Sojourn

It was my turn to choose a word from the dictionary.  The word my finger fell on was “sojourn.”  A temporary stay.
I think going on holidays is a sojourn.  Probably the one that was most memorable to me was one when I had driven too long.   I remember like it was like yesterday, driving in the night and the road bending and looking like a sailing ship.  At that moment I thought, “I have been on the road too long.”  So I pulled up at the next service station and slept in my car.
I have had other memorable car sojourns.  I will never forget driving to “Turkey beach” near Rockhampton and it turned out to be a real Turkey.  The road was dirt most of the way and getting back close to town I discovered there was a problem with one of my tyres.
I was amazed when we saw, (I think it was a Beaurepairs), two guys standing like they were waiting for us.  We pulled up, told them the problem and they fixed it immediately and it cost next to nothing to have done.
Other sojourns I have had stick in my mind too.  I went to an island in the Whitsundays.  It had a walking track that went high and gave a beautiful view.  I was walking the track and was startled by a snake.  I think he was startled too.  We both took off to get away from each other.  Thing was, we both headed in the same direction.  There we were, me running and him slithering parallel to each other as we headed down the hill.  Eventually I headed back up the hill and he went off elsewhere doing his own thing.
That is not the only time that sort of thing has happened to me.  I used to love the old jetty at Arcadia on Magnetic Island.  It was a great place to fish.  It was sort of a scary place too.  One time at night two whales swam by.  That sort of makes sense as long ago there was a whaling station on the island.  One time for me though a water rat emerged up the pylon.  I had never seen anything like that.  So I ran away.  But so did he.  We both headed down the jetty together.
One sojourn I still shake my head about.  A group of us visited a creek.  We had tyre tubes.  We debated long as to if we should try a set of rapids.  In the end we did and without incident.  But I have thought of that often and concluded we sure took a risk doing that.
But sojourning is now more limited than it was.  A mate and I went down a creek from the highway to the mouth on a tube.  Can’t do it now.  There are signs up saying beware of crocodiles.  I did not swim but the fishing was better than it has ever been.  But fishing from the side of the creek has never been more nerve racking.
But I am thankful.  I have had a number of interesting sojourns in my time.  The past is the past, but I am thankful to have grown up in the country.  Places on postcards were our playground.
I must admit that though I love it, there is no place like home.