After spending a wonderful, glutton filled Easter in Targoviste, I decided to escape from city life and return once again to my countryside recluse. Mari and Eugen were nice enough to drive me all the way home. I didn’t even ask! It was pretty nice not having to take the early morning, stinky, 4 ½ hour maxi taxi ride back to Horezu. I spent my first two days back in Horezu reading and napping. More of the latter than the former. I guess I was still recovering from the food coma from Mari’s house. She sent me home with more food and Vica insisted on feeding me Easter treats as well. I ended up eating Lambchop. She was delicious and I felt guilty. Note to self: Don’t become emotionally attached to the livestock.

I’ve been at Vale’s since yesterday afternoon. This is my retreat, my refuge. The lifestyle at Vale’s is the lifestyle I dream of when I return to The States. Speaking of dreams, my subconscious is putting in overtime hours ‘cause I’ve had some messed up ones as of late. I digress… Daniel is out plowing the garden for spring planting right now. Earlier I got a chance to try the horse plow. It is the hardest thing I have ever done. I made it about 10 feet. I couldn’t control the direction of the plow blade at all. Daniel and his neighbor got a good laugh at my expense.

I finally finished the book I was reading, Kingdom of Fear by Hunter S. Thompson. I highly recommend it if you have read prior work by Thompson- outlaw journalist and the true president and supreme ruler of the bat crap crazy club. It has been so nice to just sit outside in the sun these last few days with a cup of coffee in one hand and the memoirs of a self proclaimed dope fiend in the other.

I spent most of today playing with Andi, Vale’s younger son. He’s beating me at Monopoly, but I am determined that he is cheating. I own most of the property on the board but he seems to have 5 times the amount of money I do. He has to be cheating and this game is never going to end if he keeps changing the rules on me. This entry is a bit of a disconnected jumble. I guess that’s a good summation of this vacation. A wonderful mess full of delicious food, catnapping, listening to Plus Noi on constant repeat, and chasing an 8 year old up and down a hill. Who needs an official training plan for a 10K when you have Andi on a bike! On Monday, I’ll go back to work. Back to the grind. As relaxing and fulfilling as this vacation has been, it will be good to be back to routine.

4:30 pm local time. Saturday, April 10th, 2010. From Vale’s picnic table, Milostea Village, Slatioara Communa, Zona Horezu, Județul Vâlcea, Oltenia Region, Romania.