Just had my first trip home since my surgery eighteen months ago and a year after my last chemotherapy. Although hubby and I took some trips in some provinces a few months back, this is the longest one so far. It took us more than five hours to reach our place in Pangasinan. I love taking road trips, communing with nature and just love the feel of the crisp mountain air. Gosh, was it cold out there? It was windy, alright. At 3pm, it was like typhoon signal number two minus the rain.
It was just an overnight stay with my daughter and her boyfriend but we enjoyed the brief vacation seeing relatives. We visited my father’s grave at the town cemetery and lighted some candles. It’s been three years now since he died and I never get the chance to visit him on All Saints and All Soul’s Day so I make it a point to light some candles every time I have the chance to go home. There is a certain kind of sadness looking at gravestones and remembering, just remembering the days of old. Memories are sometimes a little tricky – they make you cry and think about the happy days, they make you reminisce and look back. And they make you wish that time could stand still. But amid the sadness is a quiet joy, a simple leap of the heart , a tearful smile of remembrance. There are moments when the happy memories stand out and this is one of those times that I remember him vividly in my mind. I hate saying farewell so I’ll just say, until next time!
Camera in hand, we took a walk at the ridge where one can see the view of the river below. I always love to take a few shots of this area every time I come home. This is one of those moments when I’d rather have my camera than my cellphone.
Country scenery at its best…
I love the nippy air of December. We even brought a jacket and an umbrella. There was a brief rain shower earlier giving more color to the green countryside. I even managed to take a picture of a carabao grazing on the grass. How much rural can you get?
I took a few shots of the flowers growing along the road. Just can’t resist these lovely blooms, just simple pleasures that no amount of money can buy. It’s kind of nostalgic – because I grew up here until I was ten years old when we transferred to Manila to study in high school. Not everyone is given the privilege to look back and have some place to come back to. How I wish I could stay here for long, about a week maybe and take shots of all the flowers in my mom’s garden and play with my seven-year old niece. Sometimes though, a day is just enough to fill one’s heart with joy. 
This is the rough stretch adjoining our concrete road.
An afternoon of exploring and lovely conversations – it feels like having a walk in the park.
Life could be this simple, life could be this great!
Maybe, deep inside I am still a small-town-girl, longing for a wider space to build my dreams on, comfortable with the silence, at one with nature where I could be my most authentic self. It’s a long stretch but it is home away from home.
Dreams And Escapes 
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