Staycation
Thus begins my staycation. For those playing along at home:
March: Surely we’ll be able to go to Ireland in July. COVID-19 will be under control by then.
April: We may not be able to fly this summer. Maybe we should drive to Montreal.
May: The Canadian border is closed. We need to stay close to home. Maybe we can do a week at the beach.
June: We are going nowhere. Nowhere. Nowhere ever. We are stuck at home foreeeeeeever.
I was at peace with this in July. I was thankful that Josh cleared weeds out of the backyard and set up a high velocity fan to blow while we’re reading (chemical-free mosquito solution). There were benefits of staying home. Easy access to the bathroom = drink all the seltzer you want. No long drives or waiting in line or mask wearing for hours on end.
But last week, I realized that it had been over eight months since I had seen running water. Eight months. I couldn’t stop thinking about the opening to Spalding Gray’s Impossible Vacation (has there ever been a more perfect time to understand that book?) and his mother’s feelings about being able to see Narragansett Bay. Not that I am going to fall apart mentally from being unable to see the ocean but… I related. The longest I usually go without seeing the ocean is the four months between December and April.
Going to the river (or the ocean) means (1) bringing all food and water, (2) avoiding all inhabited areas—being willing to walk far to get to a spot without humans, (3) figuring out how to not use a public restroom at any point. Entering and exiting like ghosts.
I will be around this week. Reading a lot of books. Maybe working our way through the new Umbrella Academy.
6 comments
First off, me and hubs just finished Umbrella…second season so much better than first. And…I so hear you. Running water. Ocean, river. Something! We are going to attempt Cape Cod next week. Usually we stay for a week…this time, not sure how long…but we need a change. And I need to see, hear and breathe the ocean.
I am seriously considering the devices that let women pee standing up to facilitate going further afield
Are you into geocaching? I feel like it would be right up your alley but I can’t remember if you’ve mentioned it before. It’s a fantastic way to get to know your local area better (and new spots too!)
I only live 20 minutes from the Narragansett Bay and while we *could* go the beaches they are always crowded and there is very little mask wearing/social distancing happening (despite parking limits, etc.) As someone that’s never gone more than a couple weeks between beach visits (yes, even during the winter) missing an entire summer is surreal. I miss traveling but I am getting a ton of stuff done around the house so that’s exciting, right?
Enjoy your staycation!
SO we live in New England – NH to be exact – and recently have been limited to New England states. My children and I normally go to Montauk on Long Island for the beginning of August but not this year. In fact, we camped in the White Mountains last weekend, on Friday (this past one), we were at the beach in Wells , ME and then yesterday we went ziplining just outside of Worcester. MA. All within two hours driving from where we live. I feel like I’ve had to be wicked creative but it’s been worth it!
I told my husband this morning “this is as close as we will get to a tropical vacation for a while.” We had a freak tropical storm in the middle of the night—we are in a heat wave (with no AC bc we normally don’t need it) and then we had huge gusts of wind, lots of lightning, thunder plus a little rain. Very unusual on the coast of California this time of year. Or ever.
I ventured to a local beach—one that’s not horribly crowded (although relatively crowded). We wear our masks the whole time, steer clear of people, and don’t sit (I carry a backpack and follow my kids around). Most people did not wear masks but some were. There is a state park resort associated with the beach we went to and I broke down and used a bathroom there. Fortunately most people don’t know the buildings are public (heck I grew up here and didn’t know this until I was an adult) so the bathroom/building was very uncrowded.
We are lucky we are a 5 min drive from the beach and that it wasn’t a Miami Beach type crowd (some smaller beaches nearby that ARE normally like that were closed for the weekend).
Here’s hoping that in a couple years we can all go on vacation again. (I’m not very optimistic about 2021. My husband and I will probably have to celebrate our 25th anniversary (this year) on our 27th.)