The Last-Minute Vacation

DW really took control of the situation on this one.

Indeed, there was no pre-planning, no lead up to this vacation, 11 years ago this week. It still goes down as the most spontaneous trip that our family has ever taken.

It's also the first vacation that I shared on The Brown Knowser.

We knew that the summer was wrapping up and that the kids would soon be heading back to school, and we wanted them to have some good memories to take back with them. But because both girls had been in competitive dance and we had used up some of our vacation time in travelling to various cities for competitions, we only had a week to enjoy to ourselves before everything started up again.

We had barely wrapped up our Saturday breakfast when DW exclaimed that she had found a place. "How long would it take to drive to Cape Cod?" she asked me.

I consulted Google Maps. "At least nine hours of straight driving, so let's say about 11, taking in for traffic and rest stops."

"Quick, start packing," she said, "I'll make the call." She hadn't yet given me any details but I knew that once DW was determined, there was no stopping her.

I like to call myself a professional packer. DW and I have travelled enough in our lifetime that we know exactly what we need and how to gather it quickly. It was a bit of a challenge with the kids, as we needed to not only pack their necessities but also grab things that they would want to play with on the journey plus things that would be fun for them wherever we ended up.

I could hear DW on the phone, obviously talking to the person who owned wherever it was we were going. By the time I had the girls and my bag packed, DW had come running up the stairs to pack her own bag while I started loading up our minivan. Within an hour, we were ready to go, complete with snacks to keep us all in good spirits.

It took us about an extra hour than we had calculated to get from Ottawa to Dennis Port, Massachusetts, and we were exhausted. After meeting our hosts in Boston and getting the keys to the rental cottage, we had enough time to unpack the van and go to bed.

The next day, a Sunday, would be the real start to the vacation.

Over the course of the week, we would hang out on beaches, paddle through a conservation area, eat fabulous food, and see humpback whales up close and personal. We would even outrun a hurricane and take shelter in Boston.

I won't recount all of our adventures but if you're interested, you can read about them as follows:

• Wordless Wednesday: A Day at the Beach
• Ar... Thar Be Whales!
• Living in Interesting Times
• Wordless Wednesday: Irene in Boston
• Rock You Like a Hurricane

Yes, DW spontaneously booked us a getaway and got us hustling to get to our spot. But once all the rush was out of the way, we did have a wonderfully memorable time.

Until we had to hustle to get away from that vacation spot!

Happy Thursday!