We're together, but apart

The topic of vacations came up the other day at lunch with my business partners. A couple of spouses were there, Mistress was not one of them. The topic came up that Mistress and I don't take vacations together. Except for one BIG Mexico trip we took the year before Mo was born and short Christmas travel once or twice over the last dozen years, she goes to see family and friends in Seattle and I go on fishing and backpacking trips with guys.

That about floored one spouse who is very family oriented. Mouth agape and eyes wide, she inquired why in heavens name we would do that. My deadpan answer was, "I see her enough during the year. We need to get away from each other."

Had some other people not laughed and chimed in, I think she could have passed out right there at the table. These are some of my closest friends so they all agreed that for our family it works just fine. This year is already established as a family trip and we are deciding what to do.

But let me be honest. I need to be outdoors on vacation with plenty of ME time and lots of personal space, hopefully learning something or improving skills. I am not a big "sit on the beach guy" or "eat at restaurants 2 or 3 times a day" unless its to rest after a monster day of doing something active. Room service is considered outdoorsy to Mistress at this point in our life, it was once not the case, but I am happy she has matured into a woman of taste to balance out my knuckle dragging self.

Vacations to me equals adventure; not what rest I could do any weekend at home, just in a different place. My future vacations are items at the top of any life list including Machu Picchu, Eygpt, bushwhacking South American jungle, climbing Mt. Rainer or any tall peak, rafting the Grand Canyon, an African safari, traveling Europe, fishing the Frazier river in Canada, or maybe reaching the North Pole. But I also want to speed two weeks in Washington DC and New England slowly going through every aspect of my countries history and monuments, going to military battlefields and Boston Commons and the site of the Congressional Congress. I would love to do any or all of this with my family but like I said, we need some time apart from each other to make being together that much more special.