Off the Beaten Path

Come vacations and families all over the world head over to the nearest amusement or water theme parks, cruise ships or such things for fun filled vacations. Although I have nothing against the idea, but me and my family prefer something which is quite, pure and simple. We take ‘off the beaten path' and go for vacations in a log cabin.

The idea occurred to me after my wedding. Sitting with my fiancé, exhausted after the wedding plans, crunching job commutes and never ending work hours, I told him that for my honeymoon I wanted nothing but to head off to a log cabin, situated far away from the civilization and not do anything. And I love him so much, that was exactly what we ended up doing.

And what followed was outstanding. My fiancé rented a beautiful little log which was around 3 hours and what seemed like several hundred thousand miles away from LA, we spent a beautiful time, just being together and enjoying the moment. The best part was, we were not alone. As the place was pet-friendly, accompanying us was Waldo, our basset hound.

Present day. My profile : a stay-at-home working mother of three children aged 3,6 and 7. My life is marked by daily commutes for work, proper raising and care for the kids, piano and scouting sessions accompanied by some volunteer work on the sidelines and the eternal war to finish the home assignments, one thing which has not changed in my life is the journey ‘off the beaten path' : the log cabin.

The only changes in the vacations have been that the number of people going on them has changed. From only me and my husband to my 3 children now, it has only grown sweeter. Still they haven't lost their charm. From nearby located cabins to the far, far away Blue Ridge Mountains, we have been there, done that.

Though during such vacations I live in eternal bliss, yet if it comes to choosing, my favorite time of the day is early morning right when the sun is about to rise. I slowly sneak out of the bed, get hold of a steaming cup of hot coffee, a blanket and go out to catch the first of the sun rays break through the foliage around and strike the earth. That time, I feel so peaceful and at ease. And generally my husband and our only pal on our first vacation, Waldo, join me on the porches or the swings, which seem to on every porch around us.

Occasionally in the afternoons, we undertake a trudge through the peaceful forests and enjoy the day and the peace that follows. In the evenings, we all sit cuddled around the fireplace, playing games like Scrabble, "Old Maid" card games, having marshmallows and hot chocolate. Sometimes the log cabins also consist of a hot tub and so irrespective of the freezing night air, we sit in the tub, star-gazing, a glass of wine in our hands and listening to the "songs" of the owls and coyotes far, far away

To sum up, I can very well say that our log cabin vacations have become an integral part of our life now. What started as small "Off the beaten path" request has now become a tradition, a trademark now.