This is the time I normally head north on some exotic vacation. Last year it was Arctic Canada and Greenland. But this year finds me here at home in sun-seared Virginia, baking away. Even the best watered flowers wilt on days like today when the mercury rises well into the 90's and the humidity makes it feel around 100 degrees.Friends ask me where I'll be going, then gasp when I say nowhere. Can't a body just stay home and enjoy the peace and quiet of summer in her own home??
The price of fuel and the energy it takes to go anywhere of interest is a huge problem and like others, I'm taking a "staycation" this year to ease the wallet and my carbon footprint. Plus I've lost interest in flying. It's just not as fun as it used to be and the horror stories of unexpected layovers, canceled flights and lost luggage get worse daily.
Who needs it?
But the travel brochures keep arriving and as the summer moves on, that bug that keeps me wanting to see another wonder of the world is back.
It's like a flea, biting and making me scratch the red bumps it raises. Unfortunately, the only thing that makes it go away is to move ... pack a suitcase ... make plans. And what has always made home the most important place in the world to me is being away from it. "There is no place like home," as Dorothy said, in the Wizard of Oz, even if it's plain old flat, tornado riddled Kansas. Who can resist one's own bed when they've been sleeping in others?
So I'm making a few plans and hoping the spread of itchy bumps will ease a bit. No big deal here, just a short 3 hour drivable distance to central North Carolina to join my daughter and the grandkids for a few days at the North Carolina Zoo in Ashboro in early September. Hopefully the heat of summer will be on it's way out and other tourists will be getting their kids settled in back-to-school mode. In October, I'll take Amtrack up to New York City for a few days to see a show and a few movies that might not make it to a theatre near here. It may not be Iceland or the shores of Lake Champlain in Vermont, but it will be fun and a welcome break from too much Virginia summer. In the meantime, I still do salivate over a cruise around Newfoundland with a quick stop in Labrador.
A body can dream, can't they??
But the travel brochures keep arriving and as the summer moves on, that bug that keeps me wanting to see another wonder of the world is back.
It's like a flea, biting and making me scratch the red bumps it raises. Unfortunately, the only thing that makes it go away is to move ... pack a suitcase ... make plans. And what has always made home the most important place in the world to me is being away from it. "There is no place like home," as Dorothy said, in the Wizard of Oz, even if it's plain old flat, tornado riddled Kansas. Who can resist one's own bed when they've been sleeping in others?
So I'm making a few plans and hoping the spread of itchy bumps will ease a bit. No big deal here, just a short 3 hour drivable distance to central North Carolina to join my daughter and the grandkids for a few days at the North Carolina Zoo in Ashboro in early September. Hopefully the heat of summer will be on it's way out and other tourists will be getting their kids settled in back-to-school mode. In October, I'll take Amtrack up to New York City for a few days to see a show and a few movies that might not make it to a theatre near here. It may not be Iceland or the shores of Lake Champlain in Vermont, but it will be fun and a welcome break from too much Virginia summer. In the meantime, I still do salivate over a cruise around Newfoundland with a quick stop in Labrador.
A body can dream, can't they??
3 comments:
Same here, staying close to home, but still dreaming.
We'll be "staycationing" as well. I've put off my vacation time until September in hopes that the temps and humidity will be more tolerable and allow me to get out and about with my camera for a bit of a photo safari.
Enjoy your time at home and with family!
I've been home this summer too. We will take one trip to Florida to see our kids and check on the house, but that'll probably be it until later in the fall.
I know what you mean about flying...I'm no fan, but it's a necessary evil for us.
Enjoy your days with family, and your lovely garden :)
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