Back to the Real World

We ended our Lake Wylie "Stay-cation" in a wonderful way - - a couple of our bestest best friends drove up from Shelby, and we spent the afternoon and evening playing cards, eating some delicious barbecued ribs, then taking a moonlit boat ride. Of course, winning at Euchre made me particularly happy! Good friends, good times!

With every vacation, Monday cometh. The good news is that I didn't have a bunch of unpacking to do, we weren't out of milk, and we weren't tired and sore from driving all day! True, I became accustomed to a mid-afternoon nap, so that'll be an adjustment. But all in all, our stay-cation was a resounding success!

In case you'd like to try a stay-cation, I have a few tips to share:

1) Plan ahead to take off work. Just as you would before a "normal" vacation, work yourself silly the week before so that you don't have to think about it when you're off. Particularly for those who have a home office, it takes some serious self-discipline to refrain from "just answering a few emails" or finishing up a project or two. Consider: if you wouldn't do it on a "normal" vacation, don't do it on a stay-cation.

2) Tell people you're on stay-cation! Let them know it is a special week, and routine tasks must wait. No phone calls to discuss fundraising projects coming up in the fall, no homeowner meetings, no mundane errands. I found everyone very respectful our our "time off".

3) Plan your menu & grocery shopping. Just as you would for a week at the beach, try to buy ahead for your stay-cation. Splurge on fun food, easy to prepare, and favorites. Incorporate eating out, if you enjoy that. Even though we made some alterations in our planned menu for the week, I found that having our nightly meals decided in advance really reduced stress!

4) Don't count calories, fat grams, or cost per meal. You're on vacation. Enjoy.

5) Enjoy attractions and activities in the area. Check out Local Lake Wylie Events and do some things you've always wanted to do, but never have. Spend a day or two visiting local parks or museums.

6) Stay home & relax! Be sure to have lots of downtime. Don't be tempted to "get a few things done around the house." Just chill. It'll all wait. Leave all unnecessary chores for later.

7) Do move around a bit. Take a walk or a bicycle ride. Take advantage of lighter weekday crowds on hiking trails or on the lake. Go waterskiing in the early morning!

8) Include friends or family in your fun. I know two families who stayed in town one year, and actually shared one of their homes all week, just as they would have if they went away and rented a place.

9) Realize a vacation is more than a place; it's a state of mind.

It's easy to enjoy a stay-cation in a place as wonderful as Lake Wylie. With a little planning, and a little self-discipline, you'll find that it may be one of the best "vacations" you'll ever have!

Thanks for reading my blog. If you'd like to read more, please visit my Gardening in Lake Wylie blog, Events and Activities in Lake Wylie, and other blogs about living in Lake Wylie and Lake Wylie Real Estate.

4oJ

Hope everyone had a fantastic 4th of July!

So many activities to choose from in Lake Wylie: Tega Cay's annual all-day celebration with a parade, ski show, fish fry, and fireworks; special events and fireworks at Carowinds; the spectacular fireworks display at the Buster Boyd Bridge; and many private picnics and parties up and down the lakeside.

We joined our neighbors for a cookout, enjoying some perfectly ripened watermelon, hand pattied burgers, Sandy's fabulous salad & homemade garlic dressing, authentic American baked beans, macaroni salad, and ice cream!

Fireworks were looking doubtful as a thunderstorm rolled in around 7pm. (Doesn't it seem that we ALWAYS have a thunderstorm on the 4th?) As it turned out, we had about 2 drops of rain, then the clouds moved on.

Shortly before 9pm, a brave few piled aboard our boat to motor up to the Buster Boyd Bridge. We joined a parade of other boats making the same trek, traveling along a corridor with "home variety" fireworks being launched from either side of the lake. Boats speeding down the water looked like fireflies as the sky darkened.

As we neared the bridge, we slowed down to the speed just above "idle", avoiding parked boats as far as the eye could see. Finally we parked and tossed the anchor. (Thank goodness we still had an anchor!) We were maybe half a mile from the bridge.

We waited about 25 minutes for the start of the show. I was grateful I'd taken seasick medicine, because, with all the boat traffic, it felt like we were on the Atlantic ocean! As the fireworks began, the boats settled down and so did the waves. The fireworks did not disappoint, and we were treated to a show that lasted a little more than 20 minutes.

The firework finale was accentuated by the roar of cranking motors and the smell of gasoline as everyone frantically pulled in anchors and turned their watercraft towards home. Since we were towards the outskirts of the crowd, we needed to get underway as quickly as possible to avoid being trampled, or whatever it is that speeding boats do to those in the way.

My husband Tony captained our boat, and First Mate Tom kept an eye out for incoming vessels. "One coming up starboard! Big and fast!" he'd call out. "Two on portside, keep it straight!" Tony battled the Class 5 rapids, trying to keep the boat at an angle that wouldn't throw us into a porpoising manuveur. Tom stood behind him, gripping the overhead rail and continuing to call out enemy positions. All passengers hunkered down, quiet and tense. Okay, maybe it was just me that was tense. The kids were having a blast.

