I’ve missed pools and hot tubs and steam rooms and massages a lot this year…almost as much as wearing An Outfit somewhere outside of the house. So I feel pretty clever to have realized hot springs can mimic a lot of the spa experience and can be safely enjoyed outside.

Doc and I both had yesterday off so we drove north for a couple hours to spend the afternoon at Maple Grove Hot Springs. It had been over a year since we were there last but it’s still great, with river views and lots of magnesium and lithium in the water.

They’re doing reservations for soaking to make sure there aren’t crowds, and we had this pool to ourselves all afternoon. It was just what I needed–sun, hot water, no cell service.

PLUS, on the drive up we stopped at a fabric store in Preston, Suppose. I’d ordered some Ruby Star toweling from their website earlier this year (which looks like it’s down at the moment) and was impressed by their online selection. Reader, the actual shop was like Aladdin’s Cave of Wonders: They had the mushroom rayon I’ve been looking for for six months! They had a bolt of Anna Maria Horner pegasus rayon, which hasn’t been in stock anywhere in 7 years! They had voile and flannel and knits and even yarn!

Fabric is the best souvenir, even if it’s just a one-day vacation.