Adventure Time

Today a friend and I went on an all-day adventure. She has lived in the area for several years, but she's really never been anywhere other than the beach. So a while back I had bought tickets (on Groupon, of course) for the big Vintage Market Days event in Clay County (one county over from mine). As it turned out, it wasn't so big after all; the tickets were three-day passes, but we saw all there was to see in an hour and a half. I was expecting more and at one point had considered getting a room nearby in case we wanted to stay overnight and get back to the Market on Sunday. I'm very glad I didn't do that! I don't know what we would have done with an extra day in Green Cove Springs. We had arrived just as the fairgrounds opened, so it was only 11:30 when we left. I did find a few great items. I might post pictures tomorrow. I'm worn out and my back and feet are screaming!

When we left the fairgrounds, we went to a place called Old Time Pottery. My friend had been to one in a different city, and even though this one was close to a campus where I've taught on and off, I'd never been. There too we walked around -- probably longer than we had at the fairgrounds -- and found a few useful items. When we finished, it was still only 2:00 and we were determined to find something else to get into. We both work too much, and the idea of not savoring a day we had set aside for something other than work did not sit well with either of us. Instead, we went to Riverside, the artsy area of Jacksonville near where my son and his girlfriend live. My friend had never been there either, so I had a chance to show off some of my favorite places, including a great Mexican restaurant caled Lola's and the vintage shop where I have a booth.

The weather was chilly (by Florida standards) but absolutely gorgeous, and altogether we got in about three miles of walking. We had a great lunch, some good laughs, and -- best of all -- a much-deserved day off. We decided we need to do something similar (but maybe with less spending) once a week. It's amazing how even one day of doing something else can change your perspective. We both finished the day in a better mood than we had started (even if we did waste our old joints and pull our tired muscles). Good times.