Mary Beth at RevGalBlogPals says:

I'm showing my age...this was an anthem of my high school years. Wanna hear it?Give this link a try.
While you're bopping along to

that (or perhaps holding your ears...?), let's think about VACATIONS! I certainly am!"

Well, this certainly shows that Mary Beth is younger than I am, I was more about "Here Comes the Sun" or something similar. But here goes:

1) What did your family do for vacations when you were a child? Or did you have stay-cations at home?

We spent most vacations visiting family in Maine -- my mother's family in Bowdoinham, some of whom had farms and even if they didn't, the places felt farm-like; and my father's family in Harpswell (lobster, boats, etc.) and Durham (more farming). I can't think of a nicer vacation to this day. But also, the times in between my father's various changes of station (he was in the Army) were sort of like vacations -- I especially remember the drive from Texas to Maine via northern Ohio (where my aunt lived) in 1955 and later the same year, when we joined my father in Germany, the weekend at an inn in Bad Schwalbach.



2) Tell us about your favorite vacation ever:

When Onkel Hankie Pants got out of the Army, he came to Berlin to spend the summer with me. Just before he had to go back to Minnesota to start work, we took time to visit his cousin in Munich, where we were royally entertained and saw all the sights, and then took a train and a Rhine River cruise as far as Coblenz. Many wonderful memories from that time. Here's a picture of us with the cousins.


3) What do you do for a one-day or afternoon getaway...is there a place nearby that you escape to on a Saturday afternoon/other day off?

I sure like boat rides, and there are a number of them available as I've probably mentioned before -- ferries to the islands in Casco Bay are very reasonable.

4) What's your best recommendation for a full-on vacation near you...what would you suggest to someone coming to your area? (Near - may be defined any way you wish!)

If you can really afford a full-on vacation, I'd rent one of the cottages on the Maine coast near here. You'd have to do your own cooking or go to one of the many fine restaurants nearby -- keep the cooking simple, just get lobster or clams or whatever. Farmer's markets abound for fresh vegetables and other meats, baked goods etc. I myself would just sit on the deck or porch and look at the water, but some people might like to sail or kayak. And for culture, there's plenty of great summer stock, community theatre, music festivals, and museums. Come to Maine!

5) What's your DREAM VACATION?

I'd like to rent or exchange for a house in an English village not too far from London -- it would have to be a long vacation like a year! I'd like to explore the UK, hunt ancestors, see places where favorite writers lived, and just do ordinary things in a different place.

Bonus: Any particularly awful (edited to add: or hilarious) vacation stories that you just have to tell? ("We'll laugh about this later..." maybe that time is now!) I really can't think of any -- I tend to go with the flow so I generally laugh during the vacation, even if things go a little awry.