'Lighter' Subject ahead (I hope )

What is everyone's idea of a Vacation?
Where/What/and for how long?

I was the type that would work and send the Family away many times. I've regretted that. I've got a totally different viewpoint now, after many plan changes and missed vacations for people who didn't appreciate it and made you chase them for money anyway. Now I will take the time and things will work out somehow.

I like spending some time in Fla in the Winter-time and it doesn't matter what I do there. Been doing a week in the summer in NC, but this year it's Pocanoes. A couple of long weekends sprinkled here and there in NH and that's my prescription for relieving pressure.

What's yours?

How about you people that travel all the time? Does Vacation mean going Home?


Bill

[This message has been edited by Bill Addiss (edited 07-26-2002).]

Bill, life is short. Spend time with the family.

My Grandmother will be 102 this year and still lives by herself. She mowed her yard untill she was 84. ( another plus for the ladies) I save some vacation time to go to her birthday party each year. (remarkable woman in many ways)

I'll tell you what vacation means to me later.

On your last question, I've always wondered what Bill Dance and other fishing show host do on their time off. (maybe dig a ditch or do some wiring)

Roger

[This message has been edited by Roger (edited 07-26-2002).]

Bill I'm with you. I'm trying to change, but it's hard. I went several years without more than 2 days off in a row and many weeks in a row without even 1 day off. Now, I usually only work 5 days, but I pack 12-14 hours of work into each leaving me without much of a social life. I keep hiring guys to do some of my work, but old customers want to see me, so I have to make an appearance at most jobs every day.

Back to the original question. I go to Las Vegas at least once a year for 4 days and I take a few 3 or 4 days weekends scattered here and there. It is nearly impossible to take a full week off, but I'm working on it.

well, I have learned something from the old timers and my dad you can never spend to much time with your family. Every older guy i know says " I wish i had spent more time with my Kids", believe me they grow fast, i have 4 the oldest is 9 and youngest is my little princess 1 and half, me and the wife go some were for a long weekend once a year either the lake or a nascar or outlaw sprint race and get a nice romantic cabin, as for the kids we go camping alot every summer, we just got back from a 4 day camping trip at lake erie.

an old man i once knew told me something that says it all, He said you know what happens while your making all your big plans life passes you by, get out and enjoy yourself and family once the kids are grown you cant get that time back, and if you didn't enjoy yourself and family then what was it all for.

Like my boss says How many people do you know that are on there death bed that say they wish they would have worked more.

sorry so much type, spend time with your family, the kids dont want money they want YOU!!!!

Vacations! That's one of the reasons I work so I can afford to take them. They seem to give me a major attitude adjustment. Still send the family away once in a while but I try and go with them most of the time.

Idea of Vacation = anywhere but home and without the tools or computer. (The phone is O.K. if you press mute no one can here the blender going)


Where & What = Vegas Come on BOX CARS!!
Or Idaho & Wyoming during hunting season a new one for me (I am now on a quest Can anyone teach me to shoot straight?)
Mexico is also great caught me a marlin last year in Cabo San Lucas. A cruise to Mexico is also a lot of Fun. Used to do some skiing in the winter but that has become too painful on the knees and ankles.

How Long = We try and do at least 1 7 to 10 day trip per year and as many 3 or 4 day trips on long holiday weekends as possible. Some with the kids some without. During Hunting the wife and kids go to visit family.

My new kind of vacation is slowly becoming a spectator of youth sporting events and tournaments. What happened to 1 or 2 games a week?

Wirewiz

For me there are two types of vacation. One I take with my wife every year, usually in the fall.

The other is when an excavating contractor cuts the trunkline feeding the southern linc (nextel) two way radio exchange. Had it happen twice in the last couple of years and man it was nice. So quiet and peaceful!

Since I am lucky enough to have lived and contracted in Hawaii since 1978 what I usually do is stay home and go surfing for vacation. This year however am taking the family to South Cal for 2 weeks.

Just getting away from the daily responsibilities and obligations is nice. Our children are grown now, my daughter has been married for six years. My wife and I have gone to Virginia Beach the last several years.
It's easier to put things in the proper perspective while on vacation.

