Sara and Melissa talk about...Vacations

We've been running a column series to get more personal with our readers. This month, we're talking about vacations! 

We're always open to topic suggestions, so please don't hesitate to share those in the comments. We'd also love to know if you can relate to anything we've said or hear your own thoughts on the topic. So don't be shy. :) We look forward to getting to know you as much as we're letting you get to know us. You can find our previous columns here, in case you missed them.

Sara Steven: 

So much of what I’ve wanted to do this year in terms of vacation plans has been completely eroded. We planned a family vacation to Oregon this summer, yet we had to cancel due to Covid. I wanted to attend a friend’s wedding this month, but I had to cancel due to Covid. There are talks of a possible vacation later this year to make up for the missed trip to Oregon, provided it’s safe. But I know there are no guarantees and we really can’t plan ahead right now. Nothing is concrete.

In order to find some way to escape the humdrum of the same stucco walls we’ve been encased in since March, a plan was put into place for a staycation, of sorts. A decision was made to head up north to Sedona, Arizona, a town known for its beautiful red-rock buttes and nicknamed “the most beautiful place on Earth.”

The drive there felt like a much safer option than taking a plane with my two sons. I’d checked in with the owner of the rental I’d reserved through Vrbo.com, confirming that additional measures had been taken to ensure the home was clean and safe, but I still stepped it up when we arrived by airing out the house, wiping down hot spots with disinfectant wipes and airing out the blankets on the beds in the warm Arizona sunshine. It sounds like a lot, but it really didn’t take much time, and with my younger son’s asthma, it at least provided me with peace of mind.

Other than the trip to the local Bashas’, masks included, we spent the rest of our time outdoors. We brought our bikes and went for an amazing bike ride through the Sunrise trail by Posse Grounds Park, hiked the Sugar Loaf trailhead and went swimming in Oak Creek. We went for a run and made sure our end point would be the Amitabha Stupa and Peace Park, a quiet and peaceful experience. We went sightseeing through town, driving through one end of Sedona to the other, and spent time at Crescent Moon next to Red Rock State Park. Along the way we found wildlife that we never get to see out by our Phoenix suburb, like baby toads and crawdads, javelina that resided behind our rental home, and the fastest lizards that my sons tried desperately hard to catch.

For the most part, we steered clear of large groups of people. When a lot of people showed up to the swimming hole we’d found, we moved on to another spot. That was the only time we had to do that. If we met up with someone on the trail or on the road, it was met with friendly smiles and hellos, providing one another a wide berth in order to respect social distancing.

I fell in love with Sedona this summer. I want to move there someday. Its nature, the views, the outdoor activities, even the smell of the cypress trees- this will definitely be a welcome respite for my family from here on out!

Melissa Amster:

We haven't been on a family vacation since last August, thanks to Covid and a few other situations that occurred in the past year. So I would like to talk about our trip to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, from August 2019. I never blogged about this at my personal blog, so it seems fitting for this column.

We arrived in Rehoboth on a Sunday afternoon, hoping to have a pleasant picnic on the beach. That wasn't meant to be, as it was so windy out that the sand was whipping all over the place and the ocean was spraying foam near where we were sitting. My husband and younger son were more tolerant of these conditions than the rest of us were and they were having all sorts of fun trying to build a sandcastle. We eventually gave up on the beach and went swimming in the hotel pool. Later, we played mini golf, even though it was still a bit windy and chilly out.

The next day, we planned around not going to the beach at all. Instead, we first went Go-Karting. It was fun overall, except my daughter almost lost one of her cochlear implants. Thankfully, my husband was able to grab it before someone ran over it. She was a speed demon too!

After a wild morning on the race tracks, we then went to this science place called The Great STEMporium. It looks like a restaurant, but you order science activities off a menu instead. The server brings them to your table and you can play with them for as long as you want. This definitely was up my younger son's alley, as he loves all things science.

When we finished at the STEMporium, we went to the boardwalk area of Rehoboth, where they have shops, ice cream parlors, candy stores, and arcades. The best thing there was Funland! It's set up like a carnival, but the tickets are super cheap compared to a traveling carnival or state fair. We went on rides and played games for a while and had a blast! My daughter wouldn't stop playing Skee-Ball until she won a stuffed animal. Afterward, we went to Kilwin's for ice cream because we love it there. It's so hard to choose from so many great flavors though! We also walked around some of the souvenir shops. 

