MAINE TRAVEL: SPEND THE DAY – You can BELIEVE IN FAIRIES

The past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind of sorts. It seems like I’m trying to cram in all the summer fun that I can before school starts, work gets more demanding, and the winter looms. Writing about the neat places we’ve been has two benefits; one is that by passing on information about these places, a reader or two might be inclined to check them out – kind of my pay it forward idea; the other benefit is that I get to relive the day, thereby extending the good feelings.

Here is a little info about one of our recent day trips:

COASTAL MAINE BOTANICAL GARDENS, Boothbay Maine - www.mainegardens.org/

I’ve been wanting the check this place out for some time now. It’s relatively new, and continues to grow. The Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens opened in June of 2007, after 16 years of planting and building.

The Visitor Center houses a gift shop, café, and event space for weddings and birthday parties. It’s a beautiful building and fits perfectly into the Maine Coast feeling of the location. Just outside the Visitor Center is the Great Lawn & Ledge Garden.

 

Although we hadn’t planned it, we were thrilled to find that the day we visited was part of the Maine Fairy House Festival Weekend. The Great Lawn was skirted with craft vendors offering all manner of fairy attire: wings, wands, fairy house crafts and books. Someone had ingeniously set up a step ladder rigged with a power source that propelled a wheel of bubble wands and kept a continuous flow of bubbles floating throughout the lawn area. Families picnicked and enjoyed the space. A local ice cream vendor was set up with a line of customers that didn’t dwindle the whole time we were there. I had the blueberry ice cream, in case you’re wondering. Children and adults alike frolicked. Bubbles flitted and popped.

The Burpee Kitchen Garden was not only visually stunning in its design but a sensual summer feast of scents that lingered on hands rubbed on the warm leaves of lemon basil, thyme, sage, lavender and marjoram. From there we couldn’t help but be pulled into the brand new Harold and Bibby Alfond Children’s Garden. What a fabulous place! Twisty walkways, a misting rock garden with swings, a pond with lily pads and pitcher plants, a treehouse, a Wabanaki hut, bear cave, huge vegetable garden with playful identifying signs, a weather station, and it went on and on. My daughter’s favorite part, and the place we spent the most time, was at the fairy house area.

 A small wooded section had been designated for fairy house building. Since this was the third day of the Maine Fairy House Festival, there were quite a few houses already built, and we had to search a bit for some prime fairy house real estate. There were piles of house building supplies – pine cones, tree bark, twigs, moss, any manner of natural object found in the forests, which, in Coastal Maine, includes shells, dried seaweed, and smooth beach rocks.

Children had built fairy houses of all sorts and had included walkways, hammocks, tables and chairs, bridges and fences. What amazes me about these fairy villages is the imagination of children as they design and dream of the fairies that will visit.

After spending quite a while building her fairy house, my daughter sat back, pleased with her creation. I watched kids of all ages, from toddlers to tweens hard at work and deeply entrenched in their projects. One little boy squatted near us, very interesting in the building process, and even more so in the bright green caterpillar that had dropped out of the tree overhead onto the soft moss that had become the playground.

We worked our way through the Children’s Garden and toward the trails that zig zagged their way down to the waterfront. We checked out the Haney Hillside Garden and followed the Shoreland Trail along the water. We worked our way up to Birch Allee then caught a ride on one of the Garden’s shuttles, which run around the property and deliver guests to various locations on the grounds.

We truly could have spent quite a bit more time there, having lunch and enjoying all of the 250 acres that are available to explore.

Of note here: my husband is not a gardener, nor is he a photographer and I had thought that he would be bored and anxious to leave. That was not the case at all. The Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens was exciting and vibrant, and managed to hold the interest of even the biggest of kids.

My advice: take all the kids, it’s worth the admission. Spend the day.

The Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens are open year from, every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas. If you’re a member, it’s free to enter the gardens. Non members are $10 for adults and $5 for children 3 -1 7. Under age 3 is free. Note that a family of 2adults and 2 kids under 18 can get in for $25. Groups of 10 or more are $7 per person.

Check out the calendar of events for all of the goings on at the gardens.

FAMILY TRAVEL: THE UNEXPECTED PIT STOP IN NYC

My husband is one of those people who hate surprises. Rather, he hates to be surprised but he loves surprising others. On our recent road trip to Virginia, my daughter and I found ourselves the recipients of a well planned, and well executed surprise.


