Anne and I met in Germany in 1968 and got married there the following year. One of our favorite things to do was something we called toodling. We’d hop in our VW Beetle, which we called Myrtle, the Mean Green Machine, and go for a drive. Most of the time, we had no itinerary other than to meander around the countryside to see what we could see. Toodling is an excellent cure for “the ennui.” Yesterday, we toodled over to Bluefield and back.
We took I-77 going and Rt. 52 on the return. The portion of I-77 between Wytheville and Bluefield is one of the more scenic stretches of interstate on the east coast. The drive takes you thru part of the Jefferson National Forest and there are two tunnels, including one thru Big Walker Mountain.
On the return trip, Rt. 52 winds around and up and down thru the forest and over the top of Big Walker. The picture above was taken from atop Big Walker standing next to the observation tower. I elected not to pay the 5 dollars to climb the tower since I was satisfied with this view of the valley.
After we returned home, we kicked back with a couple cold beers and fixed an excellent meal. It’s days like this that remind us why we chose to live here in the first place.
This is what I miss most of you both and the time I cherish the most in my memories with you guys. Even though our “toodling” cost me a ton of money nevertheless it was ALWAYS an enjoyable experience and ALWAYS led to a GREAT meal.
I’ve used the word “toodling” all my life I think. It is not in the dictionaries that I’ve checked, meaning what I mean. My mom, and now I, use it to mean to go forth in a casual manner, as in to put one foot in front of the other. Searching for a definition today I came across a quotation by Anna Quindlin, using the term toodle in this way – to move through your life, and she is from Pennsylvania. I am from the midwest. Hmmm.