Monday, October 22, 2007

What I learned on vacation

-At home no one picks up your wet towels, spritzes your pillows with a heavenly lavendar scent or lets you sleep until 9 a.m.

-Long ago they painted the ceilings of porches a beautiful sky blue. They did this for a few reasons, the first of which, of course, was superstition. They believed the ghosts only haunted at night. So, if the porch ceiling was painted a daytime shade of blue those stuck in the afterlife wouldn't enter that particular home. Oh, and it also messed with the depth perception of bugs.

-We went from 39 feet above sea level (on the third floor of our inn) to 2,136 feet above sea level when we entered the mountains outside of Asheville. I am blaming all poor directional decisions on lack of oxygen.

-If you watch too closely, you'll miss the dolphins as they emerge from the water. They sneak up on you. I had no idea they were sinister.

-Wine is good. Wine is very good, but it can make your stomach gurgle for days.

-Charleston is known as the Holy City due to the number of churches scattered throughout. It is also known for its hauntings and ghost sightings. I am not sure how the two coincide.

-Avoid using terms like "Civil War" in Charleston, they seem to recall that little insignificant era in American history as "The War of Northern Aggression."

-If you are at a historical site and they offer to take a cheesy picture of you for $20, let them, the results are so worth it. I am still giggling over the fact that it appears as if we were at Fort Sumter at the start of the War of Northern Aggression. "Don't mind us, we're just sight-seeing, go back to loading that cannon." (By the way, you can never have too many photographs of cannons. Trust me.)

-When in a relationship, certain duties must be divvied up to the most qualified. Cynical is hereby the official navigator of all travels. I am the official packer and organizer. You want a tissue, I got it. Need a map, I got it, just don't ask me to read it.

-Family is family. They drive you nuts. They push your buttons. They bring out your worst. But, family is family and you can't change that.

-If you are careful and protective of your attitude, you can carry your vacation-mode self into the work week. Just beware of anyone trying to nix your vacation high.

-We're heading to Seattle this weekend for a work-related trip. It's as if I am pulling my skivvies from one suitcase and cramming them into another. This time we're flying. After hauling that huge, heavy suitcase from Folly to Asheville, I am going to give this whole "traveling light" thing a go.

-I am pouting because not only are we not going to be home on Halloween, we also don't have an excuse to buy yummy candy and store it within arm's reach in a big caldron.

3 comments:

emily said...

It's called "Haint Blue". There are a couple of companies that make variations of it today. I've been trying to convince The Man that when we move I'm going to paint the porch ceiling with it. It's can't hurt, right?

madretz said...

i've never heard that about painted blue ceilings, never seen one either for that matter but think it is totally Cool. I love reading about stuff like this.

You will not even believe this. But I'm going to Seattle next week to hang with my cousin. Monday thru Thursday. She's not really in Seattle. A suburb of. But I don't live in San Francisco either. :) I live in one of those other big bay area cities, but you know that already.

Nan said...

I love your list. I have seen the painted blue ceilings of porches, but always thought they were to mimic the sky. Yours is a much more colorful explanation!