The rest of the day was just resting and dinner. The following day, before heading back, we went back to the boardwalk to look at more shops, play at the arcade, and stop at Kilwin's again. They had a Zoltar machine on the boardwalk, so we just had to take a picture of it, being fans of Big and all.

Overall, it was a short and sweet trip. Aside from the beach issue, we had a great time together as a family. I look forward to the next time we can travel again. Maybe we'll do a day trip someplace in the meantime...

Please share your vacation stories with us!

Home and Away with CLC!

Since we're doing "Home and Away" Q&A's with our visiting authors this month, we wanted to share some of our own thoughts and experiences with you. This week, Becky, Gail and the Melissas answer some questions and next week, Amy and Kathryn will be sharing posts about some vacation experiences.

Becky:

Home:

Favorite place you liked to hang out at when you were a kid?
In my early teens I used to spend Saturdays with my best friend Helen either hanging around at McDonalds (I had a major crush on someone a few years older than me at school who worked there) or the local DIY store, we used to sit in the conservatories outside and have a natter! Bit bizarre looking back but there wasn't a great deal to do from what I remember!

Did any celebrities go to the same school as you?
No but I'm quite proud to say David Hockney lives in my hometown by the sea (I've seen him a couple of times). I went to an exhibition of his last year and saw a 27-foot long picture of the road my secondary school was on, you could just about see my old school behind the trees.

School is on the left

Tell us one feature that would be a must-have for the house of your dreams?
A swimming pool, no excuses for being embarrassed or lazy if it's in your own home! Let's hope I have a lucky lottery ticket for tonight...

Away:

Have you ever been on a cruise or to an all inclusive resort? If so, what was your experience like? If not, which would you rather do?
I've been on lots of all inclusive holidays in the Caribbean and Europe and I do enjoy them every couple of years for a proper relaxing not doing much holiday, but it's nice to mix it up and get out and about seeing places you're visiting too, you can be reluctant to go far if you get things for 'free' in your hotel. The best one I've stayed at was in Cuba, amazing.

What is a must-have when you stay at a hotel?
Tea and coffee making facilities, I will open every cupboard' 'til I find them and if I don't find them I'm not a happy bunny! Even if it's not 'proper' milk I still have to have a cup of tea when I arrive somewhere to settle in, if there are biscuits even better, preferably cookies. If somewhere has hot chocolate even better, it would get an excellent review from me!

Where is the farthest location you've ever traveled to?
Los Angeles and I don't think I could ever tire of going there! I'm ok with flying but I have to say I feel so more relaxed when the plane is over land rather than the Atlantic!

Gail:

Home:

Favorite local restaurant?
There’s a little Italian place that we found years ago called PiccoLino. It is absolutely delicious. Everything is homemade, the wine is always fantastic, and the owner remembers everyone who has ever come into his restaurant. (Proof? We went back there for my birthday in June. We hadn’t been there in two years. The owner came over and gave us hugs and asked where we’d been for so long.)

What is your neighborhood like?
I love my neighbourhood. It’s in the suburbs, and not near any huge roads, so it's quiet. It has tons of paths, and at least 3 parks within easy walking distance. There are so many looping roads that it’s super easy to map out different routes if you want to go for a walk or run, and it’s very well kept up.

Do you do any gardening?
I attempt to garden. My mom is an avid gardener and I think I kind of missed out on the gene that makes people love gardening, but I have a nice sized vegetable garden and my front yard is a rock garden, with numerous roses (bush and climbing, pink and white). My relationship with the veggie garden is amicable. I'll weed them and water them as best I can, and in return I'll get garden-fresh veggies all summer and into the fall (yum!). My relationship with the roses is love/hate. I love them when I’m far away and admiring them, but when I have to get in there and prune them I end up so scratched up that it looks like I’ve spent a weekend wrestling feral cats. Those roses are a terror but they're so pretty that I can't get rid of them.

