Wednesday-last day of vacation

I think everyone should make sure to take a day or two at home to rest and regroup after your vacation. It gives you time to clean everything that needs cleaning, get your house back in order along with your mind. I was lucky enough to have a wonderful, stormy day yesterday, and made a big pot of bean soup with cornbread. In my pajamas! All day! I'll finish all my errands today, pay my bills, and I'll be really ready to go back to work tomorrow. Then just 2 days and it's the weekend again. I finally got my cat back home this morning, (he went missing from my mothers for 2 days). This is the perfect end to some real rest.

Make sure to use your vacation time to separate yourself from your day to day life. The memories I have of the mountains in N GA will get me through the worst part of this FL summer. I do miss hearing the songbirds already though.

My next trip will be business, in Las Vegas, in August. More heat. Uh.

I'll be back to writing my regular blog by the beginning of next week. Until then.....

Photos from road trip

A few photos from our road trip....I haven't figured out how to maximize the space in the blog yet....

Monday back at home

It's Monday morning, and we are back at home. We had to cut the road trip short, due to an electrical problem with the old Mercedes, but I am still on vacation. We did get a chance to visit with Jamie's dad, and it was a wonderful few hours. On our way to North Florida, we decided to get a hotel room instead of trying to get to our campsite late in the day. Also, it was 100 degrees out. We got to Ichitucknee Springs at 8 AM Sunday morning, and it was packed with Fathers Day crowds. People with inner tubes and canoes were all over the place. A little too crowded for us. So we took a few minutes and swam in the springs, and decided to head home. Lou wasn't allowed near the water, (new rules to protect the springs are actually good, considering how many people use them) so we really didn't have a good reason to spend the night camping. The drive home took longer than I remembered, and although the car had been running fine, for some reason when we stopped at a rest area, she didn't start, again, and we needed a jump.
This morning we are going to Fort Lauderdale beach. It's going to be hot, but hey, a beach day is just the way to end this vacation. I'll be back at work Wednesday or Thursday...I haven't decided yet. Photos will follow soon. Until next time....

Saturday morning Woodlands Inn

Dinner last night was a marvel. We opted not to eat from the prix fixe menu, but to order a la carte. We receive an "amuse" (sp?) as an opener...a spoonful of some fizzy powder with a piece of strawberry and cream as a palate freshener. What a surprise taste in your mouth! Then beautiful plates of shrimp, for Jamie, and asparagus with morels for me. The bread was served with 2 types of butter and 2 types of salt, and was delicious and fresh. I had a bowl of fragrant pasta, and we were already full. Then off to the most luscious, cozy 4 poster bed. soft pillows, perfect comforters, chocolates on the bed in a crystal bowl. Lou was given an organic dog bone, and loved it. We slept like babies.
I was up at 6 AM, and since this is a non smoking property, went out for a smoke and a walk for Lou. The temperature was warm, the humidity not too bad, yet. Coffee is served with 2 types of cubed sugar, brown and white, and was rich and fragrant. I just had a peaceful swim in the pool surrounded by crepe myrtles and magnolias. We're going to read a little this morning, then hit the road again around noon. Tonight,perhaps, we'll be in our tent at Ichitucknee Springs. If there is wi-fi, I'll report again.

