Friday, October 16, 2009

Mental Holiday


Hey!  I'm here, a little late, but here.  Blame it on the weather.  Yes, do, please.  It's 8:30 here and no sun in sight.  I fear it won't return now until freakin' April.  We got snow earlier in the week.  In October.  It's not supposed to arrive until November.  (Though I do recall the earliest snow I've seen is September 19th.)

Anyway, we went straight from our non-existant summer to winter here in good ole Minnesota.  No wonder my ancestors were Vikings.  They obviously didn't stick around to enjoy this lovely weather.  They all built ships and hopped the ocean to look for warmer climes.  Not sure they made it.  But at least they got away from all this...dull.

I believe it's called cabin fever, those doldrums that set in mid-winter after lack of sun and fresh air.  I have it already.  I think I wrote the summer away, didn't so much as glance outside to witness the brief sunshine. And now here I sit, praying for an Indian Summer.  Sigh...

I hear they're having a heatwave in Florida.  So that's why we haven't heard much from Betina lately.  ;-)  Girl's probably backstroking in her pool.  I think I need to visit that chick.  For a month.

So I need some cheering up!  And I thought it would be fun to talk dream vacations today.  I will set aside my desire to live in France (they get snow, don't ya know) and get really adventurous.  I hear in Costa Rica the houses have outdoor showers.  Because the weather is just always so darned nice they don't need to put them inside, like, in case of a chill.  Another sigh...

I just want to go somewhere that has a little hut on a white-sand beach, and the water is so blue and clear you can see the colored fish swimming for a long distance.  Probably there should be one of those butlers that brings your meals to you as you bask on a hammock under a gauzy strip of fabric (one must watch the UVs) and then gives you a foot rub while you eat.  Yeah.  That's where I want to go.  But where is there?

And where is your there?  Where would you escape to if given a free pass for a weekend?

Michele

18 comments:

Keri Ford said...

free pass for a weekend? well, I think I would come see you! we only get snow (that lovely powdery stuff) about once ever 4-5 years. the rest of the time we get a blanket of ice.

However, this weekend I'm heading to a writing retreate in Louisiana and I'm rather excited about that!

Cindy Gerard said...

I'm with you Michele. Sandy beach, cute cabana boys, rum punch and foot rub. You can build my fantasy any time.
Just let me know when you book the trip!!

GunDiva said...

Why stop at the foot rub? How 'bout an all-over massage from one of those hot cabana boy? Oh, and boat drinks, just keep them a'coming.

I always dream about a tropical vacation get away, but in reality, I'd be bored stiff in about 10 minutes. RockCrawlinChef and I went to Waikiki for our honeymoon and spent less than two hours total lounging on the beach - there's too much cool stuff to do. Maybe a tropical getaway with the equine love of my life...I'm sure she'd like to see the beach and ride in the waves. Well, maybe not, but I sure would.

Sorry about Winter hitting so soon, it did that to us in Colorado too. No fall for us this year. Drat.

Helen Brenna said...

::Sigh:: You know it's a bad sign when this hits in Decem--oh, wait, it's still October!! LOl

I'm there with you, Michele. Maybe we should plan a Riders getaway on a cruise ship, followers included!

Cindy Gerard said...

Helen - sign me up!!! I'm there.

Terry Odell said...

Right now, I'm in chilly Quebec City. I enjoy the change from the heat and humidity of Florida, and as long as I have hotel amenities (like maid service), I can be happy.

But a free pass getaway -- I'd probably opt for a cruise. I love the way they pamper you.

mslizalou said...

My free pass getaway right now would be Hawaii. I've always wanted to go there and it has to be warmer than Nashville right now. It is cloudy and in the low 50's right now. They are already saying we might actually get some snow this winter. I don't enjoy driving in the snow, so I really hope it doesn't happen. Plus, when we finally get snow, it normally covers up a couple of inches of ice.

catslady said...

We've got snow in our forecast too - yuk. I haven't been but I have relatives that go to Punta Conta once or twice a year and it sounds like just what you described!

GunDiva said...

Cinque Terre, Italy would be nice, too. It's probably my favorite place on earth - I wouldn't mind a little weekend there :)

Michele Hauf said...

A lot of you would opt for a cruise. That would be a nightmare for me. I'm freaked about getting on a big ship. It could...sink. And then I'd be left bobbing in a big ole ocean with whales and killer squid swimming close by. (Hey, that's where I go with that one!)

I'm kind of a freak about hotels and the bedding and carpets and well, touching ANYTHING too. It's all too disgusting to me. So when I do go anywhere and have to stay in a hotel, it's squicky.

So I guess I'd need some uncharted desert island that has been untouched by man, yet is welcoming and has all the food I'd need growing there, and ok, you can ship in one cabana boy to keep my company. ;-)

Pamela Keener said...

It is rainy & raw here in PA & is supposed to stay that way right through the weekend. I would love to be somewhere tropical with a cabana boy at my beck and call for all sorts of things. He has got to be a bartender, book go getter, tootsie rubber and a master at massage & easy on the eyes too. Ahh one can dream can't they?
Love & Hugs,
Pam

Linda Henderson said...

I've had my furnace on here in Missouri for about 3 weeks. No snow yet thank goodness. I watch HGTV House Hunters International and they are always looking for vacation homes in Costa Rica and other island places and they do have showers outside and they look fabulous. A beach with a hot cabana male bringing me a drink sounds pretty good right now..

Debra Dixon said...

Rain.
All it's done for months is rain.
Now it's cold.
Fall is gone. Poof.


Hey, that's kind of "poet-y", huh? I think I shall start a new form called "Southern Haiku."

KylieBrant said...

I am already dreaming of our spring break getaway. Hubby likes Punta Cana but I'm ready to try someplace new. But let's face it, I'm already at the point of desperately searching for *anywhere* to go in what promises to be a looooong winter!

Unknown said...

Michele-- yes to the heatwave here in FLA-FLA Land. It's been awful. Haven't had much time for backstroking, however.

Come on down, Michele! I'd love to see you! You do cook right? LOL!

susan said...

I will take a week in AZ as long as a pool is handy. I don't ask for much just warm weather a pile of books and some one to cater to me for that week. Susan L.

Michele Hauf said...

Cook? Erm...

Candace said...

Okay, I am officially odd. I always suspected it but this proves it. The thought of lounging on the beach or by a pool (with or without a cabana boy) bores me silly. I’ve done it a few times – even went on a Caribbean cruise once – and I couldn’t wait to be up and doing something else. Anything else. Part of it has to do, I think, with the fact that I don’t like the heat. Warmth, yes, but not heat. Like I said, I’m odd.

My perfect escape for a weekend is a bed and breakfast in the wine country (any wine country) where I could sleep in, not have to make my own bed, sip wine all day, and enjoy a leisurely gourmet dinner (that I don’t have to cook) on a sun-warmed terrace overlooking a vineyard, with the rich scent of the earth and maybe a hint of the ocean in the air.