Vacation (All I Ever Wanted)

June is traditionally my annual work-vacation/traveling month, so I've been on break from a lot of things for the past few weeks, including this blog. But the upside of that break is I have travel stories to share. (I'm always on the hunt for blogging material even if that requires throwing myself out of an airplane with a parachute.)

Two weeks ago I embarked on my yearly trip to Florida to see my sister, brother-in-law, and eight-year-old nephew. Remember when I wrote that watching my nephew gleefully dive into the pool inspired me to start swimming lessons a year ago? ("Diving In") Well, I endured five brutal months of swimming lessons, overcame considerable water phobia, and anxiously awaited my next shot at enjoying my sister's pool. Unfortunately, I was greeted shortly upon arrival by rain and thunderstorms, which clouded at least part of each day of my stay. So pool and hot tub time was limited, and most of our activities - movies, bowling, laser tag, and mini-golf - happened indoors.

The highlight of this year's trip, aside from the quality family time, was SeaWorld. (I haven't seen any of the animal-mistreatment documentaries, so I was able to fully enjoy my visit without being burdened by that information. Ignorance, as they say, can be bliss.) I bravely conquered both of the big roller coasters, Manta (which scarily flips down the seats so riders face the ground during the entire ride...I had to find a happy place and retreat there for the length of the ride) and Kraken (which was big and bad but no big deal after the terrifying Manta), before the aforementioned rain and thunderstorms temporarily shut them down. 

After tackling those monsters, I readily downgraded to the kiddie rides with my nephew to close out the day. Although Shamu was nowhere to be seen, and we missed his performance, I did see flamingos, manatees, a walrus, a polar bear, dolphins, and some pretty remarkable rescued cats, dogs, birds, a pig, and even a skunk who performed tricks (mostly on cue) in the extremely entertaining "Pets Ahoy" show.

It's always painful to leave Florida and return to regular everyday life (like awakening from a wonderful dream to harsh reality), but knowing that I had a full summer to relax and enjoy occasional adventures made coming home much easier. 

One of those adventures was a day trip to the Finger Lakes yesterday, with the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse in Auburn, N.Y., as my primary destination. The event: "Mary Poppins"! I'm fairly certain I was more excited to see the show than any of the little girls in attendance. To my delight, it was as magical as the lady herself. I can't recall ever seeing a more first-rate combination of costumes, sets, acting, choreography, and music than I saw in this performance, which was truly a taste of Broadway in a small-town theater.

Skaneateles Lake

My trip also included stops in Skaneateles, for lunch at the Sherwood Inn and a beautiful view of the lake, and Seneca Falls (Sauders Mennonite grocery store; no time for the historical sites). Once again, my old nemesis, rain-and-thunderstorms, prevented anything beyond a quick glimpse of the lake and a few photos of the area, but there are several gift shops and boutiques along the main street district that all have exceptional window views that will accommodate on rainy days.

 

Skaneateles

After the stop in Seneca Falls, I was ready to return home. I always love going away for awhile to see new places, try new things, and run away from my regular life for a day or so, but as Dorothy Gale learned, there's nothing better after a successful journey, especially if you're a homebody with an occasional travel itch, than going home.