My heart is heavy…
*sigh*

Thorik mentioned that it was heavy because it must be feeling the weight of his, and I told him that his isn’t a weight, it is a buoyancy. Corny.. maybe.. but truth.

So, instead of thinking about how much I’m going to miss him, I’m going to recount our weekend at Gaea. :) (oh, and yes, this is the rated “G” version… it may get a bit “PG” but nothing more than that.. *evil grin*)

Thursday, the day after Halloween, I had a few appointments and meetings. (Parent / Teacher conferences mostly .. and my parents were in town). We all met for a quick lunch, (so yeah, my parents have met Thorik). Everything was done for me around 3-4 pm. Thorik and I began loading up my car to go to Gaea. We decided on a cabin instead of a tent. :) We got to Gaea around 7pm. (yeah, I got lost as usual. It has become a “ritual” now. *sigh*)

We managed to get the cabin with the wood burning stove!! However, we didn’t have much wood. Needless to say the nights were pretty cold. (Outside of the covers, anyway. *grin*)

So, we got there and unpacked the sleeping bags, the food, the pillows, etc. and started a small fire in the stove. Yum. The stars were glorious, but it was sooo cold, we went to bed pretty early. We did sit in front of the stove and talk for a while. We also tried his totem search, but I wasn’t able to keep from blinking.. so.. it didn’t work. Guess we’ll have to try that again sometime. Then we went to bed. :)

The next morning, of course, natured called, and it was COLD! But I trudged down to the port-a-castle. Thorik actually got up soon after I got back and started a fire… we wanted COFFEE!!! :) We chatted some more and just enjoyed each other’s company. Then, around 11 or so, we went for a walk. :)

First we headed over to Herne’s Hollow. The trees still had some of their colorful leaves blowing in the breeze. The day was perfect. The sun was shining and the temperatures were just a tiny bit chilly, but perfect “hiking” weather.

Thorik really enjoyed the “gateway” and even the Hollow itself. As we were heading down the path towards the Hollow, a beautiful dear galloped through and away from us. Magnificent creature! We stood and watched it dart away. It must have been near, if not in, Herne’s Hollow itself. :)

Then we decided to follow the trail around the lake to Venus’ Mound. Oh, the view was spectacular. There was water in the creek, but we were able to find stepping stones to go over it. (One stone had a snake sunning itself, just a small one, but we didn’t want to disturb it.. and we both barely managed to get around it without bothering it).

The trees were beautiful. I know I mentioned that already, but they really were.. the sunlight sparkling on the blowing leaves, some leaves freeing themselves and dancing slowly to the earth, catching rays of sun on both sides as it flittered and floated gently down and down.. There were some trees that have the white bark (Thorik thought Aspen perhaps?) and they were practically glowing. It may be the Samhain and the end of summer and harvest and nearing the beginning of winter, but everything out there just seemed so alive, so ready for their long winter sleeps, so quiet with just a whisper of life, ready to sleep but knowing that spring is just around the corner. Breathtaking.

So, we meandered our way around the lake. Taking pictures (many of which are on MySpace, or will be soon!) and just enjoying Gaea, the weather and each other. So magical… it was almost like a dream.

We arrived at Venus’ Mound and I introduced him to my “tree”. My tree and I bonded during Heartland Pagan Fest when I was meditating during the Women’s Mysteries ritual. If you read my blog entry about my experience at the fest, I didn’t mention the tree, but I did mention the ritual/experience. Anyway… Thorik was very impressed. We took some pictures, one of which is at the top of this page. Other pictures can be found on my MySpace page. :) (Hey, this is my real blog, it’s only fair that MySpace gets my real pictures.. *grin* Here’s my MySpace addy: myspace.com/em_twilight

We then explored other areas of Gaea. Seeking out the nooks and cranies that you can’t see easily in spring and summer, but can catch glimpses of through the nearly leafless trees. There was magic everywhere. We visited Memorial Grove and the Great Fire Pit. I showed him where I had camped during Heartland and showed him where the Merchants are located. It was wonderful! Even without the magic of an event, the whole area just thrived with energies, powers and love.

The weather started cooling off (and my feet were getting tired and a bit sore), so we headed back to the cabin. There we started a fire and cooked hotdogs. :) Nothing better than hotdogs over a fire.. Yum. We chatted some more and went to bed probably before 10. (We were running out of wood again, even though we had gathered quite a bit up that day. It was MUCH warmer under the covers..)

The next day we got up fairly early again. It hadn’t gotten quite as cold, but there was still a definite chill in the cabin. Started the fire for coffee and warmth once again and then we went for a walk. This time I was going to leave my offering in Venus Mound and suggested that he could leave something at Herne’s Hollow if he was comfortable doing so. He was and we did. We spent some time at each spot and just absorbed the beauty, the calmness and the weather and communed with nature and the gods and goddesses. Although the night hadn’t been as chilly, the day was breezier and there were more clouds, so it wasn’t quite as warm.

A Samhain ritual was planned for that eve at Gaea and we weren’t sure if the cabin had been reserved or not, so we started packing up a bit after lunch. It was tough to leave, but we knew we would be back. (We even discussed the possibility of holding a handfasting at Gaea. I think it would be perfect!)

We didn’t get lost on the way home… but honestly, it was nice to be warm again! :) However, I can’t wait until we can do it again. I hope it is sometime soon.