Yesterday I left Loudoun County and headed home to Charlotte. All press trips must come to an end. On my final day, I explored areas of Salamander Resort that I just didn’t have the time to do sooner. I fell in love with the chef’s garden. If I could have the ability to grow a garden event a tenth of this size, I would feel accomplished.

The garden was full of vegetables, herbs, and flowers, plus hanging lights and several places to serve a meal. It overlooks the stable in one direction and the resort in another. A great place for a stroll, maybe on a less humid day. About five minutes in and my hair was frizzy and I was sticky. But that’s just the south in July.

From the garden I meandered to the stables. This seemed like a popular activity—while I was there, at least two other groups of resort guests came by to check out the horses. That’s where I met my girl Stella, the only pony who decided to pose pretty for the camera. The stables where incredibly nice, and also happen to host yoga at 7 a.m. You can also do yoga on horseback for a pretty penny.

Afterward is off to Dulles to hitch a flight back home. When I spend entirely too much time in an airport, I tend to overspend on reading materials. This time was no exception.

All of this was in addition to at least one other magazine. I got through a few articles in The Washington Post, a whole issue of Washington Life, and half of Real Simple. My flight lasted maybe 50 minutes, I didn’t have much time to work with.

Soon enough I recognized the bend of the Catawba River from the air, and shortly after we got a glimpse of the skyline during decent. I was back in my city.

Now I return to the regular life of coffee breaks, traffic jams, and deadlines. Always deadlines.