It had been discussed that we would stay overnight at my parent’s house in southern Maine prior to leaving for Virginia. We had to deliver our cat to be cared for in our absence, and pick up a few things for the trip, plus it gave us a head start of a couple of hours and broke up the trip nicely. We had planned to leave at about 4:00 am, scooping my daughter up in her pj’s and setting her up so that she could sleep until Massachusetts or beyond. It was decided that we would try to minimize our stops by packing plenty of drinks, snacks, and sandwiches for the road. My husband and I talked about all of this.

That morning comes, the food and kid go into the car and off we go on our much anticipated vacation.

We drive easily through Massachusetts and Connecticut, familiar territory for me, having lived near Hartford for a dozen years. We pass through New York City, wrangling the earphones from my daughter and forcing her to pay attention to the sites, the buildings and things she doesn’t normally see in her daily life in Maine. Clear sailing over the George Washington Bridge and into New Jersey. Soon, though, my husband is looking anxious and fumbling for his notes. We get off at an exit near the Meadowlands. I ask why and he says he’s looking for a Park & Ride to switch drivers. I think to myself that we could simply pull over to switch drivers but I can tell he’s clearly up to something at this point. I think back over the prior couple of months and things start coming together. We just had our 1st anniversary and my daughter’s birthday was coming up and he had told us that he had a surprise for us that would occur between the two events. He had been especially interested in what I planned for each of us to wear on this day “to travel”. This is a man who rarely notices that I am wearing shoes, much less what they are. He had asked me recently what I would take if I was to be walking around a big city for the day. I knew something was up.

The Park & Ride is found and we park. He’s got a pack of index cards in his shirt pocket and hands one to Nola. It reads:

THIS IS NOT A TIME TO FUSS

JUST JUMP ONTO THE BUS

THERE’S A SIDE TRIP AHEAD OF US

AND THIS IS YOUR NOTICE



He makes sure we have comfortable shoes, a jacket, and my camera. We walk over to the tiny bus station, purchase tickets, and get on the bus marked “Lincoln Tunnel”.

Just before we arrive at Port Authority, a second card appears from the pocket:

NOW – GET OFF THE BUS

START THE WALK AHEAD OF US

PAY ATTENTION AND FOCUS

AND STEP OVER THE HOMELESS

We get off the bus. He directs us out onto the street. We’re mystified. My daughter has only seen New York in movies and for me it’s been about twenty years since my last trip. At the sight of the yellow cabs, the buildings, the noise and the people she exclaims “This is not like Maine.” And she’s grinning and amazed. The next card reads:

FEEL FREE TO GUESS AND DISCUSS

WHERE THIS TREK WILL TAKE US

A CIRCUS? A PALACE? MAYBE TEXAS?

JUST WALK - IT IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS



So we walk. We pass street vendors and souvenier salesmen. We skirt around Times Square. We cross over 42nd and Broadway and take some photos. We detour through Bryant Park. My husband is steering us down 5th Avenue as he hands us the next clue:

NEARBY IS SOMEPLACE REAL FAMOUS

OUR LUNCH THERE WILL BE SCRUMPTIOUS; NOT TASTELESS

“PARTY OF FOUR” TELL THE WAITRESS

When I see that we’re stopping at the American Girl Store and going inside, I’m about to cry. This man has done this for my daughter. This man who is uncomfortable not knowing what happens next and hates crowds and dislikes spending money has made reservations for us to have lunch at the American Girl Café.

SINCE THERE’S NO ONE AS PRECIOUS

I WANT TODAY TO BE PRICELESS

AND FOR YOU TO FEEL LIKE A PRINCESS

OTHER GIRLS WOULD BE SO JEALOUS

The store is amazing, filled with dolls and clothes and accessories. And very PINK. There’s a hair salon and a hospital. Girls are clutching their dolls and packages. We check in at the concierge (yes, a concierge!) and make our way up to the Café on the 3rd floor. The line for the 11:00 seating is already getting long and we join in. Prior to seating, the host asks if my daughter would like to select a doll to dine with us, as there is place at the table for guest’s American Girl dolls. We hadn’t brought my daughter’s doll with us, given that we didn’t know we were coming here, I hadn’t thought to pack it and since my husband didn’t want to give away the surprise, he hadn’t taken it either. So she selected a doll to be our “fourth” in the party.

Lunch is a fixed price, except for special drinks. My daughter orders a strawberry smoothie.

