Yesterday, mid morning, I was deep into work stuff.  I was entering in a coupon.  For no reason at all I looked up and gazed into the wooded area.  I do that often.  It’s my solace of sorts.  I immediately noticed something there and it was enough to make me get up, grab my camera and take a closer look.  I’ve seen hundreds of deer in my lifetime yet each time I see one, it’s as if I’m seeing my first.  We had a bit of a stare down.  I put my new camera to good use and snapped a few shots…then, back to work.

I grew up in New Hampshire surrounded by lakes and mountains.  Most weekends and lengthy family vacations were spent up north, in the woods and away from most sources of civilization.  Eventually, my parents bought a piece of land 3 1/2 miles into the woods, cleared the land and built a rather large camp.  This was our second home.  We learned early on how to be safe in the wilderness.  It was crucial.  Walking outdoors, especially first thing in the morning or when the sun set, meant coming across unexpected bears or moose.  The grill was continuously being tipped over by hungry bears and, before the screens were put in, a moose had stuck it’s head through the window to look around.

That was my world for most of my life.  At times, I hated it.  What kid doesn’t want to have adventure filled Disney vacation stories to tell, right?  No one in my class really cared that I could make a deer call out of a coffee can and an old leather shoe lace or that I spent hours watching bull moose drink from the marches from 5 feet away.  That wasn’t exciting back then.  Even the teachers had a commiserative tone in response to my “What I Did Over My Summer Vacation” stories.

These adventures and lifestyle didn’t become something monumental until I left my old stomping grounds at the age of 30.  I moved to a rather large city.  I knew within a few days that I had made a mistake.  In the first couple of weeks I was taken on sight seeing journeys of the city.  Fixating on concrete buildings and old portions of the city decorated with graffiti stung and didn’t compare to the natural beauty of mountains, trees and bodies of water.  I craved those tranquil back roads and walks through the uncharted back woods.  I put every effort into seeing the beauty of the city, but every attempt ended in failure.

I was clueless to city life as well.  When people told me I had to be street smart, I thought they were reminding me to look both ways before crossing the street.  The first time I braided my hair and put a bandanna on while tending to my small city yard caused some panic ridden concern.  Several gangs were nearby.  I was instructed not to wear bandannas of any color…EVER!  There was only a certain time during the day where I could take the dog for a walk, but I had to be armed with pepper spray, my cell phone, and eyes in the back of my head.  I also had to get into the habit of not looking at someone, smiling and saying hello.  Making eye contact was a no no.  Excitement didn’t entail seeing a bull moose with a full rack or a family of bears.  I could look out my city window and see two gangs approaching from opposite ends of the street.  I witnessed my first FBI bust complete with agents dressed in black and guns drawn.  I saw prostitutes working the corner in real life rather than on TV.  The list goes on.

I lived in 2 cities in 7 years.  My love of photography went on an extended hiatus for about that long.  My struggle to see the world around me through the lens for any length of time didn’t interest me.  The New England life was in my blood and it was stubborn.  My roots were elsewhere.  They certainly never broke ground in the city.  After 7 years I left.  I remember the plane trip over here.  When I started seeing the mountains and lakes from above I whispered over and over, “I’m home.  I’m home.  I’m home.  I’m home.”  I’m sure the person sitting beside me thought I was a little odd for muttering continuously until I landed, but oh well.

I’m back in my elements.  One of the first things I did within the first couple of days was run to the nearest sandwich shop and order a grinder.  They knew what I was talking about and didn’t look at me funny.  I picked up the camera and started taking pictures again.  Once again, I craved the world behind the lens.  I bolted into the back woods with gusto.  I baked for all the neighbors (something you don’t do in the city).  I ate ice cream on the docks.  Many rides were taken up north.  We visited the Olde Country Store.  I ate aged blackstrap molasses by the spoonful.  Seafood.  Had to have it almost every night.  I was like a kid in a candy store…my candy store being where my roots have always been securely planted.

