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Cherry Blossoms Afterall

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I gave in. The temptation was too much. The National Park Service changed the prediction for peak Cherry Blossoms. It’s been too cold so the new prediction is March 19 – March 22.

I was all set to skip it but now I have another week and I just can’t stand not doing anything or going anywhere. I think the cold weather has messed with my brain. As Southwest Airlines says…”I Gotta Get Away”.

I booked everything so now I just have to get my work to approve the time off. I’m sure they will. I don’t have to bother my Pet Sitter  either because my friend Joe said he would watch the “kitty”. Rocky would love to know that he’s “the kitty”!

My Timeshare has a new perk. I can pay for my plane fare and hotel with my time share points. I book through their web site and pay for the flight and hotel. Then I authorize the number of points I want to use. 4-6 weeks after the trip is completed they send a check.  I’ve never used this perk but I’ve met people that have and they love it. So I’m going to give it a try. That’s the only way I can swing this on such short notice.

I also booked my “Dream Vacation” that I earned on my last trip to Maui. I was going to go to the Big Island but I can get a longer stay if I go back to Maui. So that’s what I’m going to do. I booked February again so I can chase the whales some more.

I guess its not safe to let me stay inside on a cold day! Look at what I’ve done! I’ve booked a quick trip to Washington DC for the Cherry Blossoms and a 5 day trip to Maui. I also renewed my Priority Pass.

You may have seen the ads for Priority Pass on TV. It’s program that lets you use exclusive lounges in airports around the world. Usually it cost $99/year but this is another perk of my Timeshare.  They pay the annual fee. There is a $27.00 charge per person each time you use a lounge but I’m told it’s well worth it if you have a long layover. We could have used it on the November trip to Maui.

Oh my, I lost track of the time. Rocky is teasing because it’s his dinner time But I’ll leave you with this last thought…I do love my Timeshare!

 

 

What Happened to Spring?

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Massachusetts is in the Northern Hemisphere and that means that meteorological spring started on March 1. Anyone who lives north of the Mason-Dixon Line knows that you still get snow storms in March in Massachusetts, Heck, you get them in May! But we just had a week of record breaking heat. I’m not ready to go back to winter.

I really don’t like winter. I don’t know how I ever found playing in the snow fun, even as a kid. Does getting frozen and wet really sound like fun? Growing up in the Adirondack mountains we used to get some major snow storms. Often there’d be a thaw and then another freeze and we’d get an ice crust thick enough to walk on…until you broke through. I came home many times not only cold but bleeding from being cut and scraped on the ice crust. No I really don’t like winter.

So the warm weather has fled and the snow came in during the wee hours of the morning. I thought it would stop after an inch or two but it snowed all day.

It wasn’t until around 5 pm that the snow came to a stop and the sun came out. Just in time to set but it made the snow covered trees look golden in the afternoon light.

By the time I got home after work I was feeling a bit kinder toward the snow. It was really pretty.

I guess I have to get used to it. We are headed into a record cold weekend and another storm by Tuesday. I guess winter isn’t ready to give up quite yet.

Why I started to Blog

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I was just cruising some of the other travel blogs out there and I ran across Little Miss Traveler.

https://lovetravellingallaroundtheworld.wordpress.com/

 On the very first page, about the author, she talked about why she started her blog. She wanted to have an online diary of her trips.

I couldn’t agree with her more!

I started my blog because I was afraid I’d become one of those people that always comes back from a trip and invites everyone over to  show off her “home movies” or slides or photos. You know the ones.  You get the invite and cringe. If you’re family you probably can’t get out of it and if you’re a neighbor and you don’t go you’ll be seeing me at every turn. And co-worker?  Well my my, you are a captive audience from 9-5! There is no escape!

So as I saw myself becoming that person that everyone dreads I needed another way to share my stories to the folks that really wanted to know about my vacations. After considerable thought and many stops and starts  this blog was born. Now you can visit when you want, read what you want and even make comments (which I will answer) when you want. No Boredom!

So  it’s been around for awhile now. If you’re curious about my very first post you can read it here. It was  posted on September 8, 2010

http://aroundustyroads.blogspot.com/2010/09/my-first-time.html

Little Miss Travels says her blog has evolved into an online resource providing inspiration to other travelers. I would be so lucky if my little tales could do the same. In fact I’ve been giving a lot of thought to the future of my little blog. My purpose has evolved over the years. I travel with more passion now and my motivation is different. I think I need to make some changes so aroundustyroads grows with me.

I’m just not quite sure what that will entail but I think after 7 years it’s time to shake things up a bit. You can be sure you will be one of the first to know. For now, stop by Little Miss Traveler’s blog and say Hi. and please visit my archives to find some really early posts.

A Letter to Mom

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Hi Mom

I’m glad you liked the whale photo. The funny thing is that I didn’t even know I got it until I got back home. I took it on the very first whale watch I went on, the Sunrise Photo Safari!

It looked blurry on the little LED screen so I kept going out on more whale watches to try to get that breaching whale picture. They were fun anyway. Can you believe its just a baby whale? There’s nothing to show the scale but if Mama was around you’d see it’s only a little  2 ton baby!

I know you want to know what’s up for the June trip to Rangeley Lake. There’s not much to tell at the moment. I know Sandy is doing some research on the internet to see what’s in the area to do and see.

It all started when I did a search for the best time to see Moose in Maine. The article I read recommended Moose-head lake which is about 3.5 hours north of Rangeley Lake but there was no time share at Moose-head Lake so I looked into Rangeley and that was also suggested for wildlife…moose, bears, loons, foxes, eagles and the list goes on. So I booked the only accommodation that was available,  a 3 bedroom unit! (I think it’s a cabin)

I didn’t want to be rattling around in a 3 bedroom cabin all by myself. It seemed greedy somehow. I’d be keeping a family from getting away to Rangeley for their vacation. Then I thought, why not see if Sandy and Mom want to come. It less expensive since there’s no plane fare involved. There’s a kitchen so we don’t have to eat out every night. Everyone can have their own bedroom. Sandy will have her own car so no one has to depend on me if I’m off taking photos.

 

The best wildlife photos are in the early morning and late afternoon so I figured I’d have time during the day  to join you guys in things you may want to do and we’d have the evenings to just kick back.

Other than that, I haven’t thought much about the trip. I’m looking forward to us getting together like this. We don’t have much chance to do it with me in Massachusetts and you guys in New York. Sometimes it seems like we’re miles apart. Life is just so busy! This is a chance to slow down a little.

 

Cherry Blossom Time

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Ok now I’m really getting bummed out. I need to shake this cold!

I was hoping to grab a quick trip to D.C. for the cherry blossoms. I’ve been watching the news feed to find out when the festivities will start. Friends that were in the Capital have been posting photos saying the cherry blossoms are already starting. It’s this crazy weather.

It looks like the peak bloom is predicted  March 14 – March 17. It doesn’t even include a weekend.  http://www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/

I did a quick check of flights that would let me fly down in the morning and come back the same day, Whew! Expensive. I’m looking at around $600 round trip. Amtrak wasn’t any better and would take longer.

Staying overnight cut the price in half but then I’d have hotel and pet sitting and meals so no matter how I look at it the cost is going to be around $600.00.

I still have a few days so I’ll keep my eyes open for some deals but its starting to look like this is not going to be the year that I get to see the famous Cherry Blossoms. Maybe I should try for a week vacation and stay at my time share next year. I’ll think about that!