Blue Wing Frog

We used to live in the city. Lived in a comfortable place, had fabulous friends close by, and had good jobs with good pay. But they were high stress jobs. Uh oh. Can you guess where this is going? One particular afternoon, that high stress got the best of me and Ihad a near meltdown. Work had been endlessly aggravating, I had forgotten my lunch and wallet, and was sitting in traffic with a gurgling stomach and a dangerously low gas tank (did I mention no wallet?). I think you know the kind of day I mean. With my sanity hanging on my last nerve, I knew that something had to be done . . . and quick! I needed a soothing getaway. Something close. Some place to go to drink from the well and replenish. The mountains were an hours drive west. Perfect. When we got to the Blue Ridge foothills we got off the highway, took a right, or maybe a left, and intentionally got lost. It was wonderful. We just inhaled the countryside and delighted in the wide-open old farm fields, rich pastures and mountain views until we stumbled upon a lovely shaded area with an awesome view. It was as if we had been invited to the perfect picnic spot. How could we say no? In our haste to escape the city we forgot to bring any kind of real food. We made do with a bottle of warmish water and a bag of trail mix. It truly was a lovely afternoon, but later, we thought that it could have been a perfect afternoon if we had planned just a bit better. Next time. There was definitely going to be a next time. We returned often over the next few years. We explored charming wineries, found great day hikes and beautiful vistas. Every time was amazing. The only problem was the hassle of either trying to pack everything (which never happened) or trying to find a great carryout lunch place along the way (which also never happened). We wanted freedom and spontaneity . . . not be plagued by a forgotten wine opener, a cooler too heavy to carry, or a disappointing sandwich and chips. We wanted a fantastic meal that did