Back from Vacation

[Adrian]

Hello everyone,

Apologies for not being very active here for the last few weeks. I arrived back from my first vacation in a very long time to over 5000 emails, and many other matters to catch up on.

But here I am again, and will do my best to participate to the extent I can.

Kind regards,

Adrian.

[melody]

Hello Adrian,

What exotic place / places did you go to for your vacation, if this is not a secret?   

[Adrian]

Hello Melody,

Hello Adrian,

What exotic place / places did you go to for your vacation, if this is not a secret?   

It wasn't particularly exotic - we went to Southern California travelling between LA and San Diego. It was mostly for the benefit of my son's who have never been on vacation before - my last vacation was 20 years ago. Of course we went to the theme parks and everyone had a great time. The weather was amazing and everyone was so helpful and friendly there.

I wasn't so keen on the 26 hours of travel each way though

Thanks for your interest.

Kind regards,

Adrian.

[Adrian]

Hello Melody,

Hello Adrian,

What exotic place / places did you go to for your vacation, if this is not a secret?   

It wasn't particularly exotic - we went to Southern California travelling between LA and San Diego. It was mostly for the benefit of my son's who have never been on vacation before - my last vacation was 20 years ago. Of course we went to the theme parks and everyone had a great time. The weather was amazing and everyone was so helpful and friendly there.

Although it wasn't "exotic", it was certainly different in a positive sort of way for the most part. The airport security was crazy though, and I wasn't so keen on the 26 hours of travel each way either

Thanks for your interest.

Kind regards,

Adrian.

[Talker]

Hello Adrian,
Welcome home. I'm sure it helped to just change the pace of activity's, and add to the bonding process with your son. Hope you did take photo's of some activities. Have found that numerous events involving the family while they were very young, are still being talked about. It is with great pleasure, to listen while these very mature souls now, try to outdo each other at family gatherings, on the tricks they played on "dad and mom" in their early days. Photos are brought at many "get togethers", and stories repeated about the events shown in the pictures. Am sure that one day your son will be doing the wonderful story telling, and you enjoying the knowing, that those times, were indeed, great times.

[melody]

Hello Adrian,

Thank you for sharing about your vacation. It sounds like you and your sons had a great time!   

I visited California twice in the past. I did not think much of LA, but I liked San Francisco and Santa Cruz. Actually, I liked the beach in Santa Cruz quite a bit!   

Well, you must be quit tanned now to face the bleak winter...    And of course you have those sunny memories! 

[Adrian]

Hello Melody,

Hello Adrian,

Thank you for sharing about your vacation. It sounds like you and your sons had a great time!   

I visited California twice in the past. I did not think much of LA, but I liked San Francisco and Santa Cruz. Actually, I liked the beach in Santa Cruz quite a bit!   

Well, you must be quit tanned now to face the bleak winter...    And of course you have those sunny memories! 

Thanks very much Actually I didn't see too much of LA - we were mostly travelling from Anaheim to San Diego. I really enjoyed San Diego actually -I can see why it is a popular place to live.

Kind regards,

Adrian.

[melody]

Hello Adrian,

Though your California vacation sounds great, you might have found it more relaxing if you went to some more exotic place like Hawaii or Tahiti, for instance. Even going to Peru and seeing old ancient ruins might have been more educational for your sons than California amusement - theme parks...  I hope that you went to see the National Red wood Forest in California. I really enjoyed visiting it. In case you did not, here are some photos of what you've  missed.

http://images.google.com/images?q=redwood+forest+in+California&hl=en&rls=GFRD,GFRD:2007-14,GFRD:en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=X&oi=images&ct=title

[Adrian]

Hello Melody,

Hello Adrian,

Though your California vacation sounds great, you might have found it more relaxing if you went to some more exotic place like Hawaii or Tahiti, for instance. Even going to Peru and seeing old ancient ruins might have been more educational for your sons than California amusement - theme parks...  I hope that you went to see the National Red wood Forest in California. I really enjoyed visiting it. In case you did not, here are some photos of what you've  missed.

http://images.google.com/images?q=redwood+forest+in+California&hl=en&rls=GFRD,GFRD:2007-14,GFRD:en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=X&oi=images&ct=title

As I mentioned before, the vacation was really for my children - otherwise I would not have done it. That said it was a welcome break even if it did mean arriving back to over 5000 messages waiting

I am not sure what there is to do in places like Hawii or Tahiti - the very last thing I would ever want to do is sit on a beach

I would definitely like to see the ancient places in Mexico and other central and South American countries, but my son's, being teenagers, specifically definitely did not want anything "educational" - the main reason we went to California was because they wanted to go to the theme parks in particular.

Where we live there are no childrens amusements or entertainments at all - there is literally nothing for children to do at all except go to school. The only places that were sort of entertaining here have been recently demolished. We have one main shopping street with a few shops, none of which are very big except for a couple of department stores that are tiny compared to Wal-Mart and most other stores in the US, and that is it. It is however, despite the weather, a very beautiful and historic place, and the main reason I live here.  I want to get as far away from material things and so called "modern society" as possible, and as close to nature and the world as it should be as possible, and here is ideal for that.