Things have settled since my arrival back home.  There isn’t anything I miss about city life.  I’m still trying to recover.  I spend a lot of my free time in the woods amongst the wildlife…behind the lens.  I savor those moments where I look up and see a deer on the other side of the window looking at me.  I live for those fiery red and orange sunsets over the lake.  That’s when I get up for a few seconds, even if I’m in the middle of posting a deal or coupon, to breathe it in and capture it behind the lens.  Yep, I’m definitely home.

Time to plan your Spring Break Vacation!  Make your reservations as soon as possible to save the most money.  Everything gets more expensive the closer you get to the date of your vacation!

A few Top College Student Spring Break Party Destinations: Cancun, Mexico – Panama City Beach, FL – Key West, FL

Cancun is a college student’s top picks for a fun Spring Break – Apple Vacations has a deal ending today (1/19) that gives you 3 nights all inclusive savings starting at $599!

There are even more savings when you use your student card at STA travel – Check out their Florida vacation deals for big savings!

Some awesome family Spring Break destinations: Fort Laurderdale, FL – Orlando, FL – San Diego, CA

A nice place to take the family for fun and sun is San Diego, CA.  The weather is usually mild and the list of activities goes on and on.  Pick and Choose what you’re interested in: Whale Watching, Spending the day at the zoo, Enjoying a Harbor Cruise or maybe just relaxing on the beach with a good book! Check out the great deals available for lodging and flight deals too!

As always, check Dealtaker.com regularly for new Spring Break Deals! And check out this video for more Spring Break Travel Tips:

Share with us! If you know of any good deals or have a great (or not so great) location to share, leave a comment for the community!  We LOVE to hear from you!

The construction of Tower of Pisa began in August 1173 and continued for about 200 years due to the onset of a series of wars. Till today, the name of the architect is a mystery. The leaning Tower of Pisa is open again and it is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Italy.

1985 Japanese space probe Sakigake launched to Halley’s comet

Halley’s [HAL-lee] Comet has been know since at least 240 BC and possibly since 1059 BC

1975 Led Zeppelin fans riot before Boston concert, causing $30,000/$50,000 damage

The near-riot was calmed by around 2:30 a.m., when the Garden staff began selling tickets hours ahead of schedule. By 6:00 a.m., all 9,000 seats were sold out. Mayor White of Boston came down hard on the rioters, canceled the concert scheduled for February 4, and announced that the band would not be allowed to perform in Boston for the next five years.

1970 Farmers sue Max Yasgur for $35,000 in damages caused by “Woodstock”

When it came to business, Max welcomed rental fees for the event. The summer had been miserable and rainy, and Max saw this festival as a way of supporting his wife and children not to mention a large farm and his workers. Initially offered $50 for the land, the dairy farmer finally rented 600 acres of his farm for a total of $75,000.

1963 1st class postage raised from 4 cents to 5 cents

ZIP Code would also begin in 1963.

1936 Tennis champs Helen Moody and Howard Kinsley volley 2,001 times (1h18m)

They only broke off the exchange so that Kinsey could go teach a lesson that he had scheduled.

1927 Harlem Globetrotters play 1st game (Hinckley, Ill)

1913 William M Burton patents a process to “crack” petroleum

“Cracking” breaks larger molecules into smaller ones. Oil refinery cracking processes allow the production of “light” products such as gasoline from heavier crude oil such as gas oils and residues.

1830 1st U.S. Railroad Station opens (Baltimore)

An illustration of the race on Aug. 25, 1830, between a horse-drawn mill car and the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad’s Tom Thumb steam engine—the first used on a commercial track in America. Horse power won when the engine broke down.

Interested in more events that happened on January 7th?

Surprisingly I am not afraid of heights.  In fact, one of the things I want to do in my lifetime is go sky diving.  The only thing holding me back from the “I love to fly” group is the mere fact that when I am on a plane I have no way to get out.  If there are any problems on the plane or something malfunctions and the only solution is evacuation, you can safely assume what the end results will be.

This time around on my travels to Texas I decided to take the bus.  I examined the route that I would travel and being the adventurous person that I am, I was excited that I would travel through territory that I had never been to.  How great would it be to sit back, relax and see amazing places that I had only heard of by word of mouth.  Yes, I could finally brag that I had stepped foot in Nashville and Memphis and I saw the scenery that Kentucky and Arkansas had to offer.  I boarded the bus with enthusiasm fully equipped with my camera and lots of batteries, plenty of nuts and veggies to snack on and a smile on my face.  I bid farewell to Akron as we pulled out, sat back, exhaled and muttered, “Here we go.”

