Write Time for a Girls' Weekend

Spending time with a friend is just as important to our general health as jogging or working out at a gym.  Yep, that’s what I read.  The best thing a woman can do for her health is nurture her relationships with her girlfriends.

When she answered her phone, I said−road trip?  Her reply?−yes.  Women do not have two-word conversations, but those words shaped our weekend.

The only decision we needed to make was which direction to point the car.  We would stop wherever we wanted; find a room wherever we ended up.  It sounded like fun. 

I insisted on packing a picnic lunch.  I’d had a picnic set for years that had never been used!  This would be the weekend.  When I opened the trunk, my girlfriend commented on my knitting bag.  Old habits die hard.  With our overnight totes, my picnic pack, a small cooler, and a bag of picnic ‘stuff’, we still had plenty of room for shopping bags. 

Naturally, our first stop along the road was Tim Horton’s.  We bubbled over with enthusiasm.  Okay, I was the one bubbling over.  Over coffee, I described the fresh fruit tray that would be perfect for breakfast on the patio.  Oh, s---!  I forgot the fruit.  I was annoyed but would not allow that to spoil my weekend.  I packed our favourite crackers.  I hoped she liked extra old cheese.  Uh, the cheese...Then I remembered. 

Distracted by something, I never finished packing the cooler.  I pictured the little containers I had filled and lined up on the shelf in the refrigerator.  Never mind.  I did pack the sandwiches and salad and my friend brought my favourite goat cheese and veggies.

By lunchtime, we were travelling the back roads enjoying the scenery and scouting out potential picnic areas.  The problem being, there weren’t any.  Hungry to the point of standing at the back of the car and eating from the trunk, I slowed to a stop. 

It looked like the entrance to a conservation area.  I pulled in.  It was a parking area with a little driveway heading off it.  We got out of the car to check it out.  Now close to starving, I led the way to a clearing.

I looked back at my friend and laughed.  We found a picnic table.  There were about thirty gathered in one area.  Feeling uncomfortably like trespassers, we noted the various outbuildings and a house.  There were no signs indicating where we were.

My friend pointed out a young man working in a vegetable garden.  I approached.  He assured us we were welcome to picnic on the grounds.  It was the estate house, he said.  Not asking whose estate, we picked out a lone table in the shade near the water’s edge.  A stone’s throw from the front of the house. 

In no time, we retrieved our picnic essentials from the car.  Still not totally convinced that the homeowners would not appear, we indulged in cold drinks, greek salad, thick sandwiches, veggies, and other goodies.  More food than we needed.  Enough left for another picnic on the way home. 

After a relaxing break, we continued on the scenic route until we reached the southernmost point.  We secured a motel room overlooking the marina.  Dumping our belongings, we scouted out the town in another walking tour.  Shops, restaurants, and relaxing parks.   

We struck paydirt in a local gift shop.  We meandered through several rooms oohing and aahing over the enticing selection.  Loaded down with heavy parcels we abandoned the idea of re-visiting the dress shops on the way back to the motel.  Perhaps that was a good thing.  After a late dinner, we read, watched TV, and, yes, I did some knitting. 

The first half of our girly getaway was relaxing and fun.  Now, we looked forward to the trip home.  Varying our return route, we continued touring the retail areas and local attractions of the towns we passed through. 

My girlfriend is a shopper.  I am not.  That doesn’t stop me from buying each time I am in a store with her.  I came home with an impressive haul.  The buddy system never fails...I don’t know if I should...Of course, you should.  You deserve it.....Well, okay.

There’s something to be said for hanging out with girlfriends.  Lots of talking, laughing, and a healthy dose of retail therapy.  A guaranteed general feeling of well-being.

If you haven’t enjoyed some quality girl time lately, you owe it to yourself.