Off To The UK….And Vacay!
By the time you read this I’ll be in another country. And this time I’m traveling light.
For the first time in maybe 20 years of international travel I’m {{gasp}} not bringing a laptop. I’ve been working hard to pre-write several blog posts that will automatically publish while I’m gone (so fear not, you won’t be neglected), and I’ll have access to comments through my iPad (so I’ll respond as I can), but my ~9 lb laptop and a bunch of other gear are staying at home. My plan is to vacay and that means no online work, no blogging and no thinking-about-blogging (which as a blogger you do almost 24/7, and after 8 years of blogging is going to feel really, really strange!). So if you don’t see me commenting right away that’s why, and if the posts look a little off-schedule it’s because they (deliberately) are.
Important events are coming and my next 3 weeks are going to be packed with adventure.
Right around the time you read this I’ll be in sunny (hopefully) England, in the midst of my sisters wedding. As Head Bridesmaid I’ve had a hand in a bit of this and that leading up to the big day, including the all-important job of organizing her Hen Night, so I’ve got serious STUFF to do. And of course I’ll be standing proudly at my sisters side when she gets wed in Cornwall. My sister and I are super close, and I’ve been looking forward to this day for more than a year, so I can’t tell you how thrilled I am. This is going to be the event of the decade!
Once the wedding is done, my sister and her new husband will fly off for a 1-month RV honeymoon across California (yes, I might have influenced this just a tad), while Paul, my dad and I will fly back to the USA and embark on yet another adventure. Paul will head back to Rochester NY to pick up “the beast” while my dad & I spend 4 nights in New York City exploring the Big Apple. Then we’ll join up with Paul in the RV and travel up the coast of Maine together where Paul’s dad & stepmom will ALSO join us (in their own RV). It’ll be an intensely family-focused trip, my dad’s very first to the area and his very first experience in an RV. All very exciting stuff indeed.
The paws will not be left out either. During our time away they are being pampered by our wonderful friends Sue & Dave (Beluga’s Excellent Adventures) and their doggie Lewis. We first met these fine folk several years ago in a campground in Eugene OR and immediately bonded over our respective dogs. The human bond turned out to be pretty good too, so much so that we ended up consciously re-meeting several times in our travels (when you find RV folk you get along with, time spent together is just so effortless).
It’s been around a year since we last saw them, but we’ve stayed in touch and when they found out we needed a place to hang for our travels to the UK, they were kind enough to offer us their summer driveway and paw-sitting services. RV friends are the best, and these are extra good ones!
So not only do we get to park “the beast” at Beluga’s Most Excellent RV Accommodations, but we get Dave and Sue’s A1 Deluxe Pet Sitting Service while we are gone too!
Polly is madly in love with Lewis, so the two doggies are going to have a ball together, and we have the peace of mind of knowing folks as paw-crazy as us are looking after our furry family (my fellow dog-lovers will understand how BIG a deal this is!). Plus we get to hang with our friends and spend some time catching up too, which is an extra bonus. We’ve already had a glorious week here enjoying the lake, doing some RV work (Dave and Paul have had fun putzing around the 2 RV’s doing odd little jobs), munching on some excellent food and partaking in many good happy hours. It really couldn’t be more ideal.
So, that’s it. Now you know where I’ll be (kind of ) and what I’ll doing (for the most part) for the next few weeks. Those of you on the road I wish you good travels, and those of you at home I wish you the best of summer days. I’ll be back, and will see you again in blog-land around 3 weeks from now….
Off to Cornwall…Please have some of that wonderfully delicious egg yellow ice cream for me….and of course say hello to King Arthur’s spirit for me. Enjoy…
Have a most joyest time with your family in the U.K.! Travel safe!
Trish Vencill (future Full timer. 1 more yr of work).
All is well on the home front. Polly has settled into Camp Bank and is enjoying herself here. Kitties, of course, are getting their fair share of pets and attention.
I hope your Hen Party went off without a hitch and I know we’d all love to see some pictures!
I’m so happy Polly and the kitties are enjoying the Banks Five Star Pet Camp. I know they’re in the BEST hands and literally couldn’t be more pampered. So very thankful! This trip wouldn’t have been possible without you.
Nina
So excited for you and all these great moments! Congratulations to your sister and safe travels for all your family. Enjoy the moments!
And yes, good friends are the best. Especially ones that love your furry family as much as you do. ❤️
The pets are such a core part of our family, and leaving them in a kennel would be too much for us to handle. It makes all the difference in the world to be able to leave them with trusted friends.
Nina
Have a WONDERFUL time with your sister and all the events surrounding her wedding. What fun!
Great to see you are having a good time
Enjoy we all miss you
Looking foward
To traveling together again
Me too! Can’t wait to see you again.
Nina
Best Wishes for your sister and her new husband! Have oodles of fun and enjoy your break!
Enjoy your trip, hopefully you brought some rain jackets. We have been over in UK now for 3 months and only had 1 really hot and sunny week. Last week in Yorkshire it rained every day and this week in the Lake District it is similar forecast.
Enjoy the scrumpy, scones with clotted cream, ice cream and local pasties.
We will be in Camborne, Cornwall in 3 weeks, so looking forward to a post of places to visit.
Yes I did! Thankfully I used to live here before I moved to US, so I know you don’t go anywhere without a rain jacket in the UK. It can be sunny and rain 5 times during a typical summer day!
And unfortunately I can’t promise you a post on places to visit in Cornwall either, although it’s an amazing place and would be fun to explore. We’ll be 100% wedding focused during my time here, so likely won’t be doing much sightseeing.
Nina
Sounds like everything is well thought out…have a wonderful time… looking forward to photos…
You sound like an amazing big sister. Enjoy the wedding and time with friends and family. Safe travels!
Great plans… Congrats to your sisterKnow you’ll enjoy your tech-lite adventures!! The northeast experience with the folks sounds awesome.
Just want to add how much we enjoy your most excellent blog!
I finally have a day with some internet so thought I would catch up with a few of my blogger friends. This must be a first for the two of you, being away from Polly and the kitties. Enjoy your time in the UK and I will catch back up when we leave Yellowstone and our rustic cabin in the Lamar Valley.