The waiter is jovial and brings us a plate of cinnamon rolls, then a platter of veggies, dips, fruits, rolls, and cheese. The choice of entrees ranges from TIC TAC TOE pizza to chicken tenders to salads to a burger.

the cinnamon rolls

the coconut chicken salad

the chicken tenders and mac & cheese

the caprese chicken sandwich with sweet potato fries

The setting is white linen tablecloths, bright pink flowers and black accents everywhere. The whole place is so well done in the theme. The lampshades are whimsical with their flower designs. The walls are black and white striped.

Hot pink reigns throughout. All around us are little girls and their dolls, some families celebrating birthdays, some mother daughter pairs. Most are dressed up in some way.

The presentation for dessert is fabulous. A plate with a small heart shaped frosted cake, a butterfly cookie, and a small flower pot full of chocolate mousse. All of it was delicious and exciting to be part of.

We finish our meal, return the doll, and head back out to the street. The next card reads:

NOW I’LL MAKE YOU A PROMISE

THIS TRIP HAS AN ADDED BONUS

AGAIN – SOMEPLACE FAMOUS

CAN YOU GUESS THE NEXT ADDRESS WITH SUCCESS? NEED A COMPASS?

We start walking. My husband tells us that we have a bit of time to kill, but that we do have to be somewhere.

We walk to Rockerfeller Center and peek into the windows at the Today Show.

We go to Time Square and check out the Lego store and the Toys R Us with the giant ferris wheel inside.

We watch the mimes and I look for the Naked Cowboy. Soon we’re walking again and are surrounded by Broadway theaters. My daughter points out the sign for the Lion King and gushes about how she’s always wanted to see it. Somewhere along the way, another card:

CUTENESS + GOODNESS + SWEETNESS

YOU AS MY STEPDAUGHTER – I’M GRACIOUS

IT ALL MAKES ME EXTREMELY JOYOUS

MY LOVE FOR YOU & MOM IS MONSTROUS

Soon we’re at that theater that is home to the Lion King. Then the final cards, one for each of us, with tickets to the show that will begin shortly. The cards read:



For my daughter:

100 DAYS AGO I PROMISED YOU A SURPRISE EARLY BIRTHDAY GIFT YOU WOULD SHARE WITH YOUR MOM. I WOULD HAVE BEEN “LION” IF I WASN’T TELLING THE TRUTH. ENJOY YOUR GIFT!

For me:

100 DAYS AGO I PROMISED YOU A SURPRISE ANNIVERSARY GIFT YOU WOULD SHARE WITH NOLA. I WOULD HAVE BEEN “LION” IF I WASN’T TELLING THE TRUTH. ENJOY YOUR GIFT!

He ushers us to the entrance and helps with our bags. He’s off to see the King Tut exhibit (for $100 less, he points out) and we go in and find our great seats in the first row of the mezzanine.



The show is amazing. The actors, the props, the staging and movement. The music and scenery. For our first Broadway shows, this is a great choice, I think.



We meet up after the show and tell him all about it. We retrace our steps and get back on the bus, headed for New Jersey, where my husband has booked a hotel for us. We’re all pretty tired after the long and exciting day and enjoy a picnic of sandwiches on the bed in our room. In the morning we’re off to Virginia, to the next part of the road trip, to Williamsburg and all that holds.

Yes, this is a long post. Maybe I’m making up for the fact that I’ve been slacking with them lately. Really though, chronicling our adventures that day and the surprise of it all might just trigger the thought in you to do something for someone that takes them by surprise. Maybe you’ll just think about taking your daughter to lunch at the American Girl Café or to see a show on Broadway when you never have before, or even if you have done so many many times.



Do the unexpected. Surprise someone you love.

Summer in Vacationland; Part 2: summer lists

Rarely do I heed my own advice. I put great effort into the research of fun things to do in the state of Maine. Three months ago, I wrote a blog post about some of the great ideas I had for things that I wanted to do here in Maine this summer. Technically, we’re just about halfway between the first day of summer and the first day of autumn, but in the minds of most of us, summer runs between Memorial Day and Labor Day, or if you’re on kid time, as I am, the last day of school through to the first. This is when it really FEELS like summer. The stores stock summer stuff like barbeque tools, beach chairs, flip flops and bug spray. There’s that antsy sense that something is going to happen. We open the windows. We seed the garden. It’s a beautiful thing. Part of what I like to do is to make a list of all the things I want to do in the summer, given that it’s my favorite time of year. Here is a streamlined version of the list I made on May 5th and the status of each item.

