How to do a vacation

I just remarked to a friend on IM that I spent every day of our vacation starting off with a written-out schedule. I thought this was massively bizarre at first--who spends vacation even busier than an average work/school week? Then I realized: although I could have chosen to spend any or all of the days just sitting and reading, I am not like that.

On vacations, I like to do things. If I hadn't written out a schedule (and circled things I'd wanted to do, and posted these things all over our tent-cabin), I might have missed out on something I really enjoyed doing--like ceramics. You see, because of the firing and cool-down time, the first two full days at the Lair of the Bear are the only days you can throw a pot that will be fired that week. So by Monday at 4:30, sorry, you're out of luck if you want to bring home a mug that you, yourself made from, basically, wet dirt. Miss out on that? No way, Josefa!

And Thursdays are the only day that you can do tie-dye. Not have a lovely rainbow shirt with a heart shape in front? Unthinkable!

I even sat and knat very little. I did a fair bit of knitting on the go--it is a short trek to the Dining Hall, where all meals are held (or, if you are my friend's kids, breakfast can take place in one's tent cabin if a kind Mom brings you cereal, milk, and fruit up from the DH). So I knit on the way to that, on the way to picking G up from his Little Oskies activity in the morning or evening, knit while waiting for him to be done playing in the stream (much longer than you would even imagine)... and we both had just a terrific time. Can't wait to go back.

Wrote on the feedback form: "Would like the option to stay all summer." The week went by so fast, in a blur of smeared sunscreen mixed with Lair dirt!