Stephanie and Charlie were gracious enough to invite us to his Gotcha Day trip to Serenbe on Monday. For those not familiar with Serenbe please visit their web site. We only saw a portion of the community. Horses, cows, donkeys, nature trails, serene architecture, and a terrific deli (The Blue Eyed Daisy). Jenn and I hope to return and experience more of the community. Moving there wouldn’t be bad either.
We started on the trails, following Charlie and their dog Sophie through the woods. Penelope held hands with Jenn and Aunt Stephanie while I walked ahead with Charlie, discussing the pros and cons of flying to Mars or going to Utah.
Penelope took a break from walking and squatted, either in imitation of my posture or because that’s how they rest in China. Not sure but it was cute when she did it.
Charlie gave Penelope a gardenia blossom. We told her how amazing it smelled and showed her how excited we were to inhale its scent. She shook her head and scrunched up her nose. A little while later I would try again, telling her it smelled sooooo good. Same reaction. Halfway through our hike I got the camera out and tried once again. Her reaction says it all.
The bloom was discarded after the last rejection. Penelope didn’t stay upset too long. As we got up from the bench I took a few more pictures. Jenn leaned in and kissed her, resulting in a lovely mother/daughter shot.
We walked back to the Blue Eyed Daisy and enjoyed a delicious meal and even more delicious cupcakes. Stephanie entertained Charlie and Penelope while Jenn and I marveled at the photo albums of Charlie’s Gotcha Trip. It was amazing to see where they were exactly 4 years ago on the other side of the planet. There was Charlie, looking handsome and smiling with his mama and baba.
I saw a photo from Stephanie and Steve’s arrival and thought it looked familiar. It was taken in Hong Kong. In late August. Hong Kong is right across the water from Guangzhou. Jenn and I were there in June and we were miserable during the day. I could not imagine what it was like at that time of year. Stephanie confirmed it was horrible. The humidity reminded me of the scene in “The Abyss” when Ed Harris’ character is given the helmet with the oxygenated fluid. That’s what the air in Guangzhou was like.
We had a great time with Stephanie and Charlie and fulfilled a long standing wish to visit Serenbe. The Prius was happy too. It probably felt like it was returning home to be with cars of it’s own kind.
