A day with granola, white stoppers, and the MacArthurs.

I'm getting ready for a storm to blow through Palm Beach County, and though this is standard in the summer, I can't help but think it's one of those fictional foreshadowing weather omens. This is the last day of my vacation before I start work again. Working for a school is wonderful; I've had two solid months off, but that doesn't make going back any easier. I've celebrated my last day off with these delights:

A delicious strawberry yogurt and granola cup from Wendy's. Mmmmm. Is anything more perfect?

A visit to the Richard Weinstein Satinleaf Nature Trail at John D. MacArthur State Park. My boyfriend and I hiked this short loop - he with his retro Yashica camera and me with the tree and shrub trail guide. My favorite tree was the white stopper (Eugenia Axillaris). Supposedly, the leaves of white stopper have been used as a medicinal tea to treat diarrhea, thus the common name of stopper. The leaves have a strong smell that is described by some as skunk-like. And trust me, the odor was definitely skunky. When we left the trail, I noticed that the trail guide was provided in part by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and I was immediately reminded of those sponsor announcements that prelude PBS programming. Apparently, this was the same duo. Indeed! I quickly Googled John & Catherine:It turns out, they were one wealthy pair, and donated a bundle of their 100,000 Palm Beach County acres for preservation, hence the state park. Go John and Catherine!

If anything, my last day of freedom was perfectly comfortable and went at a nice pace. Now it's time to fix one last lovely dinner and enjoy a night of awesomely GOOD VH1 programming before I start back at the prep school.