The 'What could possibly go wrong?' and the lake swimming diaries. (A new summer 2024 travels.)

My daughter is still asleep. Making coffee. Starting the day. 

I am still tired from the traveling. I drove about nine hours the first day and nine hours the next day. Both days were different tough. First day around 27 degrees. In a black car without airco: it's a sauna.
I am very bad with temperatures that passes the twenty degrees. The noise of the windows open bothered me less than I thought. Still listening to music isn't what I do then. Anyway not listening much anymore. The first long travel, more than two years ago, we listened almost non-stop to music. Got tired of it I guess.

The second day we had a lot of rain accompanying us. Which made driving in a different way difficult and extra exhausting. We would drive about seven hours, but we decided to drive two more, to get a day earlier to our first host in Norway.
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DAY 1
(Wrote the same day in the car, while my daughter was reading along and laughing a lot about it. Sometimes she thinks I'm cool...)

... a big filling came out, cutting almost my tongue, gum saved me, I drove wrong four times, with serious consequences, such as stopping three hours before destination, I got stung more often by one red ant, parked at the edge of the forest during a thunderstorm (went to the parking next to it), all the peanuts rolled out of the bag between the seats, even in the cool-box with icepack the chocolate hadn't survived the heat, searching a while for my cell phone, being a grumpy mom...

… and worst of all, the next two things: unexpectedly swimming in a mega lake, while my girl laughs and marvels at the fish nibbling on her foot and swimming around her, and worst: she, my girl, was sweet and better suited then mom...

... and now we lie on our car bed for a while, while I try to make a plan for tomorrow, but this mother is clearly not good at that... but I don't have to, because if tomorrow is worse than today, I think we're in for at least some hurricanes or the world perishes or something… sigh SiGh SIGH!

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DAY 2

Again a day with slow traffic. We made it to exit 55. Sounds like a movie title, but it would be a boring one. It is where we always make our stop at a bigger Espresso House. Bit like Starbucks, but then better, because it has more vegan. (I have to remind my host I am one... It is more common than when I became veganlicious, I mean vegan, sixteen years ago, but still.
Because of my daughter, who wants (mostly me) to save every animal, also at school, I even learned more how people hate nature and animals. Being vegan is hard in this judgemental society, but every animal I can safe or do not participate in killing or be killed, is worth some of the trouble.) 

After our vegan-cake-frappino-stop, we drove to the next stopping place. But to sleep in the car one needs a bit privacy, since people could look inside. This parking lot, we've went before is great, but everyone can walk by. I also worried it would rain again. Yesterday I first closed the windows against the thunder and lightning. Is way safer. But the moist... so later opened it a bit. 
Even when tired I drove on. I must say my driving isn't bad, but when more tired I am driving slower than I want and not drive with an average speed. So first I pass cars, who later pass me again. Anyway. I did it! So bite me!
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The woman, colleague of my dad, dog and cat we're staying with are lovely. Though not good for my allergies, have a red eye, because I can't resist petting a cat... It's wonderful being here.
The back of her house is pointed at a lake. With a boat she crosses to go to friends, for walks or swims. Yesterday she brought us across. We swam at a little beach. Which is better than at one of the edges for my daughter. Who can swim, but didn't make it to a swim diploma. 

The birds, the huge clouds, the sun coming through...
So beautiful. It makes me kind of scary that I do not truly enjoy it. It's still too warm for me. Too many pollen. And of course tired from the driving. Plucking berries is fun, but when tired nothing is fulfilling.
Yes, I am in such a long road of a healing process, which had many new bumps on the way again. New bruises. Standing up every time, needs willpower and physical strength as well. 
We shouldn't maybe make ourself the victim, because no good future can come out of that, but pinpointing on that is also victim blaming. Even on oneself. I learned one thing: fuck both ideas. Life is feeling, living in honesty, not everything needs to be stamped. Non stop fighting to get out of something is stressful and too much acceptance won't bring one, or us!, anywhere! Balance and truth. The only stamp I like using is for on a letter. (Writing you Onur! :))
I slept well the first night. That's something. Sometimes the little things are of big importance. Like tiny creatures who just want to live on. Be in the moment.

This house, at a lake, with fireplace, is almost how I want to live. But... need the view of mountains. Need less people, more wilderness. Don't get me wrong this host is great and making feel welcome.
But I hope to have that home feeling soon, the finally I can breath feeling, when I reach the mountains. Even when summer, I hope to see some snow.