I heard his alarm go off and opened my eyes to see how early it was because it felt early.  It was still dark outside, the sun maybe just starting to crack the horizon.  I closed my eyes again and wondered why he was getting up so early.  I mean, I knew he was going to go see his girl friend – taking the crazy dog with him because she has been missing her dog who died earlier this year of cancer.  So he was going to spend the day with her bringing her a canine to pet and love on for a bit.  I tried going back to sleep but never seemed to drift into a deep sleep again.  About an hour later, he came back in to get the dog – he had gotten up early to run a few errands before leaving.  I tried more to get back to sleep – I had a headache that I knew sleep would cure but no such luck on both the sleep or the headache.

I grabbed some coffee and my camera gear and headed out to take photos.  It has been too long since I have taken my own photos instead of something for an event.  Plus, my headspace was not the best, and I knew a drive and some photos with just me and the radio would be a good thing.  So I drove out to an area that had been closed but recently reopened after a fire.   As I drove the familiar path (kicking myself for forgetting my sunglasses), I saw the trees in front of my swaying in front of me.  When I got closer, the wind hit my car harder than I expected – then I heard gravel hitting my car.

That was when the radio announcer talked about how if you were going out into this area to be advised of extreme wind.

As I continued to drive, the wind continued to get stronger and stronger.  Tree branches littered the road, and the trees were bending in ways not normally seen in regular wind.  I took the turn into the parking lot of my destination and realized there was no fucking way I was going to get the photos I wanted.  The wind was too strong – and it was going to be difficult to deal with as I tried to get the shot.  The river below me was solid white as the wind made the surface of it one giant white cap.  When I looked at my phone to see how windy it was, I found 37 mph steady wind with up to 70 mph wind gusts.  What I was seeing was definitely closer to the 70 mph than the 37.  I watched as one of the occupants from one car tried to get out and take a photo.  They confirmed how challenging it was going to be, so I turned around and headed home.  It was only going to get worse if I continued on, so no point in continuing.  Plus, with the way the trees were bending, I was afraid of getting stuck because of some trees coming down.

My instincts were right.  The drive back into the city saw more and more debris on the road – and a few places where someone had clearly pushed a small tree out of the road.  I started thinking of other places I could go for photos.  I had a few ideas and started heading that direction.

But my headache was not getting better despite all I tried. In the end, I said fuck it and came home.

Guess my body decided I needed a different kind of self care.

At least I have the house to myself as everyone is gone.  It is just me and the cat.  That’s the upside.  Here is hoping that the headache subsides before I hit the daily limit of Advil.