Why don’t we take vacations more often?
This month’s ‘Question’ is personal, and one that I asked myself more than once while I was on a family vacation up in New England last week to celebrate my Mom’s 80th birthday. You see, we spent much of the time in the mountains of northern New Hampshire, surrounded by a myriad of 4000’ peaks, covered in lush greenery and craggy rock outcroppings. We were in the heart of the White Mountain National Forest, where I was born, raised, and called home much earlier in life.
As we walked along the paths and boardwalks within a well-known gorge, I asked myself if there was anything more beautiful than this. We were amongst millions of years old granite boulders that were worn smooth by wind and water after being left by retreating glaciers. The water ran cold and pure. I remembered being in this very place years before in the middle of winter and relishing the beauty of the ice formations in the sunlight. The awe of that natural setting could never be outdone with diamonds or crystals.
There were thousands of steps to traverse, caves to explore, and even one that was too small for me to get through (though the smaller amongst us did just fine!). There was a beautiful timber covered bridge and a newer steel cable and timber suspension bridge that piqued our interest as we inspected the construction, connections, restraints and bracing, and bearing conditions.
The beauty and splendor which is nature along with the work of human hands provided us with a glorious start to our family vacation and it might have ended right there. I felt blessed to be in such a beautiful setting and surrounded by craftsmanship and care that has endured generations of visitors. It was in that place that I had to raise my phone camera to take the shot below to share with you. The memory, while on vacation in ‘God’s Country’, of who I work for and who these craftsmen entrust the integrity of their work. Yes, the rafters of the open sided shade shelter were connected to the perimeter beams with none other than Simpson Strong-Tie H2.5AZ rafter ties. The smile that brought me remains.
I think I’ll take another vacation soon.
Thanks for reading.