The redwood forest looks excellent - just the sort of thing I would do if it was left to me.

Kind regards,

Adrian.
 

[melody]

Hello Adrian,

I am not sure what there is to do in places like Hawii or Tahiti - the very last thing I would ever want to do is sit on a beach

It is great to sit on a beach and meditate or contemplate the ocean and the nature, while listening to the waves coming in and out. But I guess you have a lot of ocean where you live, though it is not a warm one. I can imagine that walks along your cool beaches could be quite relaxing…

Hawaii has a lot of ancient culture and some old warship places to visit. It is excellent for surfing, and some places with coral reefs are great for snorkeling. Also, one can hike in the hills and see amazing birds, and have your snickers red from red volcanic soil. And in addition, one can watch beautiful Polynesians dancing in grass skirts…   

I have never been to Tahiti, but presume it is equally interesting as Hawaii, and the warm blue-green waters are as inviting, and one can pick  fallen coconuts right on the beach…   

[Adrian]

Hello Melody,

Hello Adrian,

I am not sure what there is to do in places like Hawii or Tahiti - the very last thing I would ever want to do is sit on a beach

It is great to sit on a beach and meditate or contemplate the ocean and the nature, while listening to the waves coming in and out. But I guess you have a lot of ocean where you live, though it is not a warm one. I can imagine that walks along your cool beaches could be quite relaxing…

Hawaii has a lot of ancient culture and some old warship places to visit. It is excellent for surfing, and some places with coral reefs are great for snorkeling. Also, one can hike in the hills and see amazing birds, and have your snickers red from red volcanic soil. And in addition, one can watch beautiful Polynesians dancing in grass skirts…   

I have never been to Tahiti, but presume it is equally interesting as Hawaii, and the warm blue-green waters are as inviting, and one can pick  fallen coconuts right on the beach…   

Ther are better places to meditate than on a beach -like deep in nature But yes, the island where I live has probably a hundred miles of beaches - many of them remote and beautiful. We also have many "glens" which are like deep wooded gullies with a stream at the centre. it is also very unspoilt with massive numbers of wild flowers like hedgerows full of Primroses and Bluebells in the spring, and there are also fields of Orchids which I visit most years.

There is also a massive amount of history. Our government is the oldest in the world formed by the Vikings over 1000 years ago, and still continues virtually unchanged today. We have one of the only fully operational steam railways and the only operational horse drawn tram services.

The island is also thought to be theancient Isle of Avalon of the Arthurian legends - we have everything here that the legends mention including the castle.

I guess this is why I am not big on vacations - everything I need is right here. Better weather would be nice, but we do get three or even four monthsof warm weather where the temperature reaches the 70's and that is always something to look forward to.

That said we also get very mild winters - frost is very rare. We are right in the Gulf Stream, and just offshore we get large schools of Killer Whales which are actually large Dolphins and very safe, as well as massive Basking Shark and other exotic marine life  - all of which is heavily protected. Very often I am walking by the sea or a harbour somewhere and there are Seals popping their heads out of the water

There are also much deeper, Spiritual and Universal aspects to this island, and the reason I was inspired to move here from central England where I was born and raised.

Kind regards,

Adrian.

[melody]

Hello Adrian,

It sounds like you live in a beautiful place where one can easily indulge in work-off time, in mini-vacations. 

I consider being by the ocean as being in nature, similar as being deep in a forest. I don't like artificial beaches with hotels lined up where sand ends - indeed that's not nature. But beaches set away from hotels and crowds, lined with coconut trees or other vegetaion are nature to me... 

[Adrian]

Hello Melody,

Hello Adrian,

It sounds like you live in a beautiful place where one can easily indulge in work-off time, in mini-vacations. 

I consider being by the ocean as being in nature, similar as being deep in a forest. I don't like artificial beaches with hotels lined up where sand ends - indeed that's not nature. But beaches set away from hotels and crowds, lined with coconut trees or other vegetaion are nature to me... 

We have all of that except the coconut trees - but we do have palm trees

Kind regards,

Adrian.

[melody]

... we do have palm trees

Palm trees? That sounds very exotic!     Were they brought in by somebody? I cannot imagine them growing naturally in your climate.

There are no palm trees where I live. Unless, of course, one goes to the Botanical Gardens. They have a few of them there in a green house... 

[Adrian]

Hello Melody,

... we do have palm trees

Palm trees? That sounds very exotic!     Were they brought in by somebody? I cannot imagine them growing naturally in your climate.

There are no palm trees where I live. Unless, of course, one goes to the Botanical Gardens. They have a few of them there in a green house... 

I am not sure - they have been here since I have been living here for the last 17 years. There are lots of them about - many people have them growing in their gardens, and they line some of the main roads - some of them are so big they must have been here for years. They must be acclimatised to the weather, but they are most definitely palm trees It is probably because the temperature rarely reached feezing point. There are lots of plants and flowers that grow here naturally that cannot survive outside in the UK.

Kind regards,

Adrian.