It didn’t take me long to realize that taking a non-chartered bus long distance was a huge mistake.  I’m not snooty when it comes to accommodations, but I cringed at how dirty some of the busses were that I had to board.  I put my antibacterial wipes and hand sanitizer to good use.   There were dirty napkins stuffed where the overhead lights were, clumps of dirt hanging from the air vents, gum stuffed in the window sliders, garbage stuffed underneath the seats and the bathrooms…not EVEN going to go down that road.  I sat there keeping my fingers crossed that all the vitamins that I take would somehow ward off the bacteria and germs that I would come in contact with.

Seating was very cramped and there was enough leg room to comfortably accomadate someone who was 4 feet tall…3 feet tall if the person ahead wanted to lounge back their seat.  Having had a minor knee injury prior to my trip I cringed every time I had to keep my knees bent for several hours at a time.  I saw stars when it was time to get off the bus and walk around.  Trying to get some sleep on the bus was near impossible on the way down with someone yelling on their cell phone for several hours and another woman behind me who thought she had to provide comic stand up relief for the entire bus.

By the time I got to Dallas I was ready to kiss the ground.  I took deep breaths of the fresh air and told myself that I would never travel via bus again.  I did realize that my options for travel were depleting, but I would cross that bridge when I had to again.  After a great lunch with some incredible people, a nice hot shower and a drink I was able to turn an unpleasent experience into something somewhat positive.  I saw some incredible scenery, visited places that I had never been too and I was in Dallas with an amazing team of people.

Once I was back in Akron and off the bus I realized one other postivie outcome of this entire experience…My fear of flying was cured!

There is a great website for picking out things to do and see called Roadside America.  Since our drives will take us in all directions I thought I would just point out a few things on the website that I think are cool.  They do have an easy search by State or Town or Attraction and it is fun to see what is out there!

Close by my house, or on my way out of town, is Foamhenge - a scaled down replica of Stonehenge made from styrofoam.    It is, the creator points out, the only American Stonehenge that really is an exact replica of the time-worn original. “I went to great pains to shape each ‘stone’ to its original shape” The day that we stopped by there was another family visiting and their kids were having a blast running in and out of the “stones”.   Nice way to stretch your legs on a long trip.

I can’t wait to try this one out!  The Kansas Underground Salt Museum.  A tour here is like a drive inside a parking garage — except that it’s 67 miles long and sealed inside of a 400-foot-thick block of salt.

The tour guide explaines that “The biggest fear that people have is coming down here in the first place.”  We understand why. The elevator ride down is a pitch-black descent, clanging, banging, and rattling inside a bare metal box that sounds as if it’s being whacked with a sledgehammer. Get that adrenilan going!

Lots more to see and explore, like the actual birth place of the Cabbage Patch Dolls in Cleveland, GA (although even the adults are kind of freaked out about this one)

You can check out the Bulldozer Building in Turlock, California - People rent and sell bulldozers inside this building shaped like a …. well you guessed it – bulldozer.

This weeks site of the week is Flintstones Bedrock City in Custer, South Dakota – With roots firmly in the cell-animation universe of the 1960s, Bedrock City is perhaps the best place on earth to enjoy 2-D reality. The park is well maintained, with every building painted in bright cartoon colors. Another great leg stretch!

And Last but not least is the always popular World’s Largest Ball of Twine Rolled by one man in Darwin, Minnesota.  One runs across more than a few balls on the obsession landscape — balls of stamps, or of barbed wire. But special tribute must be paid to the Mother of all moss gathering pursuits — the giant twine ball.

One of my favorite movies “National Lampoon’s Vacation” gives a nice shout out to it:   “Hey, hey, easy kids. Everybody in the car. Boat leaves in two minutes… or perhaps you don’t want to see the second largest ball of twine on the face of the earth, which is only four short hours away?”

Happy Travels!