A change in scenery

A few days ago, we focused our Sunday Photos on travel and getting away.

Elder in bloom

Recently we went to Erie, PA for a family reunion. The lush green was almost too much for the eyes after being used to seeing crispy brown and dry in our area. The trip to Pennsylvania was very hard for me because it took a lot of my energy and the humidity drained the rest. I have had quite a large set back in my recovery. I am back to walking super slow and have a hard time breathing. I have once again stopped walking and talking at the same time and I have cancelled all of my physical therapy appointments for now. That trip did not re-charge me, it just seemed to drain my reserve. Another trip to Minnesota and Wisconsin was a wonderful treat. Cooler and so much easier to breathe. I wasn’t able to do the things that I would normally do there (help my parents in the yard and gardens), and that was hard, but it was a nice break to get out of the heat. Over the past few months I have jokingly told my husband that I was looking for rental property in Northern Alaska because it would be a lot cooler there and a lot easier to me to get around and heal. Being up here in Minnesota and Wisconsin proved my point, I felt a lot better in the cooler temperatures….. I might have to go back and stay until it cools down in South Texas (I can dream.)

On the other end, there is always a price to pay when you are away. I came back to several plants that didn’t get watered well enough and are too dry and crispy to revive. I also know It will take quite a while to get re-adjusted back to the heat. Was the trip to MN & WI worth it? Yes!

I know at some point we would like to get more land and a few animals. I also know that taking a trip when you have those responsibilities is much harder. Right now, it is semi-manageable. It just takes planning to make sure someone will water and someone will take care of the cats.

Do you have to do a lot of planning so things are taken care of when you leave town?

Sincerely, Emily

You can see what else I am up to over at Sincerely, Emily. The topics are varied, as I jump around from gardening to sewing to making bread or lotion and many things in between.

Read Full Post »

Day Tripper

Sunday driver, yeah.

I work freelance. No sick days. No vacations. If I don’t work, I don’t get paid, so vacations of the take-the-family-to-Disneyland, rent-a-beach-house type just don’t happen.  The last time we took an actual trip was in 2007, when we went to see my daughter in California when she was on tour with Disney On Ice.

So I’m the master of the day trip. (I refuse to call it a staycation, a dreadful neologism that just makes my teeth hurt.)

Daytripping can happen a mile from your house, or across the state; the key is there and back in 24 hours. It might include a stay at a hotel, or it might just be “Tourist Day” downtown, where you ride the double decker bus, go to the top of the Sears Tower, have lunch at the tourist trap and buy a fake Chicago street sign for a souvenir.

Or it might be a concert in Woodstock Illinois, where they filmed Groundhog Day, about an hour out of town. Or lunch with a friend who has managed to actually retire.

I like to take “mental health days” since “weekend” is also an elusive concept when you’re self employed. You work when there’s work, not because the calendar confers some magical income-freedom on Saturday and Sunday. So you head to the museum, or the prairie bike trail, or the nature preserve.

And if you’re lucky enough to live in Chicago, you can even walk to the beach.

Read Full Post »

Sunday Photos: Traveling

It is nice to get away and be able to get a break from daily life every now and then. Whether it is a day trip or a full-on vacation, it helps refresh and re-energize yourself.

***

I (Sincerely, Emily) used to travel a lot and I loved it. Now, I love to stay home. That doesn’t mean I don’t travel, I just love to be home and doing things around here. It has been a tough year and up until recently I haven’t been able to travel. A few weeks ago we went to a family Reunion near Erie, PA.It was more than I should have done, but it was a lot of fun.

***

Have you been able to get away and re-energize?

Read Full Post »

Stay-cation or Local Natural Destinations

Not long ago the term ‘staycation’ was coined.

It means to stay in your general location for short day trips or mini vacations.

Planes are never involved or are passports or large pieces of luggage.

It means staying close to home and spending less money and more time on the recreation activity and less time traveling afar.

For anyone on the West Coast it means a trip to the beach.  The Pacific Ocean is within 3 hours of almost everyone on the West side of Washington, Oregon, or California.  A perfect place for a ‘staycation’!

The  beach is great for surfing, walking, beach combing, rock climbing and a great starting point for day hikes up into the hills.

It takes us just over an hour to get to Long Beach Washington from where we live.  We spent the day on the Discovery Trail.  It is a ribbon of paving the runs along the shore of the Pacific from Illwaco to North Long Beach.  It has just recently been completed and makes for a wonderful day ride along a stunning patch of coast.

Rock climbing for older children is a must…it is also a must not watch for mothers.

Even husbands get in on the rock climbing business…but I drew the line when the 3 year old wanted to follow daddy!

We have decided as a family to take fewer long, elaborate, and expensive vacations and do more close to home.  We are going to make an effort to take advantage of the natural wonders that are in our own area…there are so many!

Somehow I think we’re all going to be OK with that!

So what about you?  Do you stick close to home when you go on vacation?  Or do you head out for a week or two…destination anywhere but here?

 

Read Full Post »