Saturday, July 26, 2008

Zippity Doo Dah

Y'all probably didn't even notice, but I've been gone the last few days. I decided I need to get away. No computers , no email, no TVs. But I gotta say there was some great stuff in the comments of my Subway post and after reading the comments I'm now starving. And I'm glad to know I'm not the only one with seasonal taste buds. I'll try to make the rounds to all of your blogs over the next couple of days. After my hard push and frustration to get Plundered Booty finished I was feeling burned out, but my batteries have been recharged because I got to spend my days off in one of my happy places.

Everyone should have a happy place or three. The one spot you can visit that erases worry, relaxes tension, and frees your mind. I have three.


#1 For the father in me I love to visit Walt Disney World with my boys. The looks of pure excitement, wonder and awe are their faces is all I need to make me feel young again. Standing on Main Street USA looking up a t the castle while all around me thousands of people speaking dozens of languages take in the same sights and sounds. It truly is a magical experience if you don't get caught up worrying about the heat, crowds, or prices. And that is easy to do. I simply look at the expressions on my boys faces and look at the place as they do.

No, I did not hope a plane and fly off to Florida for a few days.

#2 For the husband (and Saints fan) in me. I love to sit at a table at Cafe Du Monde catty-cornered from Jackson Square in New Orleans. A couple of powdered sugar covered beignets and a steaming cup of the ever so fragrant chicory coffee. Nestled between the might Mississippi river and the French Quarter, Cafe Du Monde is America's original coffee shop and the only place in the world that I actually like to drink coffee. The sweets sounds of street musicians nearly always fills the air and the eclectic mix of people passing by and through makes this a great scene. Pour enough of that brown sugar into you coffee until it turns the color of milk chocolate and then sip away and feel the adrenaline and caffeine rush through your veins. It's even better when you can head off to the Superdome afterwards and watch the Saints pummel the Dallas Cowboys. Yes, I have witnessed that very event. By the way back in the day a nice Blackened Voodoo Dixie Lager went well as a follow up to the chicory coffee. Actually, I love the city of New Orleans and have never had a bad trip down there.

Nope I didn't head to the Big Easy these past few days either.

#3 For the outdoorsmen in me, there is no better place in the word than knee deep in a rushing trout stream. The scent of pine hangs in the air. The tug of a fish on your line. The sun reflecting off the rainbow stripe of the fish as it arcs out of the water. The sound of a gentle breeze rustling the aspens. Yep, I've spent the last few days knee deep in the cold refreshing waters of a New Mexico trout stream.

More on that tomorrow, as I plan to do a My Vacation Monday and share pictures and facts about the high country of northern New Mexico.

So what's you happy place or places?

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

Jenn says...
I love mickey mouse. I love sitting here lala wating on my yaya. I miss New Orleans. Going to Mass at St. Louis. Listining to the people sing Watching that guy balance on things in Jackson Square wondering if he is still there. What happened to him is he alright? Is the guy that plays guitar and has the dog...is he ok? Don't get me started I will cry and go political.

Then there is the mountains of New Mexico. Where when you hit the mountains you have to either listen to Millions of peaches peaches for free, or Willie. Taos where there is the smell of pinion, pacholli and roasted peppers in the air.

Vegas is one of my favorites too. However I would march in with the Saints...cause Im comming home to you...Walking to New Orleans than fly into Vegas.

Most of all eat a Dole pineapple thing watching my boys fly on Alladin's magic carpet on a jewel incrested side walk is way better than anything else.

yellowdoggranny said...

sitting in front of my tv set watching the cowboys kick the shit out of the saints for a start...

Monnik said...

i love cafe du monde too!

one of my happiest places is door county Wisconsin. my husband an i often go up there in September to get away for the weekend. it's close enough to take in a packers game at Lambeau too...

Robin said...

Sitting in front of yellowdog grannys' tv watching the cowobys kick the shit out of the saints...! (granny and I are REAL texans!)

But I love Tererro, NM, knee deep in the Pecos River digging those suckers out from under rocks and deep pools on the opposite side of the stream, under a brush...and not losing my hook! I'm so jealous Travis, I need my mountain get away...soon! I also love Santa Fe, sitting on the balcony of the cafe with a cold one looking at all the culutures in the square bartering for Indian jewelry...ahhhh, what the hell am I doing HERE?!

Beatrice, Bea, Bibi--That's me! said...

