Photo: Great grandparents at their farm in Blandinsville, IL, with five of their six children .. my grandpa was yet a twinkle in grandma's eye. Stable boy and governess also pictured. Hodges farm, circa 1903-4

Saturday, June 15, 2013

Practically a Backyard Vacation

The Mr. had four days of vacation this week .. so we ventured less than 200 miles away; a mid-day start .. and at our destination by 4 PM.  Traveling with our special needs son AND staying in a hotel .. eating out .. and trying to take in a hike or state/national park are a bit much .. add driving and sitting in a car for hours on end .. and you have a bunch of cranky people.


This year we opted to rent a private cabin that was our little home away from home.  It had a full size kitchen, two bedrooms,

 great room, 1-1/4 baths, laundry room .. mud room .. and a wrap around porch, fire pit, hammock  ... Oh .. and lake/forest views. 


Two boxes of food supplies and a cooler were easily packed.  I brought my 12 inch cast iron skillet cuz I never travel without it (; 

For some reason, I really enjoyed cooking.  The Mr. helped by washing the dishes each night.  We watched movies, popped pop corn, drove to town and walked around a museum village .. even took a stroll along a riverbank.  The sun set about 9:45 PM .. so the extended sunlight made for some good reading on the wrap around porch.

Who needs a fancy vacation far away when you can practically have one in the backyard? 

This by far was a thrifty way to spend our days.  The rental was less than staying at a moderately priced hotel.  Bringing our own food saved us even more.  Our time at the cabin was more enjoyable than sitting around in a single hotel room.  This type of traveling will hopefully be repeated (often).

13 comments:

Katidids said...

Oh that sound wonderful! The drive would make me bonkers but it sounds like it would have been more than worth it. Glad you had the down time to go. I love this type of get away more than a "resort" setting!

Cheapchick said...

I love having a kitchen when I travel, nothing like waking up to your own exact type of coffee or tea and the breakfast you want. Sounds fabulous!

Sandy Livesay said...

Mrs. Mac,

Now that is my kind of traveling!! Far enough away but close enough for an emergency.

The place you rented is beautiful. Did ya'll go swimming and fishing while there?

Mrs. Mac said...

@ Sandy .. No to fishing or swimming .. just relaxing on the porch and strolling through a few shops.

Cabbage Tree Farm said...

What a fabulous looking cabin! Glad you had a great break away from home. Sure looks a beautiful spot.

Sue said...

Love the idea of renting a cabin--so nice to have a kitchen so you can prepare your own food. The place looks great--I imagine you'll be using that cabin again.

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

What a lovely vacation!! I'm glad you had such a relaxing time.

FlowerLady

Rebecca said...

Good for you! It looks and sounds like a wonderful place for some serious relaxin' ...

Pat said...

How lovely! I hate staying in a hotel room for more then a night or two, it's so limiting. This was a great vacation for the three of you!

Laurie said...

It sounds wonderful, especially reading on the porch, with those lovely views!

Wendy said...

Something about just sleeeping in a different bed! Sounds like a nice little trip!

Jada's Gigi said...

It sounds perfect! For some reason we always try to cram in too much to every vacation we take. We need to plan one of these...my hubby would just love biking and biking and biking and I would enjoy reading and reading and maybe a little hiking...;) as for the eating..out would be my preference and in would be his so we would split that and both be pretty happy....

donna said...

I hope I meet someone some day who enjoys this type of luxury...have been waiting all my life it seems. Thanks for sharing...hugs to you!