14 Inexpensive LITTLE vacation ideas!

Rimskycorsicoffee House, Eastside of Portland
Destination Coffee shop with no sign!  Look it up!

Exploring the Local Max Line to see a new
part of Portland

I was talking with a friend today.  He has been retired for many years and says that now he has no idea when he found time to work!  Hospice, golf, golf marshaling so he can golf, church and family keep him very busy. You probably know exactly what he means.  What we all need is a vacation from retirement!

Why?  Well it seems to me that even a very bad short vacation is better than none.  We return to our house grateful that it has not burned down while we were gone.  The change of scenery or new food inspires us.  We have something new to talk and laugh about.

So have you ever looked around to see what you might do to get away on a regular basis so your life has some variety.  Here are a few things you might consider:

1. An overnight stay in a hotel in your city.  Dinner, window shopping, a show and a late night drink.  You don't need to worry about the drive home so enjoy yourself.  Be sure to check Living Social or Groupon for specials.
2. How about working in a national park for the summer.  You can earn some cash and escape the heat if you live somewhere that is very hot.
3. If you own an RV you can stay for free in state or national parks and volunteer as a camp host. I have friends that have done that very thing year after year.
4. Volunteer for a vacation.  I have known people that have gone done this at church camps or other outdoor camps.  They have had a lot of fun and been useful while they were at it.
5. Take advantage of one of those timeshare offerings.  You can get a free night in a hotel and maybe even a round of golf on the house.  If you are smart and can resist a sales pitch you are golden.
6. Make your sports team your vacation.  We love to travel to Seattle, stay overnight and take in a Mariners game. 
7. Go for a picnic at a local winery or park...the picnic is a lost art it seems to me.  I have such good memories of good food, a swim in a pool next to the park and taking a nap on the lawn.  Go for a picnic.
8. Gather the family for a drive-in movie.  Bring food and drinks and settle back for some fun.
9. How about a cook book vacation at home...I saw Ina Garten recreate a day in Paris with food.  How fun would it be to invite a few friends over and have a party with the theme "Paris". 
10.  My son and his family went camping in the back yard...the indoors were off limits unless the time came for a potty break...no outdoor toilets! Grandparents could do the same thing!  Really, it would be fun!
11. TV can be an inspiration for a short get away.  Here in Portland we have several movies and shows filmed locally.  How about a day finding the location for Grimm and taking lots of pictures. Or what if you looked up the Rachael Ray episode she filmed in you area and visited the restaurants she ate at.
12. Along this same line how about checking out Fodor and Frommers travel guides  for your state from the library and see if they have any suggestions for fun things to do in your area.  You could become an expert...wouldn't that be cool 
13. Get a group of your favorite people together to take a group picture...make it an occasion for everyone and dress for a theme.  You will find people asking for it to become a tradition.  Take little day trip to the destination so it is a getaway. 
14. A Bobby Flay throw down is a lot of fun. We did this with potato salad one summer. Everyone in the family voted and I lost.  Be careful not to be the winner if you are doing this with the family...you will be stuck with making that wonderful potato salad for the rest of your life.  Pick an unexpected place to set up your barbecue...a pop up thrown down would bring the whole neighborhood alive...do it in the cul de sac or pocket park near you.

So what you need is a break.  You really don't need three weeks in the Galapagos like Brad and Angelina.  No, I prefer a shorter break or even just a party.  After all we are retired!

Have fun!

We took a day trip to Astoria, Oregon to visit the very old
Astor Hotel!

b

Related articles:  

Books...Travel to the

Scene of the Crime (or love story)(retireinstyleblog.com)

Planning for snowbird season: 

Where do I go?(retireinstyleblog.com)

Travel Book Ideas(retireinstyleblog.com)

5 Great Ideas for Holiday Fun with Grandchildren

The winter holidays are the most wonderful time of the year not for the lights, the presents, or even
the copious amounts of food that are hallmarks of the season; they are truly wonderful because of the
time you get to spend with your family. And if you’re going to have some time with your grandkids this year, you may be racking your brains to come up with some activities that will keep them entertained.

