School vacation week means that I rarely travel and I keep my calendar light so that if the family and I want to do something we can.

Clarence and I had planned on taking Tuesday to go out and shoot photos. We didn't know what, where or why but we hadn't taken a day like that in a long time so we locked it in.

Then the attack on the Boston Marathon happened. We pondered going into the city, but as we sat at the counter of a local diner eating our bacon and making plans, he mentioned getting as far away from the city as possible. I couldn't agree more.

Whenever I need to recharge I head to nature. Time spent in the woods, on top of a mountain or in the water is always where I'm happiest.

When Clarence revealed he had never been to the White Mountains there was no other option for where we'd spend the day.

Hours in the car and miles of road. No radio. Lots of conversation. Laughs and giggles mixed with deep thought and tinges of anger.

We took our cameras for a walk in the woods. The Basin was our first stop because I knew it was a beautiful location and even with the snow on the ground it is an easy walk.

With no time constraints or places to be, we drove further up through Franconia Notch. A random exit brought us to Littleton, New Hampshire. The main street entertained us until we saw signs of modern commercialism and decided we had seen enough.

The river was flowing and a covered bridge provided shelter from the rain. As the sweet smells of the local bakery caught our noses, our stomachs reminded us that it had been many hours since breakfast.

"Do you want your pie warmed up? How about some whipped cream on it?" 

You know it is a happy moment when you hear those questions being asked from behind the counter and it was a mighty fine slice of pie.

The day was growing long and the weather wasn't getting any better. We set a course for home and began our way back to reality.

Days like this are needed no matter what is going on in the world.

There is always work to be done, a task list screaming at you and responsibilities to take care of. But, as humans we get run down, the weight on our back gets heavier and burn out is common.

Taking a full day like this isn't easy. It is hard to justify. Yet, it is crucial to maintaining sanity.

I needed this day to forget for a few hours. To escape momentarily from the reality of the world around me and suck in the fresh air of my home state. It helped more than I could have imagined and now it is back to reality and the healing that we are all going through.