Friday, March 19, 2010

Spring Break 2010 is over.....

Well, spring break 2010 is officially over.  I have the weekend to try to get back into "teacher" mode and then I start the final quarter of this academic year on Monday.

As some of you know, I started the week with lofty goals - some might even say that I set myself up for failure - but while I did not accomplish one-tenth of what I had hoped, I must say that I had a great time anyway.  This is the first break that I have not touched school work; and while I might regret that choice come Monday, I am thrilled that I allowed myself a mental health holiday.

I really didn't read much (although I am almost done with Walden) and obviously I did not blog much either (although I did read your posts each morning while leisurely drinking two cups of coffee), but I did do a lot of planning for my summer trip to Oxford.  I read/skimmed through several books on travel writing, I purchased several travel magazines at Half Price Books so that I could read the articles and look at the photographs, I purchased myself a Moleskine notebook just for my travel thoughts, I practiced taking pictures with my daughter's digital SLR in the hopes of taking some decent shots overseas, and I actually started writing down some travel story ideas.

The highlight of my week came today when I went to the local park to take practice taking some landscape photographs.  It was a clear day and the high was near 70 degrees.  While driving around the park I came upon this lovely picnic area that included a "private" island in the middle of the lake.  I was so excited!  I took my camera, notebook and pencil, and went exploring.  The island is very small, absolutely perfect for a quick get-away.  There was a picnic table, a grill, several trees, and enough grass to lay out a couple of blankets and read/write the entire afternoon.  I only stayed about half an hour, but I have promised myself to return frequently over the next few weeks (while school in still in session and the park is not too crowded).

Alas, this wonderful spring weather was not long-lasting.  By 5:00 this afternoon the temperature had dropped to 48 degrees, and as of now it is sleeting outside with a prediction of 4 - 6 inches of snow before Sunday morning.  Gotta love Kansas weather!


15 comments:

  1. You just can't call it Spring, when it is snowing, can you?

    It sounds like you have had a very busy week indeed and you sound so prepared for your trip to England.

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  2. I think your weather is blowing into Michigan! Last night we were outside because it was gorgeous and then all of a sudden the temp dropped 10 degrees!!

    I love the photo you took and I think the way you spent your week was fantastic!!

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  3. The photo is lovely and before you know it you will be in England. What an opportunity :)

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  4. Glad you were able to leave your schoolwork alone and make this a REAL vacation! What a beautiful spot you found in the park - in another month it will be in full bloom (after the snow melts)!

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  5. Isn't it funny how a week like that can just fly by? Your picture is gorgeous - I'm wishing for a digital SLR myself.

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  6. Lovely photo!

    And it is such a healthy thing to leave work behind for a while -- even if you pay the price later.

    England isn't that far away!

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  7. I'm glad to hear you gave yourself a mental break and enjoyed the week so muc. Your pic is gorgeous, now I can't wait to see pics from England.

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  8. Glad you enjoyed your Spring break. We woke up to snow on the ground after a week of upper 50s and sunshine. Ugh, but that's Michigan for you.

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  9. Sounds like you have the kind of break you needed!!

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  10. Sounds as though you had a wonderful, relaxing week. So exciting to be planning for Oxford. So rewarding to have found a "secret getaway" for reading, writing, and taking more great pictures with your new camera!
    Hope the snow has passed you by.

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  11. Sounds like you had the perfect Spring Break. The picture you took is lovely. I think you will be ready to take pictures of all the many sights when you reach England!

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  12. Oh, I love those little "islands" we discover sometimes! Beautiful photo!

    A glimpse of spring is better than nothing, right?

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  13. I know I say this every year now, but I remember when spring break coincided with Easter. LOL My mom hasn't started her spring break yet, but I know she's anxious for it to arrive. She's having a rough year--I told her it's all the more reason she'll appreciate retiring come June. I think she was really hoping for a spectacular exit though.

    I am glad you had a great break, even if you didn't get everything done you wanted. That's usually how it is for me too, I'm afraid.

    That is a lovely photo of the picnic area. Spring always seems to poke its head out and then winter quickly reclaims a few more days before letting spring take over officially, doesn't it?

    I hope you have a great week, Molly.

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  14. Wow, we had good weather followed by rain, but nothing like snow.

    You must be so excited planning your trip to Oxford! :)

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  15. So you did all of the fun stuff to plan ahead for the trip but not much of the real work? That's exactly what spring break should be about!

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