Took a dip in the spring at Balmorhea yesterday. A long dip. We got there early. Staked out our spots. Inflated the floats. Got into the pool. We floated and talked. Friends arrived. More friends arrived. We met new friends. There were children. We ate lunch beneath the cottonwood trees. Dried off in the sweet mountain air. Gathered our belongings and considered it a day well spent. A day to wonder at the blessings of nature and life in general.

On the drive back we went through Fort Davis, marveled at the geology of the Trans Pecos volcanic field. Stopped at a local hardware store to buy a shower rod. Continued on down the road into Alpine. Passed by Mitre Peak, thought it might be worth a visit on a later trip. Pulled into the Marathon basin on our way back home, this week’s home, a rented home in Marathon. Last night we heard music in the company of friends, and the soul refreshing day was complete.

Today we plan on mostly sitting around. Sleeping in. Walking around town. There’s more music today. It starts in the afternoon and continues into the night. Then, in the night, we’ll maybe go out and look at the stars, because the stars in Marathon are a sight to behold and the Milky Way is so close and big and deep you feel like you could reach up and stick your finger into it just to see if it’s sweet. And you get a crick in your neck looking up but it’s all good because you’ve seen the stars at night that are big and bright and swam in the waters of Balmorhea.