We went to a dude ranch - Clear Creek Ranch in North Carolina with my husband and four kids. It was perfect! Small (50 guests) and tons of family things to do together - like horseback riding (of course), rafting, tubing, hiking, campfires, country line dancing etc. All the families and kids got to know one another - interesting people from all over the world.

The problem is...I can't seem to find something as intimate and family friendly for next summer. It would be easy, if it weren't for that two year old!

Oh! We also took short trips to the Little League World Series (fun and soo family oriented) and Sea Isle.

Lisa

June, 3 weeks in Thailand.
mid-July, one week in Omaha
early August, Caribbean cruise
late August/early Sept, 3 weeks in the South Pacific (Australia, Cook Islands, Tahiti, Bora Bora)

It was a pretty busy summer, travel-wise.

First, a long weekend with the inlaws (bobthenavigator, for those who know him on the Europe board) on Amelia Island.

Then, 12 spectacular days in sometimes sunny Scotland (click on my screen name to find the trip report and photos).

Then a week in lovely Lake Jackson, TX, to see the new nephew (and his family).

Then finally, I just squeezed in a quick trip to see my mother in Scottsdale.

I should add that, although we've lived in the Chicago area for 17 years and I worked downtown for 15 of those years, we don't spend much "fun" time in the city. This summer, I had the opportunity to spend a couple of weekends in the city with visiting relatives, and we had a blast. The city really is looking great.

But, alas, summer is over, so now I'm planning for next year :)

In June we spent a wonderful week in Grand Cayman. My husband is a certified diver (my gift to him for turning 50!) and did his first dives there. We've been to GC before and are heartsick at the total destruction caused by Hurricane Ivan last week. Our prayers are with the Caymanians.
We took a short trip to Chicago-fantastic city! Then we spent 5 days in the Smoky Mountains. I know a lot of people look at Gatlinburg as hokey, but I love it anyway and have been going for 25 years.
Starting to plan next year's trip to Hawaii.

We spent the month of May in the Florida Keys in a rental home. The first two weeks it blew like hell and we didn't get to do any real serious fishing.

We then went to Philadelphia in August. It was a first for DH & I. And we thoroughly enjoyed it.

We are now in Milbridge, Maine for 2 weeks ( with our 2 cairn terriers!) and enjoying the hiking and the food!

We are going to Ireland in November for our anniversary. This summer has sure gone fast.

We spent a fantastic week in a beach house on Cape Cod at the end of August. It was so relaxing.........

What a great way to spend time together before school started!!!

We went to Glennwood Springs, Colorado for 3 nights with our 10 and 12 yr olds. We went horse back riding, tram ride up to the fairy caverns, and of course did the hot springs. We then went on to Avon, near Vail, for 7 nights and did whitewater rafting,horseback riding, hot air ballooning, eatting, shopping , riding a chair lift to the top of Beaver Creek and riding a train in Georgetown. We had a fabulous vacation out west( we are from PA). I'm hoping I get some ideas from this post for next years vacation!!! If anyone has any good ideas with an 11 and 13 year old I would appreciate it.

Our kids are grown so we spread our vacation out over the year. We went to Puerto Rico for a week in February, a long weekend in D.C. in March to see daughter, a long weekend in Pennsylvania in May for nephews graduation, a long weekend in Texas in August to see other nephew home from Iraq and then a week in Hawaii in September.

I'm so glad I got a week of sailing around Belize in Jan., because the rest of my vacation time was spent on two trips to Costa Rica. All of my vacation time for the next year will also be spent in Costa Rica so I'm envious of those of you who get to go to several places, but we are building a hotel in Costa Rica so all my time must be spent there. So the bad news is I won't be able to vacation anywhere else for probably three years or so, but the good news is I'll be living in Costa Rica!

I went to Seattle to escape the Florida Heat and Humidity, then as luck would have it Frances dropped by so I beat feet to New Orleans and had a very good time. Presently I am awaiting Jeanne to hit !

Wow-so many great trips. I confess to just a touch of trip envy. My summer started with a long week-end trip to Beaver Island, MI for a memorial service for my Mom, who passed earlier this year. Lovely island, really difficult to get to from NJ. Then spent several weekends on the road to various spots on the East Coast with my daughters who play soccer. Throw a week in Cape Cod and the summer flew by. Now we're looking forward to a week long cruise (my first) for the whole famn damily. All eight of us to the Southern Caribbean.

I confess to being excited about the time when my kids (the youngest is 15) are grown and DH and I can go on trips on our schedule. Not that I'm looking to get rid of them, mind you, just after 23 years of being a parent I'd like some more me (DH and me) time.

Tell me more...I love to hear about travel stories.

Wow, so many great places so little time. Went to Hawaii, New Orleans and Cape Cod, all fun. Planning on going on Disney Cruise in January and if I can push it, Mont Treblant in March for a nice ski weekend. Already thinking about where to go next summer...

Oh, summer is over? Oh yes, look at all those autumn leaves! Started with June birthday trip to South Beach, Miami and Key Largo...great fun, snorkeling, dining, people watching. Then a short hop to Santa Fe with a great hike at Tent Rocks and wonderful catered party at a friends home. We combined that with three days in Chicago to check out the new park..with bandshell ..name escapes me for the moment. Then we took nine "mini-vacations" to Jacobs Pillow for dance performances. It is less than hour from home but I treated myself to days or afternoons off from work to put together picnics. It was an awesome season of dance. We topped it all off with a mid September week in Trinidad for the birding and the warmth, and so summer has just barely ended for me.

Next Southern Cal for Thanksgiving and maybe Las Vegas for Christmas if our 85 year old mother is up for a trip. If not, we are thinking a quick visit to San Francisco, not summer, but not New England either.

I love summer and hope to keep it going somewhere every few months if possible.

Thanks for letting me ramble on.

Vacation time this summer was not far and I had less outings over all. One good reason was my youngest son had a beautiful wedding in Rosemont IL at the end of June. Very large and many out-of-towners joined us for three days at the Hyatt Rosemont. Her grandparents were wonderful and gave the wedding party and moms a "spa" day. We had the entire third floor. My granddaughters just loved it. Rehersal dinner and wedding were all beautiful. Also had to take at least 4 days off for funerals. All my friends parents are leaving us. Another wake tonight, in fact. I still have mine at 86 and 82. Makes you cherish every minute.

After a trip to Sarasota last Dec. and a 2 week driving trip in March all the way down to the Mississippi/ Louisana gulf coast and lots in between- this summer we just went East to Michigan about every other week for 4 to 5 days. (I work 7 or 8 days in summer and then off for 5.) Cooked, put in terraced perennials, stained a deck there and redid a 110 year old little boat house which is now the color Pango. It's sort of a cross between tangerine and light peach. Also fish, swim and cook outside on my new oak burning contraption. Once in awhile I get to do this while watching my decendants bodies skimming across the lake on tubes, boards or what have you. I can identify at about a mile now- but can't read without my glasses. Books on tape work well for outside projects too. Rehabbing is fun to me.

I plan a downtown Chicago trip for 2 or 3 days soon, plus winter in Michigan 1st week in January (hope there is lots of snow) and going to the Western Caribbean for 9 days in February.
Just realized that this is the first full year I have not been out west.

Where the heck did summer go! I'll never ever spend another one flying cross continent over and over to finally close on a place by the beach. I'll have endless summers there, but this wasn't one of them. LOL, I shouldn't complain, I'm smiling too much.

I managed to get a trip to Bermuda for our ten year wedding anniversary. It was wonderful!