Going out on a limb to hang out with my friends

 I am so blessed to be part of a grade level team that genuinely enjoys one another's company in AND outside of school. We were excited to meet at a whimsical little place that was part blueberry farm, part tree-house bar and restaurant, sprinkled with magical fairy lights, sculptures, yard games, and music. 

My friend Rachel rode with me as we followed our friends Allison and Katriel to meet Marissa at the venue. Rachel and I rarely have one-on-one time so we were busy catching up and enjoying the scenery during the back-country road drive. 

Suddenly, Rachel's phone rang. It was Katriel. I could hear her asking Rachel where we were. Confused, Rachel and I waved enthusiastically at our friends, positioned in the vehicle right in front of us...the same car I had relentlessly been tailing through the twists and turns of countless narrow, shoulder-less, passages through hamlets, hay fields, and hillsides. Rachel turned to me, mouthing, "That's not them." 

Huh.

Must be time to turn on the map.

"Mom," my daughter Savannah lectured later, "Why didn't you have Maps on to begin with?"

"I was following someone, Savannah," I replied, the "duh" implied. "That's the beauty of a caravan."

"Even if I am following someone," my daughter shared, "I have Maps going, too."

Well, goody for you, Savannah Evangeline.

Rachel and I found our destination easily enough..."Whoops, we missed it," Rachel exclaimed as we shot by the entryway. No worries.

Feeling victorious as we navigated New Titan into an abbreviated parking spot ("Rachel, leap out [on your sprained foot] so you can ground-guide me in." She fearlessly catapulted herself out of my truck, easily managing the three-foot-drop on one leg, landing, flamingo-style, to help me.), we could not understand why our three twenty-something companions were standing nearby, as unhelpful bystanders, laughing hysterically. What on earth was so funny? We got here, didn't we?

The Blueberry Treehouse Farm & Cafe reminded me of the forests of Endor from Star Wars. I would not have been surprised to see an Ewok about as we climbed up the levels that led to the seating area. I  mistakenly ordered a blueberry moscato...confusing it for prosecco. They are NOT the same. My bad. 

My group graciously gave me the honor of choosing the seating. I immediately selected an isolated spot with cozy Adirondack chairs surrounding a low table. Second mistake. Oh. I guess, if you count my little re-routing incident...third mistake. Turns out that it's not easy to eat, reclining back, in Adirondack chairs while balancing your weighty pioneer log plate in your lap. So we ate, hunched awkwardly forward, literally on the edge of our seats. Allison, who had, out of consideration, claimed an uncomfortable-looking metal chair, had the perfect posture of a princess and nibbled her flatbread with grace and dignity while the rest of us, Quasimoto's quadruplets, snarfed down our food like gargoyles.

I had ordered the peach flatbread pizza, sprinkled artistically with basil. I noticed a bit of the herb had landed next to my tree trencher so I plucked it off the table and popped it in my mouth. Fourth mistake. Marissa watched with concern as I grimaced and spat it out...unfolding it to discover the remnants of a maple leaf. 

In spite of me and all of my mistakes, we had a delightful time. We caught up, laughed a lot, and just enjoyed each other's company. It was somewhat different than our usual narrative story...the characters were the same, of course. But the setting had switched abruptly from school classrooms to the tops of trees. The problem was no longer how to effectively instill knowledge into young minds but instead was how to keep Amy alive, on the right track, and having somewhat the appearance of someone who knows how to act while out in public. I was with the best educators in the WORLD so I was confident that we would meet these objectives with no problem. Simple. Easy. It was elemen-tree.