Mickey's Musings

Probably somewhere warm, with a beach. I'd probably go home, and make sure I got in some camping time in Big Bear. Does that sound too boring? Loads of places I'd love to go but I'd feel guilty if I spent the money on going somewhere other than home! :-/

Doesn't sound boring at all! Every year we head back up to Maine to visit with my "Aunt" Katherine, she and her husband were friends with my parents and she is in her 80's. I lived up there summers when my parents had a house when I was in college and thankfully, my son loves it there. The picture was taken on the dock at the campground where we go on the island. Only 10 sites and they are all tent-only, so it's very low key and nice. The site we take every year is nestled all by itself in the woods. They made some changes this year though and expanded that site a bit, so we're moving over to a new site right on the ocean! So no, I don't think you're boring, I think it['s wonderful that you go visit with your family :) Where is Big Bear?

Big Bear is in So. California, about an hour and a half drive or so from the main suburbs/cities below. Close to the top of the mountain there's a huge lake (Big Bear Lake) and it's also the home of Lake Arrowhead. In the winter my family camps in the desert outside of Barstow and the summer it's Big Bear. They usually go to yellow post sites, which are off the beaten track and meant so you don't have to camp in a campground but so designated so you can have a campfire. That's my favorite part. When we were young we used to go to Catalina Island for our family holidays, which is about 26 miles off the coast. Did that every year til my mother's mother died, she was the one that made the tradition. I'd love to go back and bring my mom and my daughter, though I am not sure how long we would last if it was just the three of us!! Nah, we'd be alright. If I wasn't trying to re-capture nostaligic youth, it would be pretty cool to go to Greece or Italy or somewhere warm in Europe, or some Indiana Jones/Raiders of the Lost Ark city, remember the scene where he meets the big guy and it's all white houses, around the same time as the whips vs. guns scene. Or to New York, loved it there, could do with an unlimited budget and a long weekend there!! :-)

The camping sounds wonderful! What a nice family tradition. My family never camped, I don't think my mother was really the type for that. They were big on having a vacation house, which I'm not complaining about! *G* My son and I, on the other hand, are not as wealthy as they were and we find camping to be a wonderfully inexpensive way to travel and it means I don't have to go sleep in a strange bed, I just prefer me own blankies and pillow! *G* And Aeryn Sun and D'Artagnan get to come along too :)
I think that if I had unlimited funds, I would go and see the US, all of it. coast to coast. Next would be Ireland, but first I'd have to get over the flying phobia, I'm not a good flyer.

Make no mistake, Ireland is beautiful and worth seeing - but the US is amazing, too. Europeans sometimes have a snobbiness if all your traveling has been done within the US borders but they haven't a clue what's contained between. One of my favorite trips was flying on the cheap with Southwest to Albuquerque and using that Entertainment book to get hotel rooms and rental cars half off; we got a map and each day picked a different direction. Our goals were all the historical markers we could make it to and back. Had a long weekend to do it in and it was beautiful. Road trips across the states are always well worth it.

As for camping, my dad has it down to a science and art form. Next time I'm back home I hope we can go, I'd love to get my daughter into it. The Irish weather just doesn't seem to be the camping (as I know it) kind. Camping over here seems more to be along the lines of "caravans" or motorhomes, which is a little more "comfy" than I'm used to. Take a cot and a bag and sleep under the stars, that's me :-)

Seeing the US first is very important to me. I know that a lot of Americans are big on being Irish-American or Italian American, but bottom line, we're Americans, so why not be proud of that? 3 of my grandparents were "off the boat" 2 from Ireland, Cork and Carlow and the other from Scotland. My aforementioned grandfather, the eldest of the bunch, was born in America in 1864. Yes, I'm proud of all of my heritage and grateful for the memories and traditions passed down, in particualr from my Irish Grandmother. I still can't drink tea without tons of sugar in it *G*, she'd always sweeten it up for me. But I wanted my son to see his country. We've been from stem to stern on the East Coast and in the last few years we have delved a bit deeper into each state. And I admit, we have a soft spot for Canada, we just love it there too.
And I know what you mean about the basic camping. We have a tent, otherwise the sqeeters would eat us, but it's bag on the floor and that's it :)We do have a skylight in the tent and it is quite large tent. But I like room, especially with the dogs.Oh, ok, I'm spoiled! *G*

Why the move to Ireland, if that isn't too personal a question?

Sorry for being so late - had trouble accessing parts of your site for awhile. A skylight in your tent? We used to call those "holes". ;-P

Why the move? I was young, foolish, and had the chance so I took it. Gave myself 3 months to see if I liked it or not and met my husband. So here I am :-)

LOL! No, it's a very nice skylight that did a great job of keeping the many nights of downpour out on this trip! Met your hubby while visting, that's great :)