion that I hope will continue for as long as my body is able.  I want to do a backpacking trip at some point, tackle the Long Trail in Vermont, and section hike parts of the AT.  Rob and I went to REI, bought actual serious backpacks, and are slowly getting our gear up to snuff to be able to do some short trips.  Who knows what will come of it, but for now, we walk on in search of the next beautiful moment…

One Year Ago…On The North Fork

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From the outside looking in, Facebook makes it seem like lots of people I know have the perfect marriages and just love “doing life together.”  I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen that phrase thrown about of late.  For anyone outside the church world it translates as, “I really like living with you and doing stuff together even though I don’t like you sometimes.”  But I know enough to realize that no relationship is perfect, least of all ours, and it’s been a hell of a first year.  Everyone says the first year is the hardest and we decided to challenge that notion by taking it to “eleven” and throwing two home remodel projects into the mix.  In hindsight, this was idiotic and we should have maybe waited until the second year…put less energy into our house and more energy into each other type of thing.  We’re figuring this messy business out as we go along, and hopefully in the process of doing that, will learn each other in different ways and laugh a lot at our mistakes. 

One thing that has carried us through this year is the memory of our wedding and the week when friends and family descended on Long Island to be with us as we made this big, scary life decision.  Being with my girlfriends, going to the Hamptons, eating Briermere Pies, and soaking up every ounce of summer the North Fork could offer…my heart aches when I think of the happiness it brought to my soul.  I get choked up when I look back at the pictures.

More than anything, it was my hope that our friends from out of town would get to see how incredibly beautiful the East End is, so we drove them around the North Fork and then took them down south for a day in the Hamptons.  We visited the Montauk Lighthouse and went to Bridgehampton Beach at the end of Ocean Road where the waves were rolling in.

The rehearsal dinner was held at the Soundview Restaurant and the sunset was everything we hoped it would be.

Photo by Solomon Davis

Photo by Ashley Thomas

The morning of, we all drank some coffee, steamed dresses, and put makeup on as I tried not to be sick while brushing my teeth.  The house we stayed in was a dream.

All Photos: Kimberly Barnes of Kimberly Barnes Photography

The only time I cried was when Jane brought the flowers.  I used to work at a flower shop and have been dreaming of this bouquet for years.  Jane is a talented designer who used to own the Greenport florist and is a sweet friend who introduced me to Hugh Prestwood and Nancy Lee Baxter as a teenager when I was really into songwriting.  I thought they hung the moon.  The bouquets were even more beautiful than I’d hoped and so much love went into making them.

 

I bought the shells at The Iron Gate in Franklin years ago and had been saving them for my wedding bouquet.  The dusty miller came from mom and dad’s yard, the seedum came from Jane’s, and the dahlia’s came from a field down the street…all were lovingly cultivated for the bouquets.  A little bit of Tennessee and a little bit of home.

I spent hours putting the place cards together at mom and dad’s dining room table using pieces of sea glass that Rob and I had found on the North Fork, along with shells that came from my great Aunt Jeanne’s collection.  It was humbling to say prayers of thankfulness over each name, grateful for these special people in our lives, some of whom were sacrificing a lot to be there with us.

These are some of the most gorgeous women and oldest friends I have on this planet and their beauty took my breath away.

The guys were pretty hot too…

Brecknock Hall was this amazing backdrop, steeped in North Fork history.  We could not have found a more perfect place to celebrate.  There are so many special moments of magic that I remember, I could go on for days…

Our cute little parents

And when the wedding was over, there was just us, living our lives from day to unglamorous day with this incredible memory to smile back on.  I will always think of it as one of the happiest days ever, being home, surrounded by the people we love most in the world.

And so we press on…working on our marriage, loving our pets, fixing our house, savoring every joyful moment, and going back to the North Fork as often as life allows.

 

I’m In, I’m In, I’m In!! Home Sweet Office

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In May I found out I’d be working from home, which has turned out to be a great thing and I feel like a more productive human being now.  The challenge was to create a space that wouldn’t interfere with our home life and would also be peaceful and inspiring.  We had this crappy little room that ended up being the perfect size and place since it has a separate entrance off the patio.  Rob worked so hard to get this together for me and here’s what it looks like now!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Rob built a cabinet and shelving unit to house and hide the water heater.  This also adds extra storage for supplies, etc.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

BEFORE:

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On one side of the room where there used to be some shelves and a dirty old window, I wanted a cozy corner for when I don’t feel like being glued to the desk.  This is the perfect chair to curl up with the laptop.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

It’s so exciting to have this project finished because I was so worried about feeling displaced and not being able to separate work and home life.  Now it won’t be an issue anymore and this is a quiet spot to concentrate and get stuff done.  It took a lot of work and as always with this house, there were problems that arose which we weren’t expecting, but all in all, we’re both really happy with it.  Home sweet office!

The State Of The Office: Progress!

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So, I’m officially working from home, following some vacations and much needed time in the wilderness.  Work on the office continues and for now I’m happily set up at my desk in our dining room, but am excited for the day when I don’t have to worry about the cats knocking all my papers on the floor or the dog starting to bark just as I’ve dialed into a call (I swear she has ESP and does this to spite me because she knows I prefer cats).

As with every project we’ve done in this house, there were special challenges that had to be dealt with.  One of these was the installation of a mini split heating and cooling unit we purchased.  Online, the reviews for the unit were great.  People loved the efficiency and “easy installation” along with the fact that the price of the unit was about $500 less than the ones being sold at Home Depot.  However, these things are TRICKY as hell to install, plus most HVAC places will not install a unit that you didn’t purchase from them.  So that was fun.  Rob did his best until finally we were able to find a guy who had worked on a home just down the street from us.  $400 later, our unit is in working order and I will hopefully not die from a gas leak in the copper lines.  Lesson learned.

Mini split installed, plus a new door too…with a window in it!!!

Another big piece of this room (literally) was the new window.  We ordered the window way in advance of when it would have to be installed and instead of three weeks, it took five and a half to come in.  Once it arrived and we stopped pulling our hair out, we got right to work.  Basically, we took two tiny 22 inch windows and combined them to make one nine foot by 24 inch window that looks out on the back yard. 

Rob cut the beams in preparation for a header and then used a sawzall demo blade to cut through old asbestos shingles and aluminum siding (he wore a mask).  

Both of us hefted the window outside after the raw edges of the house had been sealed with a tar tape to prevent any moisture getting in.  The result is this awesome new visage to the green outdoors that adds some natural light to this tiny, dark space.

Then all the old insulation (or lack thereof) was torn out and replaced with fresh new pink stuff.

Drywall is now up and Rob is working on a shelving unit that will house and hide the new, smaller water heater plus provide additional storage space for office supplies.

To be honest, I’m pretty freaking thrilled about where things are right now.  There is a lot of painting to do and we still have to put the tile floor in once that’s finished, but there is light at the end of the tunnel!  This room is totally unrecognizable from what it was before and even though this most likely is not a project that will add significant monetary value to our house, it is the perfect space for what I need at this point with my job and I’m so very grateful that we are not having to convert our guest room to an office.  Now fingers crossed that all the furniture will fit!