A Loosely Laid Plan or Two

Spring break. We haven't seen winter here yet but plans are being laid.

 

The daughter, her children and I are making plans to visit relatives 'back East'. A slow trip up the coast with frequent stops to check out the beaches is on our itinerary. From Lafayette, across the Gulf states and the panhandle of Florida, the first beach on the Atlantic will be in Jacksonville. With almost 9 days off, we should be able to leisurely travel up the coast and into New England where Providence will be our destination. Providence, as in the tiny state of Rhode Island.

 

We want to visit my mother's sister and all involved are excited about this trip. The daughter was three years old on our last visit there. Much has changed since that time. Most of my mother's family has passed on and what were once little children our now middle aged adults. It's time to reunite.

 

Aunt Ev I've mentioned here before. The youngest child of seven, she is my mother's sister. This evening we spent on the phone discussing food. When she tells me what was on her dinner menu, I immediately want to know the details. "Add a little baking soda to your tomato sauces" she says. "It will neutralize the acids and you won't have heart burn!" She laughs as she tells me this was learned from an Italian chef who wrote  a cookbook many years ago. "I've used the baking soda ever since." she chortles. "I'm gonna cook some wonderful foods for ya." she promises. 

 

I'm fortunate to have so many cell phone minutes rolled over. The time passes quickly when in a phone conversation with this delightful person.

 

Aunt Ev has plans.   We know we will be staying at a motel close to her house.  She will be our tour guide and direct us to her favorite places in the area. Right now plans are loosely laid but as the time approaches, reservations will be made and a more accurate itinerary will be developed. 

 

My second trip of 2013 will be a more lengthier one. My ex sister in law and her husband will be along for this one. As soon as the snow melts, we will travel to Wyoming. A small piece of property there will be the perfect place for a small one room cabin or an A-frame house with a tiny loft. We plan on building something and using it for a summer get away. The guys will use it for a hunting base camp. This is how we convinced them that this was a good idea. Hunting and no "out of state fees" caused their eyes to glisten. 
 From our base we will be close to Yellowstone Park, Mt. Rushmore and the Black Hills of South Dakota to the north. To the south we can plan a weekend trip to Cheyenne and Denver. The Rocky Mountains are beautiful and tame in the summer and a bit more exciting in the winter. Both couples on this adventure have weathered winters in the Rockies so we know what to expect and how to prepare. Our first of many trips, we hope, will be this summer one to get our hideaway built. Successive trips after that will be to explore and enjoy what was once a home to three of the four people involved in this project home building.

 

A list is being drawn up as I type. A cost estimate, house plans and time schedule is being perused. With enough help and based on the size, we should be able to rough it in quickly. I'll be a gopher on this project unless someone trusts me with a power gun. We shall work quickly as camping in a tent in the back yard is not my idea of a great vacation. I don't mind it being a working vacation though.

Early fall of 2013 should find us  somewhere across the big pond. The husband and I would love to spend more time in Italy but Spain and Portugal would be acceptable. Maybe the British Isle? I'm open for just about any vacation abroad. It's time to spend some of that savings and do it while I'm still healthy and mobile.

I like to do a lot of walking on these excursions. From hiking in the Rocky's to walking cobblestone streets, one has to be fit and ready. I plan on starting a walking program now that the weather has cooled off a bit.

It's election day and I'm ready to cast my vote! Happy Election day everyone! GO VOTE!