So here are just a few ideas that will help you to connect with your grandchildren and make some
wonderful holiday memories.

1. Outdoor fun. You don’t necessarily have to labor at building a snowman or taking your
grandkids skiing in order to enjoy the brisk weather. Take a stroll at twilight to check out the
holiday lights and decorations in your neighborhood or consider some good old fashioned
caroling to get everyone in the spirit of the season. Then come home for some hot cocoa by the
fire!
2. Holiday crafts. If you have some time on your hands, you and the kids can spend it creating
seasonal crafts to decorate your home. You may have some ideas on your own, but if you need
a little inspiration, look to nature. An outdoor hike in the park could result in some fantastic
finds, like fallen branches and pinecones or interesting rocks that you and the kids can bring
home and decorate. Use ribbons, pipe cleaners, paint, and glitter to make them sparkle and
then arrange them in a pretty bowl for a centerpiece or a mantle decoration. Of course, you can
also find tons of great ideas for holiday crafts and décor online.
3. Cooking classes. Your grandchildren probably have some favorites when it comes to seasonal
dishes and desserts. Use your time with them to teach them the secret family recipes they
love, from scratch. You’ll pass on some treasured knowledge, teach them a useful skill that they
can take with them when they return home, and have some fun times and amazing food in the
process.
4. Pull out the board games. When you’re stuck indoors because it’s snowing and blowing outside,
a good way to keep everyone entertained is by dusting off the old board games. But if you’re
worried that modern kids won’t be keen to play classics like Monopoly, Scrabble, and Mystery
Date, head to your local toy store (or Amazon) for some fun new board games like Pictureka (a
picture spotting game), Apples to Apples (a word matching game), Once Upon a Time (a story-
telling game), or Bananagrams (like Scrabble, but in a cool banana bag). You could even get
cooperative games like Forbidden Island or The Secret Door so that a collective effort wins the
game (and competition doesn’t spoil the fun).
5. Try video games. Modern video games may be a little outside your wheelhouse, but if you have
your grandkids bring their game station and a few multiplayer games, you could engage in an
activity that you know the kids love and give them the opportunity to teach you something new,
giving you another chance to connect at their level. Who knows? You might end up loving it!

Evan Fischer is a contributing writer for Comfort Life, a site dedicated to helping seniors find the best
retirement homes Canada .

Best Road Trip in the North Western United States

Columbia Gorge looking East.

My husband and I just returned from a road trip from Portland, Oregon via the Columbia Gorge to Great Falls, Montana and back again.  I think this may have been the best summer vacation we have ever taken.  We were only gone one week and 4 nights were spent in Great Falls golfing and visiting with "snow bird" friends.  How this translates into your plans is up to you.  I think those 4 nights could be used as longer stops along the way.  Here is the way it went.

Day 1
We left Portland early in the morning and traveled west along I-84.  We decided to exit at Boardman onto Hwy 730 (Columbia River Highway) so we could stop at a fruit stand and buy water melons and Walla Walla sweet unions to take to our hosts.  The seller at the fruit stand challenged my husband to guess the weight of the water melon we were buying to get a free melon.  Silly woman...we delivered the free melon when we arrived in Great Falls.

Note:  We then turned onto I-82/395.  This interstate turns into I-90 near Spokane and we stayed on I-90 until we left Missoula where we took Montana 200 into Great Falls.

Ritzville Grain Elevators

Lake Coeur D Alene boardwalk very near dowtown.

We then took I-82 & I-90 on to through Spokane into Coeur D Alene where we spent that night.  The drive took us from the verdant green of the Columbia Gorge through the north central Oregon high dessert into the wheat fields of Washington near Ritzville back into the timber near Spokane and on to Coeur D Alene Lake and all it offers.

The Coeur d'Alene area is surrounded by dozens of lakes left behind by the glaciers of the ice age. There are more than 55 lakes within easy driving distance of Coeur d'Alene, but none more scenic and full of activities than Lake Coeur d'Alene itself. (Coeur d' Alene Visitors Bureau)

I think you can see how this day could be turned into much more.  We spent a long time on the road that day.  We could have stopped much sooner if we were not on a quest to arrive in Montana...sigh!

