ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area What's a Vacation?

that deserves to be quoted wire654 . we really do have it all here...


BTW, yellowstone visitor in 75' & 78', former 'Golden Eagle pass holder' *


* i don't know if they still grant these...

O.K., let's quote that again!


It sure is. America really does have a vacation spot for anybody. My first ever trip was to Fla. in 1992, then in '93 I drove about 3000 miles around Ga., Ala., N.C. and S.C. just taking in the scenery, stopping at small-town motels on the way and not really having any plan (except to return to Atlanta in time for my flight!).

I came back to go out to Nebraska in '95 and decided to see a bit more scenery by taking the train from New York right across the Mid-West. Never before had I traveled through a straight 1400 miles of snow!

I'm quite a mountaineer at heart, so the Appalachian part of my Southern tour is still firmly in my mind as one of my favorite areas.

"From the mountains,
To the prairies,
To the oceans white with foam...."

lol!
it amuses me Paul, that some born here would not travel far from thier birthplace to appreciate what a tourist will....


we have deserts, new mountain ranges, old mountain ranges, tundra, bayou, ocean(s) , plains, lakes, badlands, canyons, deep forests , and of course the 'melting pot' of culture to compliment this here.

Well,

Just returning from a week in the Pocanos I've got some ideas of my own. It was nice to (mostly) get away from things, but I realized how spoiled I/we have become. I can't remember the last time I have not been able to find an air-conditioned room (or a breeze) if I needed it.

That aside, the kids did get to see some different wildlife (Deer, Otters, and a few others) and I got to chase a Bat around the house at 4am (trying to shoo him outside).
It didn't end well for him...
Half a day of go-carts was probably my favorite activity (think wind in your face )

All in all it was a good time. I think a Chicago trip may be coming up soon too.

P.S. - I couldn't help but notice some things about the Hot Tub installation ... more on that later.

Bill

Welcome back Bill -- Sounds as though you've really kicked back and unwound!

Air-conditioning? Hmm, I think I've seen one A/C unit since I left the States!

Thanks guys,

It was relaxing to some degree, but now I've got a serious pile of things to do and not enough hours in the day. You know how that is I'm sure, but it was worth it.

Paul,

There are no A/C units in the UK ??
There are days here where you just can't get dry. I know that having the Hot tub in the house and uncovered much of the time didn't help, but the kids enjoyed it.

Bill

You'll find A/C in some commercial buildings, but in domestic situations they're still extremely rare. You gotta remember that 80 degress here is classed as HOT!

For most people, the cost of A/C just isn't worth it for the amount of time it would be used. Another factor is that with the construction of most of our old houses it would be difficult to install a decent system anyway (which is why ducted-air heating isn't that common here either, except for some houses which incorporated it from new during the 1960s/early 1970s period).

Dehumidifers have become more widely used in recent years, thanks to our rather damp climate, but are still not that common.

While we're on the subject of vacations and heat, most anyone here of my age or over will tell you about the "Summer of '76."

We really had (by British standards) a scorcher of a summer that year. The mercury rose up into the 90s regularly for a few weeks, ice-cream and electric fan sales went through the roof, and thanks to our antiquated water collection & distribution systems, many parts of the country ended up with droughts and no city water supplies. In some areas people actually had to take buckets to a stand-pipe at the end of the street to get water, or water-tankers made deliveries and rationed it.

I was all of 10 years old at the time, and spent a large part of the summer sleeping in a tent pitched in our back yard!

No deadlines...no deadlines....I've been on a few vacations with more deadlines than work. Ever done this...."OK, we have to be at the Mickey Mouse Show at 2 o'clock, and then let's catch the monorail to the Animal Kingdom for the 3:15 Tarzan show...." We took the best vacation that I've had in years back in June. Destin, Florida was great. I just sat on the beach most of the time, and every time someone called my name, I just acted like I didn't hear. I bought a couple of $20.00 kites. Set 'em up and watched them fly. Did I mention the fact that there were scantly dressed women there? Well, there was...one, maybe two.... I saw a guy from Georgia that said he makes the trip at least twice a year. I said, "And you're still married?" He shot back, "Well....we're professionals..."
My kids swam in the pool, I sat on the beach with no deadlines. Yup....awesome scenery.

No Honey...I didn't look at any of them...I promise...
Doc

I have a 40 ft. houseboat and 181/2 ft fish and ski boat that floating in the lake waiting for me. I just got back today from a short stay on the houseboat. Turned off the phone and just sat on the porch watching the world pass me by.