Finding your havens

Everybody has favorite places. Some are lucky enough to live in them. For me, I have been lucky enough to live near some of them.

I guess a favorite place is a place that captures your imagination and at the same time makes you feel good.

I know of places I’ve been that didn’t do that.

My travel agent in Kirkland called me one day while we were living in Bothell and said he had come across a special trip. Well, it turned out to be the Cayman Islands, where the water is clear and the sun bears down on you from midday on.

We went for a week and I admit it was interesting. But no one said I should stay indoors during the heat of the day.

There was a resort about five miles up a white sandy beach.

While we made it, we also got a terrible sunburn. I guess it helps knowing what you are doing.

My take has always been the high country. My wife had a retail shop and, in the summer, after she closed, we would head to the mountains. I think I always felt better in the clean air.

We lived in that urban environment for 25 years. Never liked it and still don’t. I have to admit there’s always some place to go and see interesting things. But it was easy to leave it behind.

My personal haven is the mountains. I like the scenes and the wildlife.

I have mentioned before that Yellowstone Park and the

Grand Teton range are places I have visited dozens of times.

We lived for several months only 50 miles from Yellowstone and went there nearly every weekend.

We saw plenty of grizzly bears back in those days.

It may seem funny, but the high country and the desert were places to visit on vacations.

The desert was my wife’s favorite place. It’s needless to say that we were in the desert a lot.

Everyone has favorite places.

I found a few more when I traveled to Asia three different years. I have always stated that I could live in these many places. The language in some would be a problem, but the English language is nearly everywhere.

So, find you favorite spot and visit it often.