Tag Archives: vacation

Is Maine an Option?

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A Spring Vacation in Maine?

I saw a chance to reserve a cabin in the Maine woods in May. I’ve been to Rangeley Maine before. There’s not much to do except enjoy the scenery and hike. You might see a moose or deer  or if you’re really lucky a fox kit.

 

Little fox on side of road

I spent a week in Mane in June one year so I jumped at the chance to make the reservation. Now I’m having 2nd thoughts. For one thing I’ve added Banner to my household and he can’t go. If he was a dog he would be welcomed but cats are not allowed. I’m not sure I’m ready to be separated  yet.

 

The second reason is that Maine has reinstated it’s COVID quarantine for people from MA. If I have to be quarantined for 2 weeks I might as well stay home.

My last reason for questioning this decision is snow. Rangeley Maine is in the middle of the state right in the mountains. It’s a beautiful place but will it still be snowbound in May? Perhaps some more research is needed.

Speaking of Banner

Banner is growing like a weed and is a really good kitten most of the time. He leaves me alone to work either sleeping or playing with his toys. That’s amazing! But he did discover the jigsaw puzzle so that project had to be boxed up before the pieces were lost. A few now have kitty teeth marks!

We discovered Cat TV on YouTube.  When he gets particularly feisty I put the video on. If I add sound it really makes him crazy . He goes after the speakers so we usually watch “silent” TV.

As you can see Banner can be distracted too but comes back strong. Can you hear him purr? He is quite proud of himself.

He can also be entertained by just watching the curser or the letters on the screen as I type.

 

10 Reasons You Might Need A Vacation

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Springtime in the New England Real Estate Market

Spring is a crazy, busy time of year for us in the New England Real Estate world. New England has one of the most seasonal markets in the US.  I’ve been clocking long hours, OT almost every night and breaking my own rule of No Work on Weekends! My boss questions me about burn out once or twice every week.

Burn Out Is Real

In my younger years I didn’t believe in burn out. I scoffed at those who complained they were suffering. An excuse to slack off I said! Wimps! But of course I was wrong. Science has proved it and I have suffered from it myself.

Do You Suffer From Burn Out?

Do you need to take a vacation? AAA thinks you do if you meet only a couple of the 17 signs they list on their web page. AAA.com/needavacation. I looked over their list and here are my top 10 reasons to take a break.

  1. The weekend arrives but you are too tired to venture out for local adventures.
  2. You daydream about all the places you want to go and things (fun things, not lawn mowing) you want to do.
  3. Wonder how those people on the Travel Channel manage to take all those fabulous vacations.
  4. You can’t seem to focus on any one task for long.
  5. Getting home at the end of the day is a single minded obsession.
  6. Forgetfulness abounds. You can’t even remember what the string on your finger was supposed to be for!
  7. Are you on edge? That’s one of my first indicators. My team starts finding me scary!
  8. Watch out for over eating (or binge drinking). What happened to that jumbo bag of tootsie rolls? More potato chips anyone?
  9. No one is posting on your social media accounts, not even you! There’s nothing exciting going on.
  10. Your Life revolves around going to work, paying bills and sleeping. Get up and do it all again.

What’s the Verdict?

So how did you score? Did you even read it or did you park yourself in front of the TV and cry over vacation commercials? Those palm trees and sandy beaches are calling you. It’s almost a physical ache.

Do yourself, your family and your work a favor. Take that break. You’ll come back refreshed, more productive and maybe even with an attitude adjustment. Just be sure to let me know where you go! I want another place to daydream about.

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.

 

The “least” Favorite Vacation

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If I have a favorite vacation then I guess I should have a least favorite. Doesn’t mean it was bad, just not one I care to repeat.

That one would be the Amtrak vacation Sandy and I took that covered San Antonio and New Orleans.

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Yellow roses of Texas

 San Antonio was great. I loved the River Walk and the tour of the old Spanish Missions.

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Seeing the Alamo was interesting too.

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It wasn’t what I expected but then I’m, not sure what I did expect. There is so much written about the Alamo. It’s been immortalized and romanticized in so many movies, books and folk lore. I was disappointed that they were repairing the façade so there was no way to take a photo for myself without the crane in front but I do understand the need to maintain the building to keep it from crumbling. I could have bought a post card.

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The train ride from San Antonio to New Orleans was pleasant. We met some nice people in the dining car and the motion of the train and the clickity clack made it easy to nap along the way. There was a nice observation car with a dome and comfy seating if you wanted to sight see.

Once in New Orleans we had some minor issues with the room. That was fixed quickly but it was late (after 10 pm) so it was a bit annoying.

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We didn’t have a car so we walked to the tour bus stop on the waterfront. We had to be there early and I found myself watching over my shoulder. The street was pretty messy and with the garbage pickup still sometime in the future it was pretty smelly.

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Not too many people were out walking and although we did pass a jogger or two, I still couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling. I was very happy to see the ticket booth come into sight.

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I got the same feeling when we were out in the evening. We passed obvious “ladies of the night” and were accosted by hawkers and street vendors. Some even continuing to follow us after we said no thank you. I was just very uncomfortable.  In all my travels I have never felt this way anywhere else.

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On the plus side we had a nice time riding the steam boat up the Muddy Mississippi and the aquarium was great. Our trip into the bayou got rained out. That was disappointing but even with the pouring rain we got to the Court of 3 Sisters for an amazing, elegant dinner. So I can’t say New Orleans was a total loss, just not someplace I’m anxious to return to anytime soon. I’m sure that comes as a surprise to many. I know all my friends said I would love it. Maybe once I’ve seen all of the other states I’ll go back for that missed trip into the bayou.

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Rain Forest Exhibit, New Orleans Aquarium

Oh Oh Crazy Time Again

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Sorry I’ve missed a few posts. Work just got crazy again. Here it is only March 3 and I have more deals in the works then I had all last month! Spring Real Estate season has arrived.

Redfin property photos; 511 Park Rd, Rockville, MD 20850, Friday-Saturday, October 4-5, 2013.

Redfin property photos; 511 Park Rd, Rockville, MD 20850, Friday-Saturday, October 4-5, 2013.

My posting may get a bit sporadic now but I’ll always come back.

las vegas

The countdown to  Vegas has begun too so I see more posts in the near future.