1. Bike the carriage trails at Acadia National Park. – didn’t do this yet, but it’s still on the radar. I’m quickly running out of weekends.

2. Go to Sandy Stream Pond in Baxter State Park. – this is still on the agenda, too, perhaps for the early fall?

3. Spend a day (and night) at Old Orchard Beach. – spent an evening, but not the day at the beach, yet. This weekend might be the opportunity to do that.

4. Fairs and Festivals a plenty. – Bangor Fair is going on right now, and I haven’t been so far this week. Haven’t been to a single other fair this summer. This is really bumming me out since I really do enjoy them so much.

5. Maine has some beautiful lakes and ponds. – okay, here’s some success – spent the 4th of July at Swan Lake, just picnicked at China Lake, and am planning a family gathering at Long Pond next weekend.

6. Organized fun – theme park style: Funtown in Saco with its sister water park, Splashtown. – well, we did a BIG theme park, Busch Gardens, but that doesn’t qualify as a Maine thing to do. We did spend a day at the Funtown/Splashtown parks which was a lot of fun.

7. The beaches of York and Wells – went to Wells on a few occasions, went through both Wells and York on the way to Virginia. Haven’t made it to the beaches of either so far. (like how optimistic that sounds? So far . . )

8. Nature walks and hikes – okay, did the Rachel Carson nature walk and hiked at Camden Hills state park.

9. Shopping: well, I didn’t really do much for shopping. Went to the Grasshopper Shop a few times, but no other funky shops or boutiques. My bank account has been stretched too thin to spend unnecessarily.

10. Art galleries: not a one. This is really sad. I love to visit them, but hey, this one can be done in the winter, right?





So, okay. I haven’t done everything on my list, but I did hit a few, and though I am running out of weekend, the next few are busy ones, and there’s still a chance that I can do some of the other things I set out to do.



What have I done? Let’s see here. A quick little cruise through my photo archives tells me a few things:

1. Spent time in the garden, not only starting my veggies and flowers and nurturing them to the thriving greenery they are now, but also visited other gardens, like the Ornamental Garden at the University of Maine.

2. Planned and executed a great 11th birthday party for my daughter with a camping theme, fun games, good food, and fun had by all. Definitely one she and her friends will remember.

3. Spent a day with our good friends, Dean & Karen at Swan Lake. Picnicked, sunbathed, gave my daughter’s surf board a test run, and laughed our butts off.

4. Had quite a few campfires in the fire pit we got, some with friends around, some just the three of us. Lots of s’mores.

5. Ate quite a bit of seafood, from the fried variety to the steamed and dipped in butter, we enjoyed the area’s bounty. I’m expecting more will be consumed in the coming weeks.

6. Did a road trip to Machias, through the blueberry barons, to the UMaine campus there where my husband spent formative years, and to Fort O’Brien for a picnic. I’ve been wanting to go out there for years.

7. Sold old car, bought new car.

8. Had a great vacation – yes, outside of vacationland – but a wonderful time nonetheless. A day in New York City, Broadway, The Lion King, The American Girl Store. Virginia Beach. Roller Coasters, water parks . . .I could go on, and will, in upcoming posts.

9. Ice cream. Ice cream. Ice cream. Jimmie’s in Brewer, Dairy Queen, Garsides in Saco (best ginger ice cream I know)

10. Created some good memories with my kid, whether it was the two of us singing out loud in the car to the Zac Brown Band’s “Toes” or seeing her face after she rode Apollo’s Chariot for the first time or laughing hysterically in the theatre during intermission.

Summer might be coming to the end as far as the hot weather, no homework, free and easy part of it may be concerned, but what we’ve done so far is enough to carry me on through for some time. I vow to try my hardest to live in the moment and enjoy the good things about summer in Maine, or about summer in general. I will appreciate these little things:

1. summer dresses and the ease of summer dressing

2. the smell of basil, rosemary, and tomatoes on my hands after stroking them in the garden.

3. sitting at a picnic table with my favorite people on earth eating an egg salad salad sandwich, a bag of salt & vinegar chips, and a whoopee pie for dessert.

4. ice cream dripping over the cone on a steamy night

5. those snappy red hot dogs

6. flip flops, open windows, the smell of sunscreen, the sound of crickets

7. running in my neighborhood in the morning before work

8. staying outside late, the smell of barbeque, the lack of seriousness

9. the quiet of the University campus during summer break, no traffic, plenty of parking

10. no shivering, no shoveling, no scraping, no scarves, mittens, or long johns, no early sunsets, no portable heaters, no slipping or sliding just to get into the house, and no frozen anything except freeze pops and ice cream.

