Page 12 of Spring Showers

She nodded. “Also, I was thinking that if this place takes off, having an app that guests could download would be pretty useful. We could load their individual schedules and activity information right on to it. There’d be no guesswork involved for them, nor for whoever fills my current role in the future.”

“I love that idea.” He snapped his fingers. “For this week, the printer here works just fine if you just need plain paper, but if you need something more, you may have to go into Elizabethtown. And as for the app, the internet works well enough with the old-school wire in the wall, but not well enough to have the guests rely on it yet.”

“It was just an idea.”

“It’s a good one,” he said. “Now where is that map? It’s not in this one.” Leo walked the length of the loft and read the tags on the bins. His finger tapped each one as he passed it. “America and Carol did all this. I know there’s a logic to the way it’s organized, but I haven’t figured it out yet.”

Thandie joined the effort from the other end. “What are we looking for?”

“Look for something labeled maps, though I doubt it will be that easy.” Leo chuckled.

The first section of tubs and boxes were labeled with things like jump ropes, s’mores, and flashlights. The next row featured labels such as Christmas – Lights, and Christmas – Red Ornaments, or Fall – Pumpkin Signs. The next row over was probably the one she needed. With no large bins, the shelves were filled with small file boxes that were ideal for map storage.

“Here it is.” Leo said and pulled out a file box from the other side of the shelf in front of her. His face found the hole and looked through the gap at her.

“How do you know?” she asked.

“It saysMaps.”

“Of course it does.” She giggled.

Leo removed the lid and placed it on the desk beside the computer screen. He fingered through dozens of maps and pulled one out. “Not it,” he said and handed it over. “Though it might be useful.”

Thandie turned it over and unfolded it fully into a three-foot-by-three-foot map of the area. Dozens of points of interest were marked with colored dots. In the bottom left corner, a key described what each colored dot represented. “Floristic realms. This is a map of flowers. How cool!”

“I thought you’d like that,” Leo said.

“I got it.” Leo unfolded his map and turned it around for Thandie to see. “This is us, right here,” he pointed. “This is Elizabethtown. Technically we are part of Elizabethtown now, but we still call this place Christmas Cove. So anywhere on the map that’s inside this shaded area is what I would consider local. This area over here is what I would consider no-man’s-land.”

“That sounds ominous,” Thandie said, wanting to know more. “Is there something I should know?”

“Not really. My brother John is the mayor of Elizabethtown, which, as I said, we are now part of, and I like to keep as much distance between him and me as possible. Plus, if he knows what we’re trying to build here, he’ll probably try and find a way to ruin it all.” Leo looked up as though he could see through the rafters. “Just stay in the shaded area, okay?”

“I got it.”

“Let me know if you need anything. I’ve got things to do before the guests arrive in a couple hours.” Leo grabbed a few papers off the desk and headed down the stairs.

Thandie got right to work unloading things from the bin labeled Hiking. There were extendable poles for stability, and red, wide-brimmed bucket hats that would be good for easily spotting wayward guests. She grabbed small binoculars and about a dozen canteens. Using the printer, she scanned the section of the map that correlated to The Foundry and made thirty copies. She hoped it wasn’t wishful thinking that she would have another retreat to host, but figured either way, someone else could use any leftover maps.

Downstairs, she rearranged three of the small square tables and set up a welcome zone for the guests. There was a check-in desk at the front beside thecucina, but this would be the activities area, she decided. On the table, she laid out the various hiking paraphernalia and fanned out the maps.

That’s when she realized she needed to go walk to the trail before the guests’ arrival. She took the top copy and a walking stick and set off towards the shore and the trailhead.

The trail followed along the dry streambed for a hundred yards before crossing over an old stone bridge. The path traced the old shoreline for a while and hooked around another unused dock-to-nowhere. She noted that it would be a great place for the guests to rest if needed before heading up the next leg. A steep, short incline led up to a lush overlook paved with red bricks and hemmed in by a rotten wooden railing. She snapped some photos of a weathered bench seat that needed some repairing if this trail was going to be more heavily used going forward.

Looking down the hill, she spotted the same unused dock that she had passed. It would make an ideal waiting area for those who didn’t want the extra challenge of hoofing it up to the lookout. Those guests could wait while the others continued up to the incline. The hike, she hoped, would make for a perfect first day of the retreat. Guests would be free to join the hike, at a difficulty level they were comfortable with.

Later, after supper, she planned to host a welcome bonfire on the old shore. Near the defunct dock, there was a ring of large stones and a pile of wood made up of cut logs and raw, fallen branches.

Pleased with the plan, Thandie brushed the dust from her pants and headed back to the barn. She wished she had taken the bicycle instead of walking the whole thing; it would have given her an idea whether the trail was suitable for biking or not, though she felt it could be.

Back at the barn, she passed her bike right where she had left it by the entrance and went inside to the office. She needed to print out the day’s schedule, add it to the activities desk, and arrange the rest of the hiking gear.

“Thandie, are you up there?” America’s voice called from downstairs.

“Up here,” she said and heard America run up the steps.

“I’m here to help,” America said with a smile and bright eyes. “I had to get some writing done this morning, but I’m free the rest of the day.”

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