Postin' By The Ocean

At last a historic post from the top floor of our Frisco, North Carolina vacation house, gazing over the Atlantic Ocean and savoring the waning moments of a beautiful week.

18 hours in the durable and comfortable Toyota Corolla with Dena:

GOOD IDEA: Using Enterprise to rent from the Shoppes at College Hills. Unlimited miles, which wouldn't have been the case had we gone through the store at the airport. MapQuest the route through Charleston, WV - far less mountainous.

BAD IDEA: Staying overnight in Charleston. That left us with 10 hours of driving, which inadvertently got us in hot water with Dena's mom since we weren't around to help unpack some stuff. Next time, I suppose we'd leave earlier on Friday and drive a bit further.

BAD IDEA: Following the MapQuest directions that instructed us to get off of Route 64 and drive for 19 miles north on Route 12. When you're passing people's driveways, you know you're not on the most economical route for an 1,100 mile trip.

GOOD IDEA: Bringing along an interesting book like Freakanomics. We had a lot of fun reading to each other, it made the miles melt away.

GOOD IDEA: Bringing the portable DVD player and a bunch of Frasier episodes to shake things up as the sun set.

It was a successful drive!

We batted for good average in the entertainment too:

GOOD IDEA: Buying the laptop. Being able to keep in touch with the rest of the world came in handy when Dena got called about some Kiwanis graphic design work. I needed it to do some research, and of course could update the fantasy baseball teams easily.

USELESS IDEA: Bringing the PlayStation 2. It was much used last year, but this year there were sufficient puzzles, books, exercise and other options available.

BAD IDEA: Bringing the laptop/PS2 into the open spaces. Would you sit down on an anthill while covered in maple syrup and expect to take a nap? Then don't bring electronic toys into a room filled with sub-10-year-olds and expect a relaxing evening. I envisioned that firing up the PS2 in one of the public living rooms would draw some older folks and make it a fun time, while eliminating the risk that items in my room would be destroyed or lost when overrun with children. But it turned into a four-hour babysitting session featuring water and garbage strewn about, kids running perilously close to trip-and-crash wires, screaming, whining and producing some of the least inspiring video sports performances possible by creatures with opposable thumbs. When my game controller was dropped for the third time in twenty minutes, I declared the games closed for the duration of the week and staggered to bed.

GOOD IDEA: Puzzles. The Puzzling Bloggers Guild sponsored about a half-dozen puzzles, and even attracted several non-members.

BAD IDEA: Relying on my cell phone to check in with the office a couple of times. No service! Fortunately, Dena let me borrow hers.

GOOD IDEA: Being matched up with the Youngs for our turn to make the meal. This year I even got to contribute more than usual, helping with food shopping, dicing veggies and giving the pre-meal introductions and prayer. Four more years!

BAD IDEA: Ocracoke Island trips. Two hours of travel round trip is too much for a non-shopper. But this falls under the untouchable sacrifices-of-love category.

GOOD IDEA: Driving separately to Ocracoke. Two hours in a car with small children might have forced me to put the prior note in - dare I say - italics.

GOOD IDEA: Bringing the guitars and amp. I got to show Lane how to play some basic guitar chords and he did just fine. We got to play a song together and it might have been as much fun for him as it was for me. With luck, it'll be the start of a new adventure for him!

GOOD IDEA: Books. Brought eight. Read three. Excess is a good thing here.

GREAT IDEA: The Spa Koru. It deserves its own post.

I didn't expect to settle into such a natural and enjoyable routine. Woke without alarm clock around 8:30. Got shaved and to the pool for two hours of mayhem-free sun and reading by 9:00. 11:00 off to Spa Koru. Work out, spa, shower. Home between 2-3. Downed 50 oz. along the way. Then a light lunch. Afternoon of puzzling, blogging, guitaring, fantasy baseball, or more reading. Early evening dinner/family activity, then more of the afternoon activities.

As usual, a week was perfect length to be with the clan. Having spent more time than usual contemplating retirement in the last year, I wondered how well I would someday adjust to an "empty" schedule. Answer based on this week: With a flourish!