Friday night 4th night of road trip

We are in Summerville, SC, at the 5 star resort, Woodlands Inn, finally. I haven't been able to write in my blog the past 4 nights, since up in the mountains of North Georgia, we didn't have a wi-fi signal. Or any access to the Internet. Which was actually, wonderful. Let me back up some, and start with the beginning of the road trip.
We left Fort Lauderdale Monday night, 6 PM, and made it to Ocala by 10 PM. got a room at a Days Inn for the night, and were up early Tuesday morning, and on the road by 5:30 AM. We stopped in a rest area about 80 miles into Georgia, and the car wouldn't start. Got a jump from a friendly traveler, and were on our way again. When we got into North Georgia, the battery went again, and we called AAA, and found out we needed a new battery, so we went to a local Wal-Mart, bought a battery, and finally made it into Dahlonega, and Forrest Hills Resort, by 4 PM.
What a beautiful, secluded, rustic place! There are about 30 individual cabins, all in the woods, with kitchenettes, wrap around porches with swings, fireplaces, and ours had a full sized hot tub with a deck inside. There is horseback riding, a pool, and plenty of walking trails. It was so quiet. The birds were all we could hear. No car traffic, no electrical hum in the background, no noise whatsoever, except nature.
Breakfast was in a quaint restaurant called the Secret Garden. Dark and cozy, with picture windows overlooking a real secret garden, with classical music in the background. The buffet breakfast food was fabulous. Real country cooking with a very light touch. Outside the restaurant are formal rose gardens, with a couple of cats having a very loud argument. I took Lou for a wonderful walk through the woods, along groomed, paved, walking trails, with wildflowers growing everywhere.. I actually did this walk numerous times. I will post photos on my Facebook page, and in our newsletter. We spent the afternoon and evening with close friends, at Amicalola Falls, and went to bed early. The hot tub was a wonderful perk to have before bedtime. I saw my horse, and cried a bit when I had to leave him. Lou was having a wonderful time walking through the undergrowth around the cabin, looking for rabbits and smelling for deer. I walked alot. My unused calf muscles remembered how hills worked. We could have stayed there 2 or 3 more days. Forrest Hills, is remote, and secluded, and quiet and peaceful, and I recommend it for couples and families who want some real together time.
It's our first few hours here at Woodlands Inn, and I have to say, this is a real, elegant , Old South inn. European elegance. Gravel trails, beautiful, manicured grounds, and free wi-fi! It's a real comfort after our 7 hour drive down from the mountains. Oh, by the way, we stayed off the interstates, and traveled through all the small towns on Highway 78 from Georgia through South Carolina. It was the most direct route, and although we never drove faster than 65 mph, it was an easy drive. I'll have more to tell tomorrow, after dinner and swimming tonight.
Give yourself the chance to take a road trip. Even thought we've had to cut off the Maryland portion of the trip due to car trouble, this has been fantastic! Sweet dreams!

Top 10 reasons to use a travel agent

From Travel Agent Central......
1. You've Googled "Mexico vacation," and come up with 17.8 million responses. Need a little help editing those choices?
2. Remember when you used that obscure website to book your hotel, and when you got there you spent your beach vacation overlooking a parking lot?
3. How many hours were you on hold with the airline when your flight was canceled because of a snowstorm?
4. Did you really mean to spend your honeymoon at that resort whose one tiny pool was filled all day with 12 screaming children?
5. Who knew that when you booked that "villa" in Tuscany, it would be a small room with a kitchenette and no air conditioning? Funny, it looked much better on your computer screen.
6. No one explained to you that in July, it's winter time in Rio, and so you showed up there with nothing but five Hawaiian shirts and three pairs of swimming trunks.
7. How about the time you really needed a restful vacation, and you ended up in New Orleans during Mardi Gras and someone threw up on your shoes?
8. Yes, I guess that hotel must have used a telephoto lens when they took a picture of those guest rooms that you saw on their website.
9. I suppose contacting the Attorney General to resolve the fact that that Internet site has billed your credit card three times instead of once is the only route to take at this point.
10. It was definitely odd that there were no cab drivers at the airport at 3 o'clock in the morning when you finally landed in Costa Rica, but booking a transfer to your very remote hotel would have been a good thing to remember when you purchased your airline ticket and hotel online.
Now give us a call and let us take away all the confusion and information overload!
800-881-7690

Roadtrip finalized!

