This is no longer a test

 7/9/2021

Arrived in Mars Hill, NC on 7/7.  This is my little house until 7/15, where I will move nearby, a place I booked months ago. Before all this started. 

I sit on the porch a lot. Have coffee in the morning. Adult beverage in the afternoons. My host Gentry is about as real and nice as a person can be. I've missed that a lot. 

Took a hike at Sam's Gap, which is on the Appalachian Trail. Gorgeous rainforest up here, rains every day. I have learned that southern states have unpredictable weather. It's constantly changing. 

This is a little walk that's right by the house. 

It smells incredible here. That's one of the first things I noticed. Fresh, green, and lush. The sound of the wind in the trees and the birds brings a lot of joy. I am glad it doesn't take much to make me happy. I've always been the person who pretends to be a local when traveling. I never felt the need to see every sight, to run around all day, checking things off a list.

It's different now, in a lot of ways. As the title says, this is no longer a test. I am out here, no home to go back to, which is both exhilarating and scary as hell. I'm going to pretend everywhere I stay is my home. 

Here's the link to the lovely Mars Hill Airbnb:

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/16555531?guests=1&adults=1&s=67&unique_share_id=3009b408-89be-47e3-b780-aae43c9c05db