I just got back from a trip to the Adirondacks, not having a utility pole in sight was great.

Watching my boy haul up a big bullhead was priceless, worth any missed job.......
(... an event of loch-ness appeal..)


I think it's easy to get burnt out, without ever realizing it happening. If your work performance/ethic/approach declines, who's going to tell you so?

Take the time....

Three years ago we bought a 22' motorhome. By far it is the best money we ever spent. Our favorite places are National Forest campgrounds, especially in the Rocky Mountains. Our kids (19 and 15) vote Yellowstone National Park as their favorite. This is one big, beautiful country!!

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!

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.

That reminds me of the Hammock I got one Fathers' Day many years ago. After I set it up I got to lay in it for about 1/2 hr. The thing disintegrated into nothingness before I ever got to try that again...

Bill

Just ended a long weekend @ Clearwater beach. Pod of bottle-necks jumping in our wake yesterday.
Sparky they still issue golden eagle cards.
I got a pass to Canaveral Nat'l Seashore a couple of weeks ago and the listed the GE.
quote:

I will be leaving this Sunday for a week on Chincoteague Island (VA). If anyone is familiar with the area, it is across a small bridge from Assateague Island National Seashore (MD). You & yours will likely encounter wild ponies on the beach, they swim across the bay from Chincoteague each year and wander around the island. My 7 & 4 year old daughters will surely enjoy it.

If any body gets into central PA, try Lancaster County. Lot's to see and do. and places to just kick back. Bed and Breakfast's for the out of the way types, open country, golfing, jousting with the horse and buggies on the roads and stop in here Strasburgrailroad.com, of course.
Trainwire

You didn't tell us you knew a Celebrity !
( Thomas )

It looks like an interesting place to visit.
I will definitely keep it in mind for the next time I'm out that way.


Bill

Ah, memories! I grew up reading the "Thomas The Tank Engine" books 30 years ago. I'm not sure if I could remember all the names now -- Let's see, there was Gordon, Edward, Henry, Sir Handel, Duncan the "rock 'n' roll" engine....

Sir Topham Hat is a strange-looking name to me. In the original books we had The Fat Controller, but a few years ago somebody decided it was "politically incorrect" and instituted the name change. We had The Thin Controller too; I don't know if he's still in the reprints of the stories.



[This message has been edited by pauluk (edited 08-06-2002).]

Well, I don't know how "privlidged I am at knowing him, I just know that I don't recommend any one coming while he is here. We did 41000 people in nine days the last time. We built him here in the shops. My role in that is I built the headlight, and wired it to the battery.
PaulUK, never heard of the thin controller, must've been fired at some point.
Trainwire

In the original books The Thin Controller was usually the bad guy -- A typical stickler for company rules and regulations, never smiled, etc. while the Fat Controller was always the jolly, easy-going fellow.

My vacations are varied. Just got back from milwaukee, Wisconsin, week long trip doing mission work with 15 teenage youth ( worked with 8 of the finest young men I have ever met). Drove a bus, and truck all over the city. The other end is to take a week off and spend it at our State Fair @ the tractor pulls. Take a lot of 3-4 day weekend to work on the house or with our youth group. Pretty boring lifestyle?!

[This message has been edited by spkjpr (edited 08-06-2002).]

Well, it seems vacations are those oft-wished for periods of time when you wear yourself out trying to cram in way too much relaxing simply to compensate for not taking a breather more often from your daily grind....

The last 'real' vacation I took was to Alabama with two 18-month old and one 3 year old children in tow (just me, myself and I to carry them and no stroller, I might add..what was I thinking?) Delta Airlines did get a little piece of my mind (perhaps the only remaining scrap of it) when they laughed at my request for assistance in the Atlanta airport - and between their choice of having me and the kids hang out with them in the gate area until morning or making some sort of effort, they chose quite wisely. Me and mine were escorted to a van down on the tarmac and taken to the steps of our next plane... I win sometimes.

My other ideal vacation involves fishing, campfire or campstove cooked meals, a tent, perhaps even a turkey, elk or deer hunting license and a lot of backwoods miles to cover. Nothing you guys would be interested in, I'm sure.