Day 2
We were up very early again the next morning...my husband just could not wait to get to Montana.  Since I was not awake and certainly not hungry I suggested we wait until we get to Wallace for breakfast.  Kellogg and Wallace are two very old mining "camps" that lay in a narrow gorge leading away from the lake.  They have somehow managed to maintain the feeling that the silver rush is still in full swing.  Some say they never gave up the mining dream.

Club 1313

Wallace sits directly underneath the interstate...strange but true.  A small creek runs near town...Lead Creek I think. One of their big attractions is a Bordello Museum.  I need to see that one someday soon.

We had breakfast at the Club 1313.  This is one stop I would not have missed for anything.  Honestly, I am not a good tourist because I don't ever want to read about where I am going.  I know we must miss things but there is something so special about finding a treasure all on your own.  That is what Club 1313 was...a treasure I FOUND as though no one else knew about it.

I stood at the bar with my foot on the brass rail and ate breakfast staring at the buffalo head hung on the wall above what may have been a giant hornets nest inside a glass box.  It was unique to say the least.

Idaho has a law that requires bar owners to conceal their liquor from 2 am until 10:00 am.  In this bar the back bar was covered with sheets of stained and lacquered plywood.  The waitress said they would remove the boards at 10:00 am.

We traveled through the beautiful Bitterroot Mountains across the continental divide and arrived in Great Fall at about 4:00 pm.

Day 3-5
We golfed the next day at the Meadowlark Country Club where our friends are members.  This old club is home to several generations of golfers.  It truly is a jewel in the golfing world.

Meadow Lark Country Club was founded in 1919 and sits at the confluence of the Sun and Missouri Rivers. Meadow Lark is one of the premier Country Clubs in the Pacific Northwest and the large main clubhouse is the crown jewel of traditional private Country Clubs in Montana.

Cars line the bank...members grandparents donated the to prevent erosion.

View of the Missouri from the 18th hole.

The members we played with said that the old cars that line the banks of the Missouri River were the very cars that come of the grandparents of members drove long years ago.  The Missouri runs by in a lazy fashion that belies its depth and the furious damage it did to Great Falls earlier this spring.

My husband enjoyed a visit to the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center just south of town.  The center is set very near to one of the dams that span the Missouri.  There is one at at the top of each of the three falls. 

Day 5
On day five we set out for home.  We traveled all the way to Lewiston, Idaho that day.  We traveled through the Bitterroot Mountains again but by a more southerly route.  This is a designated wilderness area and no dams are allowed on the Lolo River.  The history of the area is told by Lewis and Clark in Lewis's journals.  They related killing a colt because the passage was so difficult and game was scarce:

This Indian trail across the Bitterroot Mountains was used by western indians to reach the eastern plains buffalo hunting grounds for centuries before Lewis and Clark arrived. The expedition found the trail through the cold, high ground difficult, rocky and steep. One of their horses fell 300 feet down a mountainside. As the Indians had told them, there was no game. They were forced to eat candles, bear oil, horsemeat, and packaged "portable" soup they'd brought from the east.  (State of Montana website)

My favorite picture from that day is of a resort near the west end of the Lolo River very near where it flows into the Clearwater River.  The resort had seen better days but is still in operation with a small store, cabins and a restaurant.  It was the last resort going east into the gorge I think.  The end of the line as it were.  Oh by the way, the ice cream bars are wonderful after many hours of no hope for food or water...now I know what Lewis and Clark were talking about. (Link: Traveling Great Falls Montana to Portland, Oregon)

Lewiston turned out to be a treat with entertainment in the Red Lion Lounge patio and good old buffalo wings for dinner.  The beds were wonderful.  I asked for a senior room so we were treated to two queen beds. 