Away:

What place is on your travel "bucket list?"
My ultimate travel goal would be to go on an Antarctic cruise. I think it would be so cool (pun not intended) to see penguins in their natural habitats, and to be on a boat that’s drifting past icebergs and seals. The traveller in me is intrigued by the remoteness of the location and being able to go where so few people have gone, and the scientist in me is fascinated by this ecosystem that appears completely barren and unable to sustain life, but is actually teeming with wildlife.

Where is the farthest location you've ever traveled to?
I think either Panama or Colombia. My husband and I went on a Caribbean cruise about five years ago, and it was amazing. We had ports in Grand Cayman, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Honduras, and Mexico, and we did excursions at every one of them. It was unbelievable. There was so much to see and do (Rain forest tours! Swimming with stingrays! A private beach with our own coral reef for snorkeling! Rum factory!) It was also very nice to have a tan right before Christmas when we got home to the snow.

During which season do you prefer to travel?
I’m from Alberta, Canada, and our winters get cold. Very cold. My husband and I definitely try to get away during the winter to break up the chilly monotony of the cold, gray days. During the summer, I’m more than content to hang out in my backyard, putter in the garden, and enjoy a tall, frosty margarita…er…lemonade on the deck.

Melissa A:

Home:

Favorite place you liked to hang out at when you were a kid?
There was a park practically in my backyard. It was close enough that my mom could see us while she was making dinner. My sister and I would go there all the time to play on the big wooden play set (that is no longer there) and the swinging horses (also no longer there). We even named the horses. As I got older, I'd take my dog for walks by that park and let him go on the slide.

Favorite room in your house?
Now that our kitchen has been remodeled, I love it. It's spacious, stylish and cozy at the same time. I spend most of my time in there between meals, working on my laptop, cooking, etc.

What is your neighborhood like?
I live in a suburban neighborhood that is also a heavily populated Jewish community. There are several synagogues within walking distance, along with a Kosher grocery store and pizza place nearby. I have been here almost four years and love it. It's near DC but also far enough to feel truly suburban. There's even an upscale downtown area for the suburb where I live. There's a strong feeling of community, especially during Shabbat. In any case, I usually run into people I know whenever I'm out and about in the nearby vicinity.


Away:

**The links are for posts from my personal blog. Check them out if you have time!**

What place is on your travel "bucket list?"
Hawaii

Where did you go for your last vacation?
Disney World

What is a must-have when you stay at a hotel?
A pool! When you travel with kids, it's a necessity! We were "forced" into a staycation last summer when we lost power and the best thing was that there was a pool at the hotel. As a result, my older son now gets excited whenever there's a storm with the potential to knock out power. Gotta love priorities!

Melissa P:

Home:

Favorite room in your house?
This is easy but only because my living room and kitchen are pretty open to one another. I love putting on music and cooking or my new thing is sitting in my favorite chair in the living room and learning to play the guitar. I watch YouTube videos and I'm actually picking it up! Right now I'm learning "she is love" by parachute.

One feature you'd have to have in your dream house?
A completely "wired" home. I need music all the time. It makes me happy. Having a system that can play in multiple rooms as well as outside would be a dream for me.

Do you garden?
I don't. Not in the traditional sense for two reasons. I own a condo and I live in Arizona where the heat gets ridiculous in the summer, so it's not easy. If I could have my ideal garden I'd plant pink peonies and hibiscus (my two favorite flowers) as well as peppers, basil, cucumbers, green beans, eggplant, and zucchini.

Away:

In front of the Lilly Pulitzer store on Nantucket

Where did you go for your last vacation?
My last "real" vacation was to the east coast last October. We rented a house in Rhode Island on the water and also spent the 10 days traveling through New York and Connecticut. It was fall and the foliage was beautiful. Definitely a trip I would do over.

What is your must-have outfit for traveling?
I always take a pair of leggings with black riding boots and multiple shirts/sweaters that I can wear with them. It's comfortable and chic and can go from day to night if I need it to.

During which season do you prefer to travel?
I prefer the fall. I do like to go to California to cool off for at least a weekend or two in the summer, but for my big vacation of the year, I like to wait until after Labor Day. It gives me a chance to get out of the STILL 100+ degree temps and its also a lot less crowded. I'm a sucker for the changing leaves as well, so I usually end up somewhere back east on these trips.