I got all the plans together for our road trip. After leaving the 5 star Woodlands Inn Resort in Summerville SC Tuesday morning, the 23rd, we'll be stopping in Estill, SC for a short family visit, then driving to North Florida, between Lake City and Alachua, to Ichitucknee Springs. Ichitucknee Springs is a crystal clear cavern spring and river filled with wildlife and surrounded by forest. We'll set up camp, yes, tents and sleeping bags, and spend our last night out in the open. The campgrounds are beautiful, there's a small tavern in the park, and we'll have access to other facilities. I hope the bugs aren't too bad. I know that Lou, the dog, will love it. Wednesday morning we'll spend our time swimming and canoeing the river. It should be a great way to end the road trip. Then a 6 hour drive back to Fort Lauderdale. I will be blogging and "Tweeting" from the road, so be sure to follow our progress. Pictures too!

"On the road again......"

Help me decide on my last day of my roadtrip

How fast should I try to get home from my roadtrip? Should I just take an extra day and find some out of the way place to stay? Or should I end the trip in a fancy hotel? You decide....

My Summer Road trip-making arrangements

I'm well into making my arrangements for my summer road trip. We've had to change our start date to June 16th due to a doctors appointment, but fortunately, that's a benefit to a road trip...you can make last minute changes. We'll head north towards Atlanta and have a long drive our first day, 11 hours. I'm still waiting for the confirmation for staying at Forrest Hills Resort outside of Dahlonega, GA. They have a single cabin in the woods, with a fireplace and hot tub, and are pet friendly. That's where we want to make our home base for the 3 days we'll be in the N. GA area. We've got lot's of friends to visit with, and I need to see my horse. I know we'll take one day and just hike in the woods and maybe tube down the Chattahoochee River out of Helen, GA. From there, we're heading to Maryland to stay with some friends for 3 nights. They have 10 acres, so it will still feel like we're in the country, and Lou, my dog, will be able to roam around and chase rabbits. Jamie and I will go into Washington DC on Saturday the 20th to visit the Native American Museum and we'll be able to leave Lou at the farm. Monday morning we're going to South Carolina and staying at the Woodlands Inn, in Summerville, near Charleston. The Woodlands Inn is a Virtuoso property, rated 5 stars, and is pet friendly. It sits on 43 acres and I can't wait to visit. Tuesday we'll spend some time in Charleston, one of my favorite cities, and one that Jamie is very familiar with, since he helped care for many of the formal gardens in the downtown estates...then off to Estill, SC to visit with Jamie's father. That's about as far as I have gotten. I know we have to head back to Florida, but I'm not sure if we'll got to Savannah for a night, or maybe head into North Florida right away, or what. We will stay somewhere in N FL for a night so we can spend a day canoeing or tubing down some of the crystal clear rivers that flow through this part of the state. I'll let you know more as soon as I do! I love the freedom of making these kind of travel plans. And of course, I can always change my mind!

My summer road trip

I have decided to take some time off early this summer, pack my bags, boyfriend and dog and hit the road for a week or so. Just an old fashioned American road trip. A few choice destinations, then where ever the road leads. We are first stopping somewhere in the North Georgia mountains. I found a pet friendly resort where we hope to rent a cabin for 3 nights, visit old friends in Atlanta, and hike around the woods near Dahlonega and Helen. Just sitting on the wrap around porch at night, in the woods, will be absolutely refreshing! Then we'll head north, maybe stop in Charlotte, again visiting friends, before heading up towards Washington DC and Maryland. We both have wanted to see the Native American Museum, and will leave my dog Lou with friends that have 10 acres just north of DC. I don't think we'll spend much more time in DC, we both have already seen most of the sights there. From there, we'll head south down I-95 to South Carolina. I'm trying to get one night at a Virtuoso resort property so we'll at least have one luxurious evening. Then a visit with some family and maybe a day along the South Carolina beach coast. And of course we won't miss Charleston. We may stop at South of the Border in South Carolina, on US 301...if anyone remembers stopping there with their folks when you were young, you'll remember what a treat that was. I hope it's still there. On our way back to South Florida, we'll stop in north Florida, staying in an area of crystal rivers, tubing or canoeing a day away. If we see anything anywhere along the way, I'll be sure to stop for a look see. Some think a road trip takes too much time and is too much trouble, but I see it as a relaxing way to actually see where I'm going. My own time table. No airline mess, no crowds. I'll let you know how it turns out!