In her Past, Present & Beyond column last week, Barbara Roden promised to tell us about a plethora of “Staycation-worthy sites” in our own backyard.
I love staycations. I go on holidays to relax, not to prepare for huge “trips of a lifetime”!
Whenever I tell someone that I’m going on holidays soon, their response is “Where are you going?”
Whenever I hear this, I’m always reminded of the opening pages of John Steinbeck’s ageless masterpiece, The Grapes of Wrath where the waitress in a diner is watching the constant stream of cars and trucks heading west, and wonders why.
Was it the Depression that turned us all into transients of a sort, or is it modern affluence and the steady diet of television that makes us want to go on lavish vacations?
When I was a kid, summer vacation was for exploring my neighbourhood, its playgrounds and empty fields; for hanging out with my cousins and riding our bikes. With any luck, we’d hop into the old Newport and head off to visit relatives in other parts of the province, where we would have something new to explore.
That what holidays were. And still are. They’re for doing things you don’t always have time for while you’re working. Like pulling weeds. Cleaning the house...
I’m sure that Tool Man and I will manage to fit in at least a couple of “day trips” in the next few weeks while I’m on holidays. Every year I swear I’m going to visit Chasm Provincial Park on my holidays, but I’ve yet to do it. Maybe this year.
It’s always fun when you discover something you never knew was there before. We are surrounded in this area by all sorts of little surprises - things I would never have imagined when I was growing up in the city, checking out the local crayfish pond or inspecting the overgrown footings of some building torn down ages ago.
I would much rather spend my money at the local festivals and markets, being with friends and enjoying the local flavours.
That said, it’s time for my holidays. You’ll see me around town, but Barbara Roden will be filling in for the next few weeks here. I’ll be back July 29.
Wendy Coomber is editor of the Ashcroft-Cache Creek Journal