Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Planning Someone Else's Vacation

When you live in a place that has amazing weather when the rest of the country has, well less desirable weather for some, eventually people visit.

In this case, People would be a cousin who has my first and last name that I don't know so well.   Nice guy, we've chatted quite a bit on email, phone, and yesterday Skype.

When I was a child, there was this weird device that The Phone Company had that would let you do what you can do on a cheap 50 dollar tablet.  Video Chat.  If that isn't a little Buck Rogers in our 21st century, it's getting close.

After getting through most of the morning nonsense yesterday we started up on a video call that lasted about an hour.  I think we concluded that each of us lives a life that is completely different from the other and it's fun to talk about the differences.

Oh yeah and he's coming down soon.   Time to leave the rural Nebraska winter where it can get so cold that the Carbon Dioxide will freeze out of your breath and thaw out in the Florida Sun.  Being fully acclimated to the weather here, winter can be a cold thing.  Almost freezing.  Not quite, but almost. 

Ever want to freeze your tail off?  Come on down and visit a house that has a heater that isn't as powerful as the heater in a 68 Volkswagen Beetle with leaky windows.

On the other hand, you can sit in my leather desk chair, put your feet up on the futon, and look out at the Bougainvillea as birds that other people keep as pets land and inspect the other side of the glass while wondering why there's this moose looking back at them.

Hi Green Singer pair.  Squeeeeeee back at you!

I'll make coffee and we can debate the world while the sun comes up and warms our bones just like a pair of lizards under glass.

Being that helpful kind of guy I made suggestions.  Oh you can sit in the pool but you really wouldn't want to do that since the water temp is SO cold at 60F this time of year.  Oh we can go down to the beach so you can get salt water and sand in your toes but we don't do that since the pool can be so nice. 

Hey wait, I thought you told me that it was 60 in the water?
Yeah I did, Hmmm maybe we need to rethink this mindset!

I'm making a list of things to do when he's here in a couple weeks.   They mostly involve getting into the Jeep and visiting all those touristy things that the Locals Don't Do.

People in Philly don't usually visit Independence Mall having done that when they were in Elementary School.

People in New York took the boat to see the Statue Of Liberty back when they were a child and it really IS in New Jersey Anyway, but don't tell them that.

San Francisco?  Don't forget to bring me back a sourdough loaf when you get back from Ghirardelli Square and don't get lost on the Cable Cars!

I guess the nice thing about having people come for a visit is that in reality you can get that stick out of your ... back, and actually do those things that people come from 1700 miles to see.  I found myself looking forward to taking my tripod and camera to the beach to beat the Sunrise and take some pictures.  Maybe getting to see the Fairchild Tropical Gardens will be a nice thing?  After all, how often does an American get to see a Durian Tree growing without leaving the country?

Just don't eat them on the mass transit in Singapore, they may cane you.

I'll get to be a tourist too for the first time since I moved here.  Don't tell anyone but I'm looking forward to the trip.  After all, I Chose to live here.  I certainly can choose to vacation here too. 

Now I'm thinking about a sunrise at the ocean and a sunset dinner at the Gulf of Mexico.  It will just take some planning.  Better stock up on little jars to get a sample of the water and the sand for Souvenirs!

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