Wednesday's Words for July 29, 2009

The Ashburys are getting ready to go on vacation.

Mr. Ashbury is especially eager to get away, as he had gotten used, over the course of each of the last few years, to having several weeks of leisure time away from home. This year, of course, turned out a bit differently. He needs the break, the first one since last November. I’m actually looking forward to it this time, too.

We’re heading south, not to the tropics, but to visit our good friends in Hazleton, Pennsylvania. After several days spent catching up, viewing sights as yet unseen (I’m hoping for a visit to Centralia – or as close to it as we can get) we’ll head to Virginia Beach. We’ve never been there. Mr. Ashbury and I each enjoy being close to the ocean. He loves to swim in it. Me, since I’ve had difficulty walking, not so much so. But I love to sit by it. I love to listen to the constant wash of waves on shore. I can close my eyes and know that sound is the same as it was one hundred, even two hundred years ago. If I get my fondest wish for this trip, it will be several nights spent in rooms in which I can be lulled to sleep by the sound of the surf.

After a couple of days of lounging on the beach, we’ll head up the eastern seaboard. When we get to Bar Harbor, Maine, we’ll stay a day or two and then head east, returning to Canada near Montreal.

We both love a driving vacation, especially one that has a fairly open itinerary. We didn’t bother to make any motel reservations ahead of time. We’re hoping that won’t be a problem. We didn’t want to be tied to a schedule of any kind. Like most people, our day-to-day lives are regimented most of the year. Vacation should be different. This vacation, as we’re traveling, if we see something we want to explore we can stop and do so. We have two full weeks to indulge ourselves.

My beloved is a history buff, specifically American history through the Civil War era. We have the auto club guide books, and he’s been pouring through them, trying to decide which sites we will visit.

I’m happy to leave these choices up to him. My pleasure comes from seeing some of the places I’ve heard others talk about, or have read about in books. I enjoy meeting people, and seeing how others live (I’ve been known to tour grocery stores because, believe it or not, they can be very different, from one area of the country to another). I love looking at Mother Nature’s canvas, at all the colours and textures she can paint. Sunrise or sunsets, blue water rippling in the breeze, loons or cranes or sea gulls as they lift into the heavens. Different trees are seen and photographed. We don’t have Spanish Moss in Canada.

I find treasures everywhere I look. That’s part of what I enjoy about a driving vacation. That and the spirit of relaxation that seems to descend on us whenever we’re off exploring together. There’s no pressure to do things for other people. No cooking or cleaning for me, although I enjoy the former.

There are just new places to go, new sights to see, and new people to meet.

Um…did I mention new foods to try?

One of the things I look forward to when traveling is sampling different foods. I’m especially on the lookout for soups I’ve never tasted.

Soup is the ultimate comfort food, in my opinion. Soup can bring us right back to our childhood. I can recall my mother, on winter weekends, cooking up a big pot of homemade soup. Nothing was better, especially after being outside in the cold, skating or playing. She didn’t limit her soup making to the winter time, either, and would often try out new recipes. This trip, when it comes to food, I have two additional words for you: Maine lobster.

This vacation may turn out to be totally different in one other respect as well. I may not be able to post Wednesday’s Words next week. It’s a question of Internet availability. You know that if I can, I will.

Regardless, I’m going to be taking notes, because half the fun of travel, for me, is being able to share.

Love,
Morgan
Recipient of three 5 star reviews!
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