I've had two really cool vacations in the last year, both in the wake of trying circumstances. I had taken long weekends, and enjoyed quite a few paid holidays every year, but I hadn't taken a proper vacation since my trip to Memphis in 2004.
My fiancee and I went to the Fort Smith Historic Site today. Despite living here for nearly three years, she'd never been, and I had only made the trip from Springdale with my family once, when I was about twelve.
After stamping my National Parks Passport, we watched a short video about the site's history, as a military installation, trade post and eventual courthouse. The building's interior had received a major overhaul since my childhood visit. I was slightly underwhelmed by the current restoration of Judge Isaac Parker's courtroom, but I enjoyed the view from the barred windows of the basement prison. The walking trails that wind down to the Arkansas River made me want to start jogging again (I miss Lake Fayetteville).
Going back to work means I'll get to take vacations again someday. I'd initially thought of my unemployment of a vacation, but without the benefit travel, it quickly wore thin. Even the word "vacation" seems a little hollow. Europeans go on "holiday," while we Americans simply "vacate" our lives for a while.
The next trip I take will likely be our honeymoon. Shelly doesn't have any particular demands about where we go. I wonder if she'd be up for Denali...
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