This morning I actually heard some one say “hey, four more months and we’ll be snowmobiling!”

Enjoy your summer!!!

Williamsburg Wow; Part 1

With this vacation behind me, I'm realizing that I didn't take nearly enough photos.  I was in vacation mode, not I'm-going-to-write-about-this-stuff mode.  Today I'm writing about our accomodations and really only have photos of the pool, so my details will have to suffice.  Use your imagination.  Enjoy the pool shots!

THE STAY:

The Wyndham Kingsgate
619 Georgetown Crescent, Williamsburg VA

Reviews about this complex have been mixed. It ranked #11 on TripAdvisor out of 96 hotels listed in Williamsburg on the site. Most of the negative comments related to the pressure sales for timeshare upgrades. We’re not owners in this timeshare property and had secured our stay through Wyndham’s rental arm Endless Vacations. But having read the warnings, we planned to approach the facility management with caution, prepared for some delay due to sales pitches and wriggling out of the clutches of staff intent on taking what they claimed would be an hour of our precious vacation time. We also prepared ourselves for a less than perfect experience within the unit. We got a good deal, we figured, and it couldn’t be horrible. We weren’t expecting perfection, just a decent, clean, relatively comfortable place to stay during our vacation in Williamsburg.



We found it.

Our stay at the Wyndham Kingsgate was great! The unit was a small one bedroom, a size that was perfect for my husband, my daughter, and me for the week. The living area had a sofa and chair, coffee table, entertainment unit with large flat screen TV, 5 disk cd player, and DVD player. The small kitchenette was nice. There was a dining table that would seat 4 if needed. The counter had a 2 burner stove, a microwave convection oven above it, small bar sized sink, dishwasher and small – but not a mini - refrigerator. All were compact, but for us this was fine. It was not my intention to go on vacation and prepare a multi course meal. We just wanted to be able to have breakfast, make sandwiches for picnics, and a snack or two when we got back from our day. The kitchen was equipped with a coffee machine, toaster, and blender. In the cupboards and drawers was complete service for four – plates, bowls, coffee cups, glasses, and utensils. There was also cookware – saucepan, frying pan, pyrex bakeware and bowls, a serving platter and bowl and plenty of cooking utensils – knives, large spoons, whisk, can opener, ice cream scoop, everything you need to get by on vacation. The only complaint I would have about the kitchen is that with the appliances, there left very little counter space to put the food you buy. We used the top of the refrigerator and some space on the table when needed. Under the sink, there was dishwashing detergent, both for the dishwasher and for hand washing, which we did most of the time, given that we only dirtied a few items at a time. There were dish towels and paper towels. If I could bring myself to live so efficiently at home, I would. Nice countertops, good solid furniture in decent condition, and clean.

The bedroom had a queen sized bed with comfy cotton sheets and duvet. There’s a huge closet and extra bedding for the pull out sofa, which we used for my daughter to sleep on. There’s a TV and roomy drawers. The bathroom was a decent size, with full shower, and a stacking washer dryer that we used every day. The unit was stocked with a couple of packets of washing detergent. We brought some of our own, too. They do not refresh the towels or sheets during your stay, as it is expected that you will wash whatever is necessary. We did wash towels along with our clothes and beach stuff. A nice benefit to the washer and dryer was that we came back with very little dirty clothes and were able to pack much lighter knowing that we would be able to wash our clothes at least once during our stay.





The grounds were nicely landscaped and it was quiet. We spent considerable time at the pools as part of a group. The first few days, the outdoor pool was a bit cloudy, but otherwise clean and nice. There are many chaise lounge chairs set up around the pool and a few tables with umbrellas. There is a bar right there and a small hut to get towels. A separate, gated area is for the hot tub, which was quite hot and felt great. There is easy access to the indoor pool and from there, you can go into the recreation center to use the bathrooms, arcades, fitness center and rent movies and games. Unfortunately we didn’t stay long enough, or have enough time to really enjoy the offerings of the rec center. There are tennis courts and a miniature golf course that are part of the grounds. A separate gated pool is segregated for adults only. As I mentioned, we were part of a group, and that group contained kids, so we didn’t spend any time at that pool, but I do understand the need for it. The main pool was insanely busy at times.

