Part 4

[just_cyd]

Nothing pleases me more than falling off the highway and being at my destination. Google Maps had me come in the high road, but I learned later I could leave by the low road, and I'll be on the highway ... nevermind.

The crew knew we were closed, but I silenced the GPS before it could give it away, as I wanted to scope out the venue sitch, too. I was close. VERY close. the parking looked to be sketchy-to-non-existent, and there were not sidewalks, but there were street lights, and lots of trees, so despite the continued precipitation, I decided I'd just hoof it to the show.

Back at the airbnb, i announced our arrival, and let the crew squawk over the exterior of our accommodations for the night. I took a preliminary trip to find the door and haul in the lighter stuff, squishing my way through mulch and making a mess of the entry. The wood steps were small for my big feet and a little squishy themselves, and I still fumble with those keyless entry things, but once inside, all was forgotten. This is the cutest damn place ever. No, really. That couch is super comfy, the kitchen area is everything that I need (a fridge! with a freezer!). The bathroom was a touch small, and the bed only had minimal room on one side, but their pillow game was strong, and the ceiling fan kept things cool. I suppose southerners would've required the two space heaters in January, but Mother Nature made sure that was not an issue for me that day.

That far wall was covered with CDs, and the littles had a field day with that. I ignored them, thankful that I could ignore them; I needed to check out for a bit and rest before the show. I set an alarm, disengaged the brain, and tried to find my happy place. I played stupid phone games and snoozed a bit while trusting that the Trying Trio wouldn't do too much damage. It wasn't as restful as I'd hoped, but it was better than nothing. Digging through my suitcase, I realized that I'd packed for January in Ohio, and I was in Unseasonably Warm North Carolina. I settled on the super-soft dark green tee under the pink plaid flannel, jeans, and stompy shoes. mismatched socks weren't visible under the slightly-too-long jeans, but make me smile. I was too weary to make a run to get a beverage for the BYOB, so I took advantage of the cans of sparkling water on offer in the fridge, tucked that and a bunch of butterscotch candies into my little crossbody purse, grabbed my umbrella, and set off down the road.

The walk was easy, pleasant even. slightly downhill, but not so much to make me regret my decision. downhill is just as rough on bad knees as uphill, believe it or not. I didn't time it, but it was maybe 15 minutes. Arriving at the corner where the road ends, I could see that there was parking, of the DIY variety. that gravel area across the street was the primary parking, and others were parking on side streets. Yep, I'd made the right choice. I saw a blue Subaru Outback go by, and hoped like mad it was Darren, but the license plate didn't match. Yes, I know the first half of Darren's license plate. No I'm not stalking him. I joined a clump of women who looked like the type I'd be friends with as we all made our way up the stairs and to the door. All very friendly and helpful with doors while I navigated stairs with the cane, and pretended Violet wasn't complaining loudy from my purse, and the other two weren't getting on each other's last nerve seeing that we were entering a church.