seclusion instills peace in my soul

This past weekend Chris & I took the kids up to his family's property in Levy County, which is sort of in Northwest-ish Florida. The property is located about 1/4 mi from the Suwannee River & is covered in beautiful pines, oaks & cypress tree with a small area that used to be a Peach Orchard back in it's prime.

The "cabin" is a 2 bedroom gem. I don't know the exact dates; the property appraiser website says 1969 so we will go with that; Chris' great grandpa H bought the property & built the small home for his family. I don't know this as fact; it's a version I've been told.

The walls are covered in antique pictures & wall art; owls, kittens, chickens & a wall hanging that displays a huntin' dog with a duck in its mouth.  The wood burning stove keeps us warm on cold nights; along with a few space heaters. There is also a window unit for a/c, but we don't visit when it's hot. The state bird (the mosquito) will carry you off in the summer months - or really any day when the temperature is above 65* - The woods cabin has turned into our winter retreat. We love going up on weekends when the daily high will be under 60. Bundling up & tromping around the old peach orchard and through the trails is among our favorite things to do as a family.

At night we light a fire in the fire pit & roast marshmallows for s'more. We pull the Adirondack chairs out of the shed for a cozy place to sit while we enjoy the fire and stargaze. The nights are so dark that you can see far more stars than we could ever see in the city.

When morning comes we bundle up & head off for the Treasure Camp; a restaurant with a few groceries & a boat ramp. We sit at the same table every time we go, the Michael Corleone table (Godfather, anyone.) I don't know why the tables have nameplates, but they do. Our table is at the back of the restaurant, closest to the river. On warmer days you'll see boats racing down the Suwannee towards the Gulf; this weekend though, there are no boats. It's really windy, cold & the river is higher than usual.

On this particular weekend, after breakfast, we headed into town to run a few errands. The water pump in the cabin needed a new part & we needed to get a few groceries for dinner. I generally try to pack all the food we will need, but in this case, we wanted steaks for dinner and I thought it would be better to buy them when we got up there. The trip to town is about 25 minutes (i just googled it; I would have sworn it was closer to 40.. it FEELS like 40.) each way, so, we try not to make it more than once.

After we return to the cabin we let the girls run around while we do random chores around the cabin. I'm straightening up from the previous night & Chris is fixing the well pump.

The days here are fast & slow. We move slower but time flies by. I often find myself thinking about what it would be like to live there. Secluded in the forest. My soul feels like it can finally rest here. My brain is free to dream. There are no to-do lists. I read as much as I can, I journal as often as possible. I go for walks with my family. I enjoy life. I contemplate why I feel so much peace here?

At the end of every trip, I find myself scanning real estate website searching for own own piece of paradise. Our own property in the woods where we can run away and hide from the drama of the real world.