Betty and I set a few goals for our summer. Not surprisingly, we are a little (!) behind on checking them off the list. With this time of year so hot, we picked some things we could accomplish indoors. Some are home maintenance type chores while others are a bit more creative and fun.
A sampling of chore-type stuff:
* Clean and repair tile grout in kitchen, dining area, and bathrooms.
* repair and repaint baseboards and interior doors as needed.
* Replace living room and family room area rugs.
* Start planning for fall vegetable garden
On the more fun side:
* restart collection of vinyl records
* move from beginner to intermediate status on guitar
* produce a coffee table book of our RV travels
* Read three classic books that we overlooked (or forgot) from High School
* Learn new photo editing software
* Use Nikon digital camera again (instead of smartphone camera all the time)
* Edit Christmas photos from several past years
* Book 2020 cruise to South Pacific and New Zealand
How about you? Did you set any goals for your summer this year? What were they? How are you doing in accomplishing what you set out to do?
What an ambitious list of summer goals! I've only had one goal all summer and I'm doing well on that. It's to downsize, downsize, downsize. When I first started I'd get so into it I'd forget to eat and thankfully, I'm past that obsessive stage. In my next chapter of life I want to take up using my digital camera again and learn how to do mini movies. I hate cell phones for taking pictures. I always manage to take pictures of my thumb.
ReplyDeleteThis summer's list is quite ambitious. A few months ago I had a lengthy period of lethargy. I felt the need to push myself back to a more engaged state.
DeleteIt is unlikely everything above will be accomplished by the end of September, so then those items became my Fall list!
The combination of a decent digital camera and good photo editing program can work wonders on even the most mundane shots. And, yes, for me a cell phone camera is for snapshots, not serious work.
That's quite a list! My goals are more in line with visiting my family up north while the weather is good, reading some good novels, losing weight (cooking and exercise goals) and keeping up the yard. Although September still feels like a new start, being retired seems to make summer goals feel less urgent to me. There's always tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteP.S. Except for the paint/grout work, your summer goals are a bit like our winter goals - is that because of the heat/indoor time?
The indoor work is primarily because of the heat. Our summer tends to keep us indoors more than we'd prefer (like your winter!). Time can slip away if we don't tackle things that will need to be done at some point. We might as well get them done when it is already 90 degrees at 8AM.
DeleteWe are also planning a south Pacific cruise for 2020, but the one we have our eye on ends up in Australia and then we fly back. It's 17 days which is the max we can take of a lot of days at sea. We have been going to Hawaii for 20 years and would like to see a bit more of the polynesian cultures.
ReplyDeleteOur cruise actually continues onto Sydney, but New Zealand is too fascinating to see in just 3 one-day port stops. So, we will get off the ship in Wellington, spend 5 days on the North Island, then fly home from Auckland by way of a stop in Honolulu.
DeleteWe may be on the same ship if you are departing Honolulu in late September!
The cruise is September, on Royal Caribbean.
DeleteThat must be it!
DeleteWhat a great list of goals! I have a summer bucket list as well, but it's primarily small things, like sunset yoga in the park, attend several concerts in the park, etc. My overall summer goal was to actually throw ourselves into the summer beach scene where we live, which we've done so well that we're about dead from exhaustion, and summer is only half way gone! It's all good though, and we are feeling extraordinarily thankful.
ReplyDeleteYour S. Pacific cruise sounds lovely, particularly in that you are leaving from Hawaii and not Los Angeles. We did an L.A. to Hawaii and back cruise, and I was quite surprised to discover that the first three days and the last three days were cold! The Pacific doesn't really warm up until about a day out of Hawaii, so you'll bypass all that and simply have lovely warm weather most likely. We are actually planning a trip to New Zealand in February of 2021, because like you already figured out, our first time there was by cruise ship, and not long enough. I'm hoping to return by cruise ship, though, almost the exact reverse of what you and Betty are doing!
I wouldn't have thought about the cool weather between L.A. and Hawaii, but that makes sense. It will be interesting to see how we react to so many days at sea. With 5,000 people on the ship I doubt we will many opportunities to be bored, but 5 days between ports is a long time.
