Thursday, June 26, 2008

Not going on vacation - Simple, green, frugal

Yep. We've decided not to go on vacation this summer. Definitely simple, green, and frugal; but also pretty boring. Between gas prices, my aversion to airline travel (what with all the hassles, policies, cancellations, 2 hour trips that turn into 20 hours trips, etc.), and work being crazy for both of us, we've postponed our trip to California to this winter. 

We're both disappointed. Santa Cruz in the summer is a blast, the weather is gorgeous, and visiting with Dave's Mom is completely enjoyable (yep, I'm one of the those people who absolutely loves my mother-in-law). Heaven knows, we both are in need of a vacation, but I'm trying to think of all the fun things we can do instead:
  1. We'll be around for the most exciting season of the year at the farmers market
  2. I'm sure there's something else...
  3. What else can we do? It's so stinkin' hot here...
  4. There must be something I'm not thinking of...
  5. Can I really only think of one thing???
Right! So, we'll totally still be here for the most exciting season of the year at the farmer's market. 

How many days until christmas break?

8 comments:

Burbanmom said...

Oooooh, a "staycation". Those are great! Plan some weekend activities where you do sightseeing in your own hometown!

I GUARANTEE you will find things in your own backyard that you didn't even know were there!

EcoBurban said...

We have done this with our boys in the past. We call it a free, fun vacation. We always search out local festivals and fairs that we might not always attend. Peach festival, rubber duck parade, founder's day celebration etc.

Then, if it's hot, we either hit our lake, or for a treat pack a cooler and drive about an hour to Lake Huron for real beach and waves.

If it's REAL hot, we look for art museum events, science museum, henry ford museum etc.

We have found lots of good stuff, and it's usually NOT crowded because everyone is out of town!

Green Bean said...

Good for you. There is something really nice about giving yourself permission to laze around the house. I often find that more relaxing that a "vacation."

Melissa said...

yeah I too find it is often fun to pretend you're a tourist and go see the stuff you never would otherwise. it's sometimes cheesy, but at least it's something new!

hmd said...

burbanmom - I wish I could find some things in my backyard that I didn't know were there (literally). Like raised flower beds and fruit trees. :) Maybe that's what we'll do this summer....

eco 'burban mom - Peach festival? I like peaches. I'm coming to your house! There's always the option of driving up to Dallas for a long weekend. We have friends and family up there that we don't see often and it's only a 3 hr drive.

green bean - we'll probably work right through it, although Dave has to take some time off of work so he doesn't lose the vacation pay. Who knows, maybe we will take a few days to recoup. I sure need it these days...

melissa - thankfully, I'm easily entertained, cause the area we live in is a bit bland. This is horrible, but one of our favorite pass-times is to go to the deli, have lunch, and laugh at all the ridiculous things college kids wear these days. It makes for a fun afternoon. And we have lots of construction going on near us so maybe we can ride around on our bikes and monitor all the progress. I hear we might have an IHOP coming. Mmmm. French toast...

Unknown said...

things to do in BCS: Hum??? Oh, there is First Fridays in downtown Bryan. Messina Hof is a great place to go and feel like you have left Texas (except the heat). The best thing... it's 2-3hrs from all the big cities. There's Dallas and the fun up there. And my personal fav... Austin. If you love to swim on hot days... Zilker Park and the Barton Springs Pool is a must (the water is VERY cold). Watching the bats from Congress is fun... you can also see the Mexican Free Tailed bats fly out at night in Houston and here on A&M campus by the library and the MSC/ Kyle Field (not as impressive). They have great places to go hiking. There's floating the river... we have many to choose from. There's the Texas Shakespeare Festival in Kilgore. UT puts on Shakespeare at Winedale over the summer. A very small, quaint town. TravelTex has all kinds of happenings around the state. OK, I think I'll leave it at that.

Wendy said...

I lived in Texas, in Killeen. We NEVER went on "vacation". We did travel to San Antonio a couple of times and went to Sea World, and we went to Six Flags (in Dallas, is it?). Our favorite was to go to the Scarborough Faire in Waxahatchie. Mostly, though, we stayed at our apartment, or went to the movies, which is great on a hot day, and as it was just the two of us, not terribly expensive. We also enjoyed cooking each other funky meals from our Meditteranean cook book.

Now, we live in a resort town in southern Maine, and we never go on "vacation." Other people pay good money to enjoy what we have right here, and it seems a little ... I don't know, silly, to go to some other tourist trap considering I live in one ;).

I'm sure you'll find some really incredible things to do in your town. Texas is rich with history. There's a lot to see, and much of it is pretty cool.

Enjoy your summer@home!

hmd said...

Jenelle and Wendy - I know. You guys are right. I'm sure we'll find plenty to do. It's just I really like going to California. Plus Dave's mom is older and we try to make it out once a year to be with her. It's only 6 months, though, right?