I think vacations are great. You have to break away some times to enjoy life. Hopefully the work will allways be there. I tried in the past to allways make Sundays a family day to maintain a balance in this busy trade. That seems to help out. If I can get away, thats even better. To be the only bread winner and support a family is a feat in itself, and we should hold our heads up high that we are able to do that.
SJT

Its funny - my wife and I took a cruise on our honeymoon - the ship stopped at 4 or 5 ports. We never got off the boat. Well once in jamaica - but we got back on after about 10 minutes of non-stop - "eh mon - you want your hair braided? - you need smoke?"

Anyway, that's vacation to us. Hell - we'll travel (drive) somewhere with nice scenery en route and then get a room and watch movies for a week only going out for food and beer. Vacation = not a care in the world. And doing only what feels good from moment to moment...

I take that back - we got off the ship for a couple of hours in Cozumel...Anyone ever been to Carlos and Charlie's? I still blame them for the fact that I have a kid now...


[This message has been edited by Happi_Man (edited 08-07-2002).]

I'm looking forward to taking a few days to circle up into the Iron Range of Minnesota, car, tent, and eleven year old. The focus will be a day at the Soudan Underground Mine State Park and High Energy Physics Lab . We'll meander around a day or so on either side of that. . .let the road present the object of our fascination.

"If any body gets into central PA, try Lancaster County. Lot's to see and do. and places to just kick back. Bed and Breakfast's for the out of the way types, open country, golfing, jousting with the horse and buggies on the roads and stop in here Strasburgrailroad.com, of course.
Trainwire"

Ah yes, Lancaster Co. railroads, mini-golf at the Village Green,gluttony at Shady Maple, Sight and Sound, Great place but you gotta get those potholes fixed in your roads. Err, they were potholes weren't they??


Glenn

Bren,
Fishing.....backwoods......
Are you sure that you are a woman?
If you are, where have you been all my life?



Picking myself up off the floor,
Doc

I'm on vacation right now!!...uh,well not really. The company I worked for closed the doors last week, and I got laid off. I was promised a job offer when I left, but instead I got 5 of them. The phone has been ringing off the hook all week ("can you start tomorrow?"). I've spent 4 of the last 7 days doing work that I long ago promised to do as soon as I had the time.
I'm going to let the answering machine do the talking for me for a couple of days, and I'm going tuna fishing
I've heard that "Good help is hard to find", so taken literally, I think that means that to be the best, I have to hide.(60 mi out in the Pacific?)
Can't I have just a little bit of R&R time?..S


[This message has been edited by electure (edited 08-08-2002).]

I'm leaving on vacation Saturday. My parents are coming up from Louisiana and they want to head up into West Virginia. I don't really care what we do, I just want to sit back and relax.

Where are ya goin'?

I can recommend:

Cass Senic Railroad
Organ Cave
Green Bank Radio Observatory
Snowshoe Resort (More than just skiing... summer stuff too!)
Lost World Caverns

And of course the Greenbrier Resort ...

Heyyy, I'm a winnuh, I floored the Doc. Bagged my first WattDoctor.

Yes, I am 100% xx chromosomal and the fish don't know it until it's too late. Brook trout has been my favorite so far (on the dinner table, at least).

I bagged a cow elk in Oct '93 and haven't drawn a tag since. (dang it!) I considered switching to my bow but can't pull enough weight to make it worth the attempt on a big critter like an elk and the last time I flung any arrows with it was pre-pregnancy ('95) and then I gave up when my belly encroached too much... (sorry, tmi...) So, the elk have been safe for a few years but maybe next year I'll get a chance to hunt.

My boss is a dedicated hunter/fisherman and even though I was completely out of vacation he said if I drew he'd cut me the slack to go hunt...cool, huh?

Come fall the phone messages here don't ask
"are U available?", they ask
"do you hunt?"

The latter being more accepted.....

Sparky66,

Thanks for the suggestions, I'm gonna write them down and see what they want to do

Bowhunting! And, archery in general, are my vacations and mini-vacations. A week at a time out west here and there in the fall, and long weekends here close towards winter. A friend used to ask my wife if I was taking my clubs on vacation. She always told them I had never tried hunting with golf clubs....