Going Home, going home

I love to travel. I travel for many reasons. We don't hesitate to jump in the car and drive to KC for a day to see our daughter and her family. We take day trips such as the Grand Gun Store/Quilt Shop tour. We take two vacations a year. Sometimes we go to see new things and sometimes we go just to rest and relax. I used to think that we didn't drive all this way just to sit around. We can sit around at home. Now that I am older I don't feel the need to be moving 24/7 when we go on a vacation.

There are two places that hold a special place in my heart. They are destinations where I can just breathe a sigh and let all the worries of life disappear for a few days. Many years ago we discovered River Spruce Cottages in Estes Park Colorado. We even have "our" cabin named Hopi. This little retreat sits on the edge of Wind River under rustling pine trees. We loved Jean and Katherine who used to own River Spruce and are getting to know the ladies who bought it a few years ago. Two years ago Ken and I spent a wonderful two weeks there just doing what we felt like doing when we woke up each morning. I think it was the best vacation we have ever taken together. We will return for four days at the end of our Grand National Park Tour this summer. We can't stay in Hopi but I think it won't matter. At least we will be by our river.

The second place I have grown to love is Sugar Beach in Orange Beach, Alabama. We are just concluding our 4th visit here. Our home away from home has become Sugar Beach #227. It is cozy, near the beach and has a wonderful view-even if it is around the condo next door. We are creatures of habit. When we find a place we like, we return. Maybe someday we will find a fancier condo but for now, this is the place we've come to enjoy. This is the rest, relax and rejuvenate trip. We do very little while we are here. We sleep late, we read, we sit on the beach and we eat out. And, it's ok.

That said, I know I have to go home. All good things must come to an end. I have a job, I have commitments, I have a beautiful home. But, I don't want to leave here. It was hard to walk off the beach today knowing it would be at least a year before I sit here again, God willing. So, tomorrow we will get in our car at 6:00 a.m. and point ourselves north. Last year we drove into a blizzard. This year they are predicting tornadic storms along our route. We are going to try to go around them by going back the way we came instead of through Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma. It kind of looks like that will keep us south and west of the storms. Once we are on the road, really once we go to bed tonight, I will be in my "ready to go home, get this show on the road" mode. Now however, I have to go pack.

Smile, laugh, hang loose or go home!

Laura