DeleteOriginally, we had thought of spending time on both islands of New Zealand but that made the trip just too long. Betty's heart is set on seeing Hobbiton and the Glow Caves so we opted for just the North Island.
On sea days I find that we spend so much time sitting out on our balcony drinking our morning coffee and looking at the ocean, the day is half over before we get ourselves moving and head to the gym!
DeleteBut I will admit I don't love a long string of sea days, though my husband does. We actually have a cruise in Feb 2020 that will be 33 days long, but the cluster of sea days doesn't occur until the end of the cruise when we'll hopefully be good and tired from all we've seen and done! (We're circling the entire continent of S. America)
Pacific 2020 seems to be a theme in my circle. My sister is planning a trip for Feb.
ReplyDeleteOur summer was curtailed by cancer with our son in law. Lots of child care for appointments and treatments. YUCK. But, we are blessed to be retired and have the energy to help.
Small things continue: garden, canning sauces for the winter and pool visits.
We are planning a trip to PHX for my mom's 90th and then on to Hawaii for the twelve of us in the East. The planning is a welcome diversion to the appointments. July in Phoenix...we are looking at a huge Air bnb with a pool. LOL.
The two of us are going to continue our four year plan of moving to Idaho. I'll be 66 and he will be 73. Yup, Just about the time that most people look at independent care. I am spending loads of time looking at smart homes. We will need a care robot for sure!
One of my brothers had to burn off a week of timeshare so he spent a week here in July. The Aquarium in Scottsdale was a blessing for him and the grandkids: cool and very well done. Overall, very hot, but family time made it worth the hassle.
DeleteWe liked Northern Idaho around Coeur d'Alene. I had business clients in Idaho Falls, Boise, and Twin Falls so I understand the appeal.
No big goals,I like to take summers slow and easy. We take a lot of 2-3 day getaways to get to swimming holes,trees,etc. Lots of library dates (air conditioning!!)—and some indoor decluttering— both of us seem to re do our closets and drawers and offices this time of year.. I do start our travel planning right about now, for the new year,so am researching Bellingham and Whidbey Island,Denver and Boulder, and ?? Somewhere for February..... We both are working on keeping up with exercise—indoor treadmill, Ken swims laps at our FREE (SILVER SNEAKERS!!) gym.. and we do yoga DVD’s at home too...
ReplyDeleteSounds like a pleasant, unstressful way to get through summer. Betty and I go to Flagstaff for 4 days in a week or, just to cool down.
DeleteOtherwise, we are saving up for our 25 day cruise/New Zealand trip, and a week in Quebec to help our daughter celebrate her 40th birthday (she will be there on business) next year.
No goals for summer, I try and keep summer mainly goal-less. a couple overnights, lots of backyard chilling, visiting firends. Like Madeline, my big travel will be in the new year mainly with the exception of three weeks in the fall. Looking at a month in florida, a possible wedding gift cruise, but between now and September as long as we eat something and Iw ork out I am happy.
ReplyDeleteDenver is a nice place to enjoy a relaxing summer. Someday Betty and I will need to visit Durango and southern Colorado - a part of your state we have managed to miss so far.
DeleteThere's always a list of things left undone! Building a fire pit and recladding a garden shed is on the list. I find it difficult to secure hired help but I will persist. Summer is all about keeping up the yard as well as my mom's. I spend at least 8 hrs a week tending to grass cutting. There's been record rainfall in this part of NE Alberta and there's no end to the grass cutting. Then there's the fun - music festivals, chuckwagon races, rodeos, gatherings with friends, lake outings, setting on the porch, playdates with the granddaughters. My nephew got married in Banff last month and I'm reminded why I avoid the tourist areas. Loved the road trip and all the scenery it offered.
ReplyDeleteBanff is on our bucket list, but I understand how overwhelmed it can be with tourists at times.
Delete8 hours a week of grass cutting...wow. That would help make a huge compost pile!
I try very hard not to have goals! I guess that's my goal -- to be goal free! Ha! That doesn't mean that things don't get done, although they often don't. But somehow, miraculously, some things do. Then it's a wonderful surprise.
ReplyDeleteIs that a Zen-like approach, being calm and serene as things unfold?
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