As we neared Goat Island and turned into Allison Creek, traffic had thinned considerably. Finally we turned into our cove, and heaved a sigh of relief. Next year's plan? Optimally, arrive near the bridge an hour or so earlier, tie up and relax. After the fireworks, wait 20 minutes or so until the boat maniacs get out of the way, then putter on home! Of course, if we encounter the annual tradition of a 4oJ thunderstorm, all bets are off!



Thanks for reading my blog. If you'd like to read more, please visit my Gardening in Lake Wylie blog, Events and Activities in Lake Wylie, and other blogs about living in Lake Wylie and Lake Wylie Real Estate.

Visiting local attractions

Our week of "stay-cation" in Lake Wylie is zooming by faster than a bass boat on tournament day. We've entertained a bit, consumed a gazillion calories in junk food, put lots of gas in the boat, and supported the local economy, thank you very much.

Traditionally on a beach vacation, the menfolk play golf one day, while the ladies head to town for lunch and shopping. Our Lake Wylie vacation had a slightly different version, but with the same spirit. My husband and son visited Golf Masters Driving Range in Lake Wylie and whacked a bucket of balls. My mother, daughter and I had lunch at Cafe 49, then visited the Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens.

I have to admit that this was my first trip to the gardens, which considering its beauty and close proximity, is simply criminal. I made up for it by purchasing a family membership, and plan to return very soon! The new orchid conservatory is delightful. I snapped a few photos, but will return with my tripod and more time to attempt to do justice to the rare and intricate flowers.


Today we enjoyed a "big city" day. We began our morning at the Original Pancake House in Charlotte. We've been a time or two over the years, always on the weekend. It was quite a treat to arrive at 9:30am this weekday morning and be seated immediately! (Often on Saturdays and Sundays the wait can be an hour!)

Our next stop was Discovery Place. I used to take the kids when they were younger, but haven't visited in a few years. My husband Tony had never been before. I'm happy to report that the magic is still there! Tony and Jimmy (age 15) particularly enjoyed all of the hands on exhibits, and were inspired to stop at Home Depot on the way home to buy materials for thier very own . . . um . . . science project

Meanwhile, I'm going to update our homeowners policy and get back to staycating. The back porch and another paperback are calling my name.

Thanks for reading my blog. If you'd like to read more, please visit my Gardening in Lake Wylie blog, Events and Activities in Lake Wylie, and other blogs about living in Lake Wylie and Lake Wylie Real Estate.

Visit to Heron Island!

Day Three of our "Stay-cation" on Lake Wylie! Early this morning, Tony and I fixed a pot of coffee and headed over to see the herons nesting on the little island at the mouth of Nivens Creek. We arrived shortly after 6am. The herons were just waking up, pestering one another until several flew off for friendlier space.

We anchored the boat (or so we thought) to watch the sun come up and the herons do whatever herons do. Our anchor didn't seem to hold, and we drifted quite a way from our ideal vantage point. We then noticed that the problem wasn't the anchor, but the rope! Tony had used an extension rope . . . and that was all that was attached to the boat. The anchor was somewhere on the bottom of the lake.

We moved and drifted, moved and drifted. Meanwhile, the sun rose a bit and lighted up the top of the trees where the herons were nesting. More photo opps!

Tony spotted what he thought was a turtle in the water. Turned out it was our anchor rope! What brilliant person thought to design a floating rope?? What a great idea! We rescued our anchor, shot a few more photos, and headed home for breakfast.

What a beautiful morning!


To read more about living on Lake Wylie, gardening in Lake Wylie, and Lake Wylie real estate, visit our website, The Lake Wylie Man!

Stay-cation on Lake Wylie

When I was a young teenager, we lived in Nashville, Tennessee. Every summer we'd make the trek to South Carolina and spend a week or two with my grandparents, who lived in Rock Hill. They had a place at "The River" - - an old shack that they'd built in the 50's on land leased from Duke Power. Of course, now we know "The River" as "Lake Wylie", and only a few of those precious river shacks remain.

Anyway, we had a lot of good times at the river. My grandparents' shack only had one small bedroom, which served well as a napping place for younger siblings. A couple of summers we rented a larger cabin so the whole family (there were seven of us) could stay the week, and that was a real treat! We were able to watch the sunrise over the water, and could be the first on the lake in the mornings. There was nothing better than waterskiing on the glassy surface of the early morning lake!

Now my family is fortunate enough to live on Lake Wylie. With the distractions of every day life, laundry to do, errands to run, email to answer, and (oh yeah!) JOBS, it is rare that we take advantage of weekday mornings on the lake. That's why, this year, we decided to have a "stay at home" vacation.

Take off work, don't do chores, don't schedule dentist appointments, just live like we packed up and rented a lakeside cabin for the week. We may answer the phone, we may not. We might go out to eat, we might stay in and grill. A trip up the lake to T-Bonz is definitely on the agenda.

I might record our adventures on this blog, I might not. Whenever I go to the beach on vacation, I always read quite a bit and often write in a journal. So I figure, blogging is part of a vacation. If I feel like it.

Yesterday we prepared for our week of leisure. We caught up on all the laundry, mowed the lawn, gassed up the boat, and stocked up on vacation food at BJ's. I even bought the big variety cereal package with all the minature boxes of highly sugared cereal. We're all set!

Stay tuned!


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