On Wanderlust

I love that word--wanderlust--because it so perfectly describes how I feel about travel.  It's not just that I love to travel.  It's not just that I enjoy seeing new places and experiencing new things.  It's that I lust for it.  It feels like I need it like I need air.  I value it as an important part of my life. 

D. knows that I can only go a couple of months without going somewhere.  He knows that as life gets crazy and we spend all our money on those pesky bills and food and gas and stuff, I can be content in our home for a few weeks before I start to get the itch to go somewhere else.  Of course, I would love for that somewhere else to be London or the Caribbean or Seattle or Denver.  But it doesn't have to be.  It could be as simple as an overnight trip to the other side of the state.  It could be a weekend camping.  Or, in desperate times, it could just be a day trip somewhere different.  A change of scenery, so to speak.

For the last couple of weeks, my Wanderlust has been particularly insistent.  Many of those close to me have been traveling, while I've been here plugging along in my everyday life.  My friend C. was on a cruise in the Caribbean, as were my parents.  And my husband D. was on a work trip to Africa of all places, seeing new things and having new experiences.  And I needed to get Away.  However, our finances and time being what they are right now, there was no Away in sight.  So, I asked D. if we could do something different over the weekend, and then I planned it. 

Ann Arbor is not far from us...only an hour away...but neither of us have spent much if any time there.  But it's a college town (obviously...U of M) and I knew we would find something fun and different to do.  And part of the fun is the research.  I found a Natural History Museum on campus and decided that was the thing.  I put a shout-out on Facebook looking for fun places to eat, and my fellow foodies came through as always. 

It was only a few hours, but we had a great time.  We played:

 That's A. pretending to get hit by the massive club-like tail of an ankylosaurus.

And here's D., J., and A. in a hollowed-out canoe.  Fun! 

We explored the museum and saw the planetarium, which was a surprisingly good show.  Poor D. had two little boys next to him who wrestled the entire time, but he still learned where the phrase "dog days of summer" came from along with the rest of us. 

And then, of course, we ate.  We went to a fun little restaurant called Prickly Pear Southwest Cafe, which my friend M. recommended, and it was delicious!  I had something outside the box for me:  Chicken Poblano Rellenos. 

 It was unbelievable, and I was so happy with my choice!

We even got home from our outing fairly early...by 8:00, and had time for a family viewing of this week's episode of Survivor, but my Wanderlust is temporarily satisfied.  Sometimes, all it takes is a day away doing something different than you normally do.

Oh, and eating good food.  For me, travel is almost always about the food!!