Day 6

Grain Elevator in The Palouse

As we climbed out of the valley where Lewiston sits, we entered The Palouse region of Washington.  This region covers the 120 miles between Spokane and Walla Walla and is some of the most beautiful wheat and rape seed farm land anywhere.  The region is farmed for as far as the eye can see.  As we approached Walla Walla on Highway 12 the evergreen trees lay in every gully and near the homes.  This part of the regions lays very close to the Blue Mountains.  I don't know if it is this green this late in the summer every year but it is now.  I could only think of a beautiful spring day as we travels through the small communities along the route.

We did not stop in Walla Walla but I think you should.  This area is home to two colleges.  Whitman is in Walla Walla.  This lovely little liberal arts private college is premiere in colleges of it's size. It was built in honor of Marcus Whitman.  Whitman was the Methodist missionary that attempted to convert the Walla Walla tribe and were later killed because the people of that tribe believed they were being poisoned after an outbreak of measles. A visit to that historic Whitman Mission is worth your while.

Interestingly, the Mullen Road built in 1860 connected to a fort very near Great Falls.

Mullan Road was the first wagon road to cross the Rocky Mountains to the Inland of the Pacific Northwest. It was built by US Army Lieut. John Mullan between the spring of 1859 and summer 1860. It led from Fort Benton, Montana, [near Great Falls] the navigational head of the Missouri River (and once farthest inland port in the world) to Fort Walla Walla, Washington Territory, near the Columbia River. The road previewed the route approximately followed of modern-day Interstate 15 and Interstate 90 through what are now Montana, Idaho and Washington.

We had followed a some of that route on our vacation.

Neighboring College Place is home to the Seventh Day Adventist community private schools and a Seventh Day university called Walla Walla University.

Walla Walla has welcomed a burgeoning winery industry and wineries dot the roads in every direction.  The old community has a hotel called The Marcus Whitman that is worth the stop in town just on it's own.  The old hotel was built in 1927 and retains that era's charm and opulence.

As we returned to the Columbia Gorge, the wind began to blow.  At the place where the Columbia turn northward toward Canada the wind roars like no where else.  It seems like a micro climate all it's own.  We were anxious to be home so we turned on auto pilot and rushed to our home in Hillsboro.

Thank you for traveling with Retire In Style Blog.

b

Style....How to dress for travel!

I was writing a blog yesterday about having company. Friends from Great Falls, Montana and Sumner, Washington came to visit us here in the Portland Metro Area for 5 days of talk, shopping and discussion.  I found myself thinking about style and how it fits in a travelers life.

Arizona Inn...Tucson, Arizona

Sunset Over the Desert

Cow Girls at Tanque Verde Ranch

For example, when my husband and I return from Tucson, Arizona sunshine to our beautiful northwestern USA, we are always surprised by how different the two styles are.  In Tucson we wear the colors of the desert...cactus green, terra cotta and sand stone accented with turquoise, sunset oranges and of course yellow...lot's of yellow.  We always wear sandal and if it is cold we wear long pants.  Cowboy boots and blue jeans are always in style...Arizona is dude ranch country.   We feel comfortable in those colors and styles because they reflect the natural beauty of the area, the life style of it's people and the climate.

Oregon beach Nasturtiums in bloom.

Here in Portland we are more subdued.  Blacks, browns, moss greens with splashes of primary colors fill our closets.  Classic styles, hiking clothes and sensible shoes fill our closets.  People in Portland tend to put shorts on as the calendar changes without regard for the weather.  In the heart of the city tailored suits and trendy "dressy clothes" are the order of the day.  I have gone downtown for lunch in the fall in my "Arizona" colors...I really did feel out of place.  Even the young people with orange hair and black lips turned to see if I had landed from outer space!

Icy cold Pacific waters.

 

If I were to travel to Paris I would do a little looking around online to see what they are wearing.  I am a people watcher and love to catch an image of someone or somethings without being noticed.  Dressing in open toed shoes and teal green in the wrong place does not allow that to happen.

Really, I do not want to look like a clown!!!  REALLY!!

Selected blogs:

• Paris Breakfast...how to dress and what to eat in Paris.

• Advanced Style...what older people are wearing in New York
• Desert Style...a website from Egypt that reflects those beautiful desert colors.
• The Satorialist...pictures of stylishly dressed men and women from around NYC and Europe

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A Drive in the Country...back roads near Portland, Oregon

Her friends called her Sweet Sarah!

