Vacation - All I Ever Wanted

"Vacation, have to get away. Vacation, meant to be spent alone."

Well, I am not of the opinion that vacations should be spent alone. I was very fortunate this summer to have two wonderful expeditions with wonderful people. Don't know the next time I get to do that...

First off was my Third (and R.'s fourth) Annual Pride Toronto trip. Love love LOVE this Pride celebration - not only for the amount of people watching you get to do, which is a wonderful pastime, but Toronto is a terrific city. It's clean, it's friendly, it's walkable. When you can leave a club after 1am and know that you are not looking over your shoulder every five seconds - you feel safe. Sure, it has its issues like any urban area, but I welcome the chance to go over the border and visit. We go there for the final weekend, when blocks are closed off for all the pedestrian traffic and lots of vendors and stages are set up to finish off the week's celebration.

Of course, it has also been interesting to see the change in currency - reflecting more on my home country than Canada. When I was a kid in LG, Canadian currency was traded at almost half the face value. This year - it was pretty much one to one. Such a change.






Next up was a wandering camping trip through the Finger Lakes. R. and I traveled down the Seneca Wine trail - and somehow stayed away from our usual meander through the wineries. We hiked through Watkins Glen and Taughannock Falls, and visited Ithaca, Cooperstown and Oneonta. I also got to camp for the first time as an adult. Girl Scout trips aside, this really was my first time setting up tents and cooking outside. It was interesting to plan, to experience and to explore. I definitely enjoyed it and want to do it again.

My final vacation was mini in size. J. was traveling this side of the country and came over for a long weekend. We decided to take advantage of it by heading out to Provincetown for an overnight. We stayed in a B & B, saw Lea Delaria's comedy and jazz show (with help from a comp ticket she presented to us in the HRC store!) and then hit the National Seashore for some lunch and sun the next day before heading back. It was whirlwind, but still a wonderful trip.


All in all - they were all wonderful and much too short. Now it's back to drives to school and weekend chores, but I can remember that opportunities come when you least expect. In fact, I will be seeing Indiana for the first time next month. While not a true vacation per se, it is definitely not for business but pleasure.

First Harvest

First Harvest
Originally uploaded by booksnyarn

Well, it isn't huge, but neither is my garden!

I first began this garden because I wanted to see if my grandfather's green hands (more than just thumbs, this man had) didn't skip me like I feared. Because disharmony with culture made me reach back into the arms of self-sufficiency and sustainability. Because I wanted to feel the satisfaction of that first taste of food that I planted the seed for, that I mulched and watered the soil for, that I cared and cultivated and weeded for. Because I wanted to ensure that I could give back, through care and keeping of this garden space I call my own, to this earth that I have walked upon for near four decades now.

And the cycle begins. For I have gotten far more than I have put into it already.