Day One

It's vacation time again!  I love my job, but I also love my time off. This year I had no idea what I wanted to do. So I went to VRBO (Vacation Rentals By Owner) to see what was available in the way of pet friendly rentals  I wanted something secluded  with  no distractions so I can finally finish the novel I've been not writing for the past couple of years.

I looked at an off grid solar cabin in west Texas. Perhaps a little too secluded.

Then I looked at a renovated narrow gauge railcar in New Mexico. Very cool, but the hot tub was shared with the owners.

I remembered the Arkansas yurt I stayed in and looked to see what else was in the area. I found several possibilities, but nothing that spoke to me.

Same with the beach condos and private beach houses along the east coast.  Nothing seemed to be what I was looking for.

I looked to see if the Ruidoso cabin I rented two years ago was available. I loved that cabin. Nope.

I finally found several cabins in the northern mountains of Georgia. They were all dog-friendly, and six were also cat-friendly. I charted out the cabins that were available during the time I have off and finally made a decision. I'm going to have a blast!  The outside spaces are as cozy as the inside spaces. I can't wait until I go next week. 

So how is this Day One?  I have a little over two weeks off. I had planned to visit Mama in Panama City, and Alicia and Bill in NOLA this week; however, aging relatives in Houston will occupy some of that time, so I'm hanging close to Texas this first week.

Except yesterday. I drove to Monroe, Louisiana to paint one of my favorite Painting With a Twist paintings: Saint Peters Cathedral from Jackson Square. It's a very simple rendition, even simpler from my paint brush.

There is no La Quinta here, so I rented a Motel 6 room. Only I didn't have the room rented when I arrived. Nor did I have a seat reserved for the painting. I just got in the SUV with the FurKids in tow and drove here. That's my kind of vacation.

I came to the first Motel 6 and pulled in to see if they had a room.  It was not the one I had originally thought I would be staying at, which is probably a good thing because, online the original place said their pet policy was no animals to be left alone for any reason. That's unrealistic. What about going out to dinner. Or needing to grab something at a store. Or attend a painting class.

The place in West Monroe did not post any pet restrictions. And I didn't ask. I was running late and only had enough time to rent, set it up for the kids, wash-up, change and drive to PWAT.  Even still, I was about 10 minutes late. This was not the Motel 6 I was supposed to be at--I ended up in West Monroe.  It was the best mistake of the night. They were very nice and helpful.

I arrived at class and finally got situated. I'm kind of iffy about how the painting turned out, but the people I met were very nice.

After class, I went to get dinner. The first place, wouldn't even take my order. Maybe because it was late, I don't know.  I left in a huff. The second place, was just down-right rude. I left in a second huff.
Then I plugged in the address for the hotel into GPS and it took me to the hotel. The wrong hotel. The one I was originally going to stay at, but I had just pulled into the first one I saw.  I realized I had no clue what its address was, since I left everything except the key itself in the room. Monroe has at least 2 Motel 6's. Neither is the one I was in. Then I remembered I crossed the Mississippi River. I needed to return to West Monroe.

Once in West Monroe, I tried another place for dinner--and was accepted with open arms even though it was getting to be really late.  Just goes to show you how different two places can be:  with the exception of the PWAT folks, everyone in Monroe was snotty. But just across the river, in West Monroe, everyone I met was helpful and friendly.

Nice start to my vacation. I plan on exploring a little and driving back to Texas tonight. I still have stuff I need to do before next week.

Besides, isn't West Monroe where the Duck Dynasty folks have their headquarters?  Maybe I'll see Si.