     Location:  Portland, Oregon Metro Area...20 miles west from the center of the city.
     Area:  Scholls  at the corner of Hwy 210 and Hwy 219.  This corner is a slow down and stop location.
     Business:  Smith Berry Barn and The South Store Cafe
     Day:  Saturday in June
     Weather:  Sunny and Warm
     Mission:  Buy plants for the garden
     This beautiful lady sat at a table adjoining ours as we ate our lunch and listened to a band called Beyond the Grange (contact Lee Thompson at 503.628.1920). Don't tell me we don't know how to be stylish...isn't she beautiful?  When I asked if I could take her picture one of the other three ladies at the table leaned over and said "She is our Sweet Sarah."     

Beyond the Grange

A wagon full of beauty!

ON A QUEST
        We are having two days of sunshine in a row.  The planting can finally begin...here in Oregon at least.  When the sun shines, it is a requirement that we take a leisurely drive in the country...it might be the best good time of the whole year. We could not believe it...no rain and it was Saturday...the perfect day to go shopping for garden plants.

Smith Berry Barn

    
This year we drove out on Hwy. 219 from Hillsboro going south through the countryside.   The drive takes you past Jackson Bottom Slough, nurseries and lush clover fields.  When the sun shines this is heaven on earth.
     We stopped at Smith Berry Barn where we purchased our plants.  I could only think that it was a good thing I didn't live any closer.  I would be so tempted by all the goodies both on the inside and the outside of this beautiful store.  We bought herbs, garden plants and flower for my daughter's yard and flowers for the containers on our deck.
     Then we dashed across the road to The South Store Cafe.  The sign on the building said EAT and the cafe sign said SCHOLLS.   

 Location:  Located about 20 miles southwest of Portland on the corner of Scholls Ferry Road (Hwy 210) and Hillsboro Hwy (Hwy 219) across from Smith's Berry Barn.

Garden Sandwich

     Our sandwiches were some of the best we had ever eaten.  I had a Garden Sandwich that actually had slices baked sweet potato along with tomato, cucumber, red onion and spring salad greens. The special for the day was a brie, bacon, turkey cucumber sandwich that turned out to be the star at our table.  People going out were suggesting what they had eaten so all of the selections must have been wonderful. 
      If you are looking for a outing on a beautiful day around the Portland area, this is the perfect afternoon drive.  You will not be disappointed.

b

RV Travel...family fun at it's best!

RV set up with computer.
This is a 35 ft. 2002 Dolphin with
around 20,000 miles on it.
We are still trying to sell it but are
enjoying it in the mean time.
More information available at
orencoopinions@gmail.com

Camping with family is one of the finer things in life. All the wealth in the world will not replace time spent at a camp ground close to home with lots of children, tents and tons of food. I suppose that is why the "staycation" is becoming so popular. After all, fun is fun and whether it cost a lot doesn't matter especially to children.

My almost six granddaughter just kept saying over and over "I am having so much fun." Now this child has travels all over the world, stayed in the finest hotels and seen things you and I can never imagine. Her spring break was spent in Viet Nam this year. I rest my case.

I suppose pitching the tents provided the most amusement of all. How do you pitch a tent? Well you gather all you brothers, sisters, in-laws, neices and nephews together, lock Grandma in the RV (she's bossy) and proceed to laugh your way through 100 pieces of support, 75 bungee cords, 50 tent stakes and a tarp to cover it all.

Then there is matter of cutting the fire wood and getting the baby to sleep...all at the same time. You just gather a bunch of small logs while carrying the baby in the back pack, get somebody to saw and stand on the log while the baby is sleeping. Works every time.






There is no time for a beauty regimen while camping. It is just a whole week of "bad hair days". But when you can take Amelia for a run, what more do you need. Looks just are not important.

I love this about the retirement life style. We are free to enjoy those things we love the most and build our lives around our family's need for part of each year. Then, when winter comes, we head south, our family survives on their own and everyone is happy. It is just the right amount of everything for everybody.

b