There’s no better balm for a sun-starved soul than the greening of spring. Life at the lake this weekend was filled with flowers blooming, trees budding and grass growing. At one point in a long walk, we marveled at how the tender blades of grass writhing in the wind mimicked the waves on the lake. But, as is typical in Texas, spring turned to summer in the span of an afternoon. What began as a lazy nap with temps in the mid-70s, open windows and gentle breezes turned into a late afternoon of temps in the low 80s, closed windows and air-conditioning. Fortunately, Cloud 9 easily accomodated our climate change.

We spent a lot of time this weekend talking about life at the midpoint. We’re both at that time in our lives when we look back and ahead simultaneously, taking stock of all we’ve accomplished and giving thought to all that remains undone. Dreams have come and gone, and new ones emerge day by day. The close confines of our Airstream offer not only a safe haven but also a safe space for gazing intently into each other’s eyes and engaging in difficult conversations. Where do we go from here? We would love nothing more than to leave the work-a-day world behind and live life on the road, but we’re not in a position to do so. Our wanderlust, for the time being, will have to be relegated to weekends.

Taking our conversation from the sublime to the mundane, we also focused on chores and maintenance in advance of our big annual trip. We’re headed to Yellowstone on May 22, and we have to make sure we’re road-ready. Our itinerary has us overnighting in Hays, Kansas, and Custer, South Dakota, before arriving at Fishing Bridge Campground in Yellowstone, where we’ll spend four nights before heading back to Dallas. Our return trip has us staying in Casper, Wyoming; Pueblo, Colorado; and, finally, Amarillo, Texas. We’re hoping to take in Mt. Rushmore and the Grand Titons, in addition to other points of interest along the way. We’ve made all the necessary reservations; all that remains are prepping the truck and trailer and packing our clothing and provisions.

A late spring in Yellowstone promises to be spectacular. We’ll hit the area before the onslought of summer tourists, much as we did last year during our visit to Yosemite. And we’re already starting to plan next year’s long trip to Utah and its “Big 5” five national parks: Canyonland, Arches, Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon and Zion. It doesn’t hurt to dream “Big.”