One of my happy places is Austin. Austin, since I was a child, has always felt like home. Hanging out on Congress thrift shopping, or going to my cousin's house and just being there, enjoying the scenery.
San Diego, at the beach, sitting in a chair listening to the ocean waves. Nuttin' better. Santa Fe, NM.
My husband wants to go back to New Orleans, but he's still not sure he can handle it because the neighborhood (Lakeview) was devastated. But that will be a happy place for us again soon.
Vegas to people watch. Yep, that's what I'm doing next week.

sybil law said...

A beach. Anywhere with white sand and some waves, watching my daughter play in the sand.
Home. Where we're all relatively safe.
NY. Boston. Two cities I miss a lot.
Cape Cod.
I have many happy places. :)

Charles Gramlich said...

Amazing how kids can change your age. Either up or down. Glad you feel reenergized.

Joshua said...

my happy place is the land of film. For me, movies are the best escape. great blog man

Barbara Martin said...

Glad you got away to FISH. The snap of the wrist, the loosing of the fly off into the air to nicely skim the top of the water.

Tawnya Shields said...

This was a very nice post. I really understand about getting away from it all. I need to recharge my batteries also before I can function properly. Been doing it a lot lately and so I have been lax in my blogging.


Those are all great things to do. I haven't fished in ages and the last time I went to Disney World was in 1972!!! Ouch. I was like 5 years old! I have to get back there.

Take care. Hope you and yours are having a nice weekend.

Crystal Phares said...

I just got back from New Mexico today. Glad you had a great time! Hubby and I had so much fun. We went to our first horse race and stopped in at Roswell on the way home and did all the alien tourist stuff. I don't get to play tourist too often and it was a blast!

Janna Leadbetter said...

Good for you! Everyone deserves a few days to themselves once in awhile. Right now, any quiet and peaceful place speaks of happiness. :)

Within a month (I hope) I'll have a new happy place to blog about...

Suzanne said...

I didn't read any of the other comments as I often do. Just want to say this. You know I'm a vegetarian, so struggle with the whole thing about killing animals and fish, but being from the Catskills, you know we have some of the best trout streams in America. I love how you love your kids and how you love life. You have stuck with me despite my nasty attitude about a whole lot o things, and I love you for that. Really. I do. Big hug and kiss.

DrillerAA said...

The grandcrew at Disney World was magical in many ways for me as well.
But the few hours on the bass boat with a guide really made the trip magical for me.

I love southern gospel music, so last Friday night the Signature Sound quartet concert in Tulsa took me to one of my happy places.

I am fortunate enough to be within an hour of trout streams, creeks and rivers loaded with small mouth and a few lakes with good bass and crappie populations. Yep, this is one of my happy places.

Have a great week-end. Glad to see you restored.

Mary said...

The countryside. And a walk along a riverbank never fails to soothe my soul.

The trout stream sounds gorgeous. :)

holly said...

the sparsely populated end of the beach.

the underused golf course.

and ma' sittin' chair. oh yeah. i'm there now!

Lana Gramlich said...

I'd recommend Kennedy Space Center before Walt Disney World ANY day, but then again I'm one of the more anti-Disney people you'll meet.
As for Cafe du Monde, be glad you weren't there in recent days. From what I understand, the recent oil spill in the Mississippi has made most of the Quarter stink to high heaven.
I know what you mean about people needing days off or away, though. I totally sympathize with that sentiment!

WordVixen said...

1. WDW- obviously. But I'm just as obsessive about the hotels as I am about the parks. It's my dream to live in the hotels for a year, host a blog about it (living on property), write a guide book for it (how better to research?), work on my novel with no job distractions, and, of course, relax.

2. England and Scotland (and Wales). They're all at their most picturesque while on the train. Nothing to do but look at scenery and read or write (if you're steady enough). I want a cottage. Another dream was to have a house in Scotland and a flat in England, but now I think I just want a house in Yorkshire. Too much Last Of The Summer Wine.

3. Disney. Did I mention Disney? Oh fine. I always thought I'd like to live in Boston or Seattle. I've actually been to Boston though.

WordVixen said...

BTW, is anonymous your Jenn? Cuz if so: Jenn- thanks for reminding me! I drive my husband crazy, because I won't leave Aladdin's Carpet when we're around it. It's the sidewalk for me too... I just get such a kick out of it! We even found a little nook nearby with tables that is now known as "our spot" because no one else ever sits there. Have you ever seen it at night? Just after the crowd has left after the fireworks? You really are in your own world then. The Tikis, the camels, the Jungle Cruise... so cool. :)