Playing tourists
It’s the summer of the staycation! After burning through my paid time off work with recent illnesses, I knew we wouldn’t be able to book a true-blue family vacation this year. More than that, I knew getting away would likely be more stressful than it was worth. We ultimately had fun at the Outer Banks in April, for example, but it wasn’t without tears (Hadley’s, Oliver’s . . . and mine).
My husband is chill about traveling. He enjoys it to a point, but I distinctly remember him telling me that our romantic trip to California years ago “was about three days too long.” (We were gone a week.)
I like home, too, but nothing beats the rush of getting on a plane pointed toward a new destination. My parents have serious wanderlust; they’re wrapping up a dream trip through Europe as I type. And as their daughters, my sister and I were fortunate to go along for the ride. They totally rubbed off on me. We saw huge swaths of the country by the time I was in middle school, then took family trips abroad in college.
Did I take for granted those moments of gelato-eating in Italy or space shuttle-watching at Cape Canaveral? Um, yes. Absolutely. Even if Spence and I had the time to be away from work, these are
lean years. Car payments and the mortgage, two kids in daycare . . ..
I mean, how did my parents manage it? Travel is important to them, and they clearly made family trips a priority. I’m sure Spence and I could make different choices and collect a few passport stamps, too . . . just not now. Not with a 2and 4-year-old who would demand chicken tenders at a cozy trattoria outside the Vatican. Not when just getting out of our driveway in the morning is such a struggle.
No, friends — it’s best we stick close to home. And as I salivate over friends’ Facebook albums and coworkers’ travel tales, I’m trying to make the best of it by planning weekend activities that don’t cost much and keep us close to home.
Our favorite afternoon so far was spent at Calvert Marine Museum, where the kids were beside themselves with joy in the Discovery Room specifically designed for little hands to explore. I loved that Spence and I didn’t have to hover over our curious preschoolers, waiting for them to destroy a priceless artifact. That was the most relaxed I’ve been in ages.
At the museum, we dug for fossils (shark’s teeth!) and explored the replica of a lighthouse. Hadley was particularly excited by the light keeper’s house, tucked into a nook just the right size for her to check out. It was charming and truly fun for everyone.
Keeping up our nautical theme, we’ve made a few rides across the Potomac to visit Colonial Beach, Va., and search for shells along its sandy beaches. Our trip Sunday was a hot one, but the kids loved the swings next to Riverboat on the Potomac and vanilla ice cream scooped into kiddie cups. Spence and I enjoyed helping Ollie and Hadley collect rocks and driftwood. Our daughter looked like she’d fallen in with a crowd of chimney sweeps by the time we left, smudged and filthy (but happy!) from face to foot.
For our aviation enthusiasts, Patuxent River Naval Air Museum in Lexington Park was an excellent stop on Father’s Day — made all the sweeter because we were able to go with my extended family. My grandfather, a proud Air Force veteran, shared stories while I chased down toddlers on the tarmac. The museum itself is very impressive, and we were all in awe of the displays. My son totally talked me into buying him a NASA space set in the gift shop (admittedly cool), so he had the best day ever.
And because no lazy, hazy summer day is complete without a sweet treat, it’s hard to pass up ice cream. For me, nothing beats the nostalgic rush of Bert’s 50’s Diner in Mechanicsville, though Texas Ribs & BBQ/Twin Kiss in La Plata is a close second.
I can’t resist the sweet, salty promise of a Southern Maryland sundae from Twin Kiss . . . and if you try it, I doubt you’ll be able to, either.
When the kids finally pass out in the van, Spence and I often steer ourselves there for that indulgence — made all the richer in the silence. We’ve scaled these trips way back with our commitment to healthier habits, but I’d say it’s fair to assume we’ll be making at least one more trip before the summer is out. It’s the little things, you know. Especially when they’re covered in Old Bay.