A Besetting Vice: Vacations

Throughout my childhood, my pops was not the perfect dad, but one of the things he instilled in me was an appreciation of unique and varied vacations. While my friends would spend a week or two at Ocean City, Maryland or perhaps at a yearly pilgrammage to Disney World or the Poconos, my family would go all over the country. Such trips meant sacrifices elsewhere in our home (no cable until I went to college, no Atari, 20 year old jalopis as the family car, etc) but even so, my life was made richer by our trips. As kids, we got to see tons of national parks out west and hiked on loads of trails all over the country. I don't think I ever complained and I like to think I soaked in all that good stuff back in the day - as opposed to my little sister who once, at the lip of the Grand Canyon's West Rim, infamously groused, "I'd rather be at the mall in Delaware."

After I graduated from college, I made a conscious decision to save my money and spend it traveling around. Since meeting my wife in early 2000, we've been fortunate enough to be able to continue my family tradition and have already seen a lot of cool stuff together. Personally, I've been fortunate enough to have a willing partner to persevere the long drives, the out-of-the-way nonsense I seek out, and who can withstand my mild OCD regarding maps and directions and ETA's.

I will be slowly adding the trips we've taken, just trying to piece the pictures we have with the stories behind them.

2005
South Beach, Florida
Maui, Hawaii
Orlando, Florida
Boston

2004