Wayward Walking

So what if we were "on vacation" or "at a conference". Why wouldn't I still want to go out walking? Exploring new places I would never go if not for wayward walking doesn't stop because I'm away from home. Hotel, motel, airbnb, or someone's home - everywhere is anywhere and I have two feet. Pssst! Nashville, Tennessee has a golf course hiding at the bottom of a steep driveway in the middle of a sleepy suburban neighborhood. At 6:30am it was me, the grounds crew, and fog fairies dancing on the water.

Of Best Friends and Mountains

No matter where we are or what we do we end up smiling together - every day. It's amazing.

Listening to the Trees

This might just be my favorite picture from Alaska. It was taken at Denali National Park. Alaska really is wild and with any luck it will stay that way for a long time. There are mountains and forests with really big animals in them. I'm no photographer and my click and snap camera can't express the majesty of the mountains or the mysteries of the tundra. But the trees were willing.

Denali Wildflowers

Alaska really only has one month of summer: June. In July it starts raining. This meant that I was treated to lovely wildflowers in bloom! These photos were taken at Denali National Park. We took a bus all the way to the Eilson Visitor Center at Mile 66. Above are Alpine Arnica. You can click on the pictures to zoom in.

I wanted 3 things from Alaska - and I gott'em!

I have three cousins and my Aunt living in Alaska. And I know the glaciers are melting. So my husband and I threw away all of our excuses and planned a trip. We stayed with my cousin in Wasilla. The best part? It was my vacation! I only checked in on work once. Most of the time I spent off the grid.

When we first started planning our trip the costs started piling up sky high and the amount of time kept extending. To get things focused I decided I wanted to see three things in Alaska and the rest would be gravy.

First, and this may sound too simple, but I wanted to go hiking. I wanted to hike in Alaskan wilderness! I told my cousin he could take me anywhere. I just wanted to be OUTSIDE. As you can see from the picture above, we hiked a mountain. It was very steep, colder than I anticipated (my ears were freezing until he lent me his hat!), and those mountains are awe inspiring.

I'm certain we would not have fared so well in Alaska if it weren't for my cousin and his wife. Turns out mosquitoes are even bigger than Florida, bears live in the woods (moose frequent their backyard), and they have all the right outdoor gear so we didn't have to buy or pack it. Sweetness!

Second, I wanted to see glaciers. And we saw many! We took a half-day glacier tour out of Seward to see this big beauty. Glaciers have a gentle blue hue and creep down the mountains. You can watch a piece break away (called ice calving) and it takes the time for it to hit the water before you hear the crack. I am so glad we invested in a new pair of binoculars for the trip. I took far fewer pictures than usual, but wow did I get to see everything up close and personal!

Third, I wanted to see wildlife. This cute sea otter was hanging about before our ship even left the slip in Seward. We saw so many animals in Denali National Park and even more on our glacier cruise. At one point there were nine humpback whales feeding. Almost in unison their spouts would go, then they would breach their bellies out of the water and then the tails would come down. We also saw a humpback do a full breach, twirling in the air before diving back down.

Significant sightings:
Moose, Caribou, Dall sheep, Grizzly bear, adorable Arctic squirrel, Spruce hen with babies, Ptarmigans, Humpback whales, sea otters, sea lions, seals, Dall's porpoises running with the boat, Puffins, really all kinds of birds on the rocks, and loads of colorful starfish clinging to the rocks just under the tide.

All three must-do activities were accomplished. And so many other fun adventures were had!

7 Vacation Reminders

Finally a true-blue, no-work vacation after 7 years. And it seems I've forgotten a few things about how to do a vacation. So I thought I would jot down some reminders for myself so that next time it doesn't take a few days before I really start enjoying my vacation.

1. Going off the grid is possible and is a lot like exercise: I will argue with myself for a while, but when I finally do it, it feels GREAT and I don't want to stop.
2. Napping is necessary. Napping makes me nice.
3. I don't have to be doing something all day. Doing nothing is something. It's called relaxing.
4. I will get hungry, tired and irritable. And probably all at the same time. More than once. Just get over it!
5. Taking a hot, steaming bath in a gorgeous hotel bathroom is NOT a waste of time. Don't hurry.
6. Hotels are part of the experience. Drinking and people-watching in the lobby is an activity.
7. Sometimes when I order blindly off a foreign menu I get ... surprised with fatty duck liver. There's always dessert.

Do beach bars create beach bums?

There's something about the Florida sun, the beach and the tourist attractions that cultivate an atmosphere of vacationism behavior. You know what I'm talking about. When you say to yourself, "I'm on vacation so why not order dessert?" or "We're on an adventure, let's let loose and act wild?" Just check out this fun-lovin' sign from an outdoor bar across the street from from the beach. But I'm suggesting that this vacationism behavior doesn't affect natives, who are far and few between, just transplants. Like me.

Except that I've gotten it backwards. For those of you that know me this will come as no surprise. But for those who might not - surprise! I moved down here in 2008 and was, at best, conservative. Not too many drinks at the bar, bouncing my head to the music. Calm. Quick trips to the beach to avoid sun overexposure. Cool. Now? Occasionally on a Friday night I have - gasp! - gotten up to dance on the dance floor. FINALLY I've realized how close I live to the beach and have actually gone and - OMG - gotten sand in my hair doing yoga and then jumped into the water. I have a beach umbrella ... with a sand anchor so I can hang on the beach.

Yes, Florida is infectious. Some people get a little...okay...a lot...out of hand. I can't see myself getting out of hand, but it sure feels good to enjoy the joys of the warm Florida sun, the beautiful beaches, the hot-tub-like summer pools and, yes, those ridiculous bars with outrageous tourist entertainment!