We found that the location was convenient for us, given that our intention was to get to Busch Gardens and Water Cuntry, to Jamestown, and to Virginia Beach. The location was easy access to Bypass and Richmond Roads, home to many a pancake house and buffet. There was a Kmart very close by, and a Bloom supermarket just down the road. We were able to stock up on our first day. I’ll review our dining experiences on another post.



Overall, our experience was a good one. The unit was nice and fit our needs. The grounds were well maintained and felt safe and friendly. And after all of the posted comments about the time share sales hassles, not one person even asked us to attend a meeting or “stop by” or anytime. This is most likely because we are not timeshare owners and had nothing to upgrade to. A man I spoke to at the pool said he attended a session and received free passes to Busch Gardens for a day.

I mentioned that we were part of a group and other members of our party, namely my sister in law and her husband and grandchildren were not as fortunate as we were with regards to our unit. They were right above us in our building; a request made prior to our arrival, and had problems with things throughout the week. They had one more kid than we did with them, which made it a bit tighter than they were comfortable with. Their shower squealed like a tea kettle when running, forcing my sister in law to take a bath one morning so as not to wake the kids. Their air conditioning wasn’t working for three of the seven days they were there. With no screens on the windows, and mid ninety degree weather throughout the week, it was hot for them. Add to this that two years prior, they stayed at a sister resort just down the street, in a similar, but larger unit, and had a great stay, so had high expectations for this one. I could understand how their experience could result in a very negative review. They contacted the staff and repairs were underway, but not resolved very quickly. It was frustrating for them, understandably so. We almost felt guilty for our good fortune. 



I think that we would certainly consider staying at the Wydham Kingsgate on our next stay, although we did wonder to each other how we could be sure that we’d have just as good an experience as we did, and not run into the troubles my sister in law did. In this case, it seems that your experience might truly depend on which unit you are assigned, and how things are running at the time of your stay. So, my suggestion would be to give it a try, you could get lucky.

A quiet moment at the pool.

Vacation Countdown

98 days ago, my husband, thinking he would cheer us up at dinner one night, announced that there were 100 days until vacation. He thought he was doing a good thing. The weather at that time was still cold and dreary and we needed a boost in spirit. My daughter and I, upon his announcement, drooped our shoulders in defeat – what? A HUNDRED days?

We’re two days away from leaving. You’d think we’ve never gone any where before, given how excited we are. It’s not the first time we’ve been to Virginia or to Williamsburg, or to Busch Gardens. Our prior experiences have been good ones, and the road trip portion of this vacation throws in an added element. So we’re excited and anxious. And the countdown is on. The checklists are being checked off.



Find someone to stay at the house and tend to my garden – check



Shop for road food and snacks – check



Get car serviced – check



Charge camera batteries, dump memory cards and reformat, charge phones. Get a car charger for the phone and laptop. Check check check.



Packing – do the laundry, decide which shorts and tee shirts we need. Which sandals? Which bathing suits? Beach towels, surf board, blankets, sunscreen, and goggles.



Got it.



Waist packs, water bottle holders, hats, good walking shoes, cell phones programmed with other family member’s cell phone number for when we’re at the park.



Yep.



Get hair cut & color. New contact lenses. Refill prescriptions.



Done.



Forward the voice mail, set up the out-of-office reply, delegate my assignments to be covered in my absence.



Big check.



Transplant the herbs, weed the gardens, trellis the unruly peas, harvest the lettuce.



Done. Done. Done.



I love that feeling when you finally get the suitcases packed, the car packed, everyone buckled in and ready to go. The tank’s full of gas. I can breathe a sigh of relief at that point. Everything’s done except the fun. There’s no turning back now.

The truth is that for me, the planning and preparing for vacation is just as much fun as the actual going. That anticipation of a good time, of being away from the normal everyday life, of a change of scenery and new experiences makes the whole thing so much more than just the time spent away. Its anti climactic to return and have nothing on the horizon to look forward to, travel wise, I mean. Yes, we’ve got a birthday party to plan, and school shopping to do, and plenty of summer time left to enjoy, but no big trips planned, no reason to keep the suitcases out.



Yet.



Who knows what may transpire during our travels? We may decide that we’ve just got to do this more often.

So here it is. The culmination of months of planning will occur sometime Friday morning, as we load up the car, lock up the house, and head out on the road.



I won’t be posting while I’m gone. I will be taking hundreds of photos to share. I will be taking notes about our travels and experiences and plan on writing about them when we return. I will review the hotels, restaurants, and roadside attractions. I will refocus, closer to home, and write more!



Have a wonderful week everyone!