Staycation On Foot

If I were your staycation travel agent, the first order of business I would tend to would be to schedule lots of foot time for you. Foot time? you ask. No, I don’t mean pedicures (although certainly they should be a staycation staple, too). I mean walking on foot through your town. Or biking, which I guess would be on pedal--but the same principle applies.

Why on foot? Because I’m convinced that experiencing your corner of the world at a slow, one-foot-(or pedal)-in-front-of-the-other-pace is the best way.

A Summer on Pedal
It was a few summers ago that I decided to give my car a rest and bike to and from work everyday. My office at the time was located on the opposite side of town from where I live, giving me a chance to wheel my way through miles of neighborhoods. It was officially that summer that I fell in love with Fort Collins, no doubt because of the bike.

There's Just Something...
There’s just something about getting outside of your car and wandering the streets. You notice things--like a cute boutique that you somehow missed, or an ice cream parlour that always has a line out the door. Furthermore, you get to smell the linden trees in full bloom in the summer, and the fresh scent of cut grass, and hear kids playing in the park as you walk or ride by.

And because you’re on foot, you find yourself slowing down and stopping at the cafe for a coffee instead of rushing to work. Or stopping to look at a beautiful garden with your kids. Or catching your foot in the spray of sprinkler on a hot afternoon. You know--all those ridiculously simple things that make you feel alive, and appreciative of nature and summer and grass and sun.

Grab Your Sneakers!
During the next week and a half, I’ll mention a few more specific activities that you can do on foot or bike in your community to soak up the summer, including garden tours and gallery walks. But for now, as your trusted staycation travel agent, I’ll simply say get your sneakers and head out on foot!

Previous Staycation posts:
My Community Staycation
Reading for Gold Stars

My Community Staycation

On the dawn of this new mini series devoted to community entertainment, I feel compelled to cite an oh-too-recently-popular phrase: staycation. All the rage for summer fun, recession-style, the staycation is of course the practice to vacationing at home to save money. And though I feel sheepish for using such a trendy term, I have to confess that the staycation concept is exactly what I had in mind when envisioning this short series on community leisure.

In Love
The simple truth is that I am in love with my town. And though I am sometimes tempted to wander outside of its bounds and experience the cultures, languages and foods of other places, I am equally drawn to just staying home and enjoying the pleasures from my own community backyard. Admittedly this makes me neither posh nor sophisticated. But it does make me appreciate home. And it saves me some cash along the way.

It Started with Bikes...
So for the next two weeks I’ll be sharing the brief story of how I fell in love with my town, starting with mundane practices like riding my bike and frequenting my library. And I’m sure I’ll talk up the virtues of garden tours and amphitheatres and grand daddy of all summer community events: the Fourth of July.

So please stick around and join me as I shamelessly conform with all the cool kids and attempt some staycationing myself--

Maybe being trendy isn’t such a bad thing.

Previous Retro Summer Posts:
Oogling Outdoor Spaces
A Poodle Skirt Summer
A Girl Can Dream

Los Angeles Weekend!

Hi All! I'm happily taking a mini-break from Recessionistas to enjoy the warm sunny days of Los Angeles. Can you believe that yesterday I saw dolphins playing right off the coast of Venice Beach? It was like Sea World au naturale--

Here are a few of my favorite stops and spots...


Of course one of the first places I had to check out was this charming furniture store. It was filled to the brim with mid-century modern pieces of all shapes and sizes. All I can say is that it is a good thing I can't tote a sofa home on the plane!


One reason I love the West Coast is that flowers and produce are so fresh! Take a look at these garden beauties, already almost a week old! Considering that it is snowing in Colorado (while I lay on the beach in a bathing suit), these flowers are a refreshing reminder of spring!


The Echo Park Time Travel Mart is one my new favorite stores. It is stock full of the quirkiest gifts, from chain mail to graphic tees to "socialism in a bottle." The store is actually just a front for a tutoring center in the back, making it all the more enjoyable. Only in L.A....

Finally, I got to enjoy some authentic Korean barbecue on my first night into town. It was delicious! Since we had two gracious Koreans with our party, we learned a lot about the dishes being served, and about Korean drinking etiquette. It was definitely an experience I'd be hard pressed to find in Northern Colorado!

Thank you to my hosts, Ryan and Alli, for a great trip! Tomorrow I'll be back in the snowy spring, and back to Recessionistas.

Summer Slimmers

I am going to be in a wedding at the end of the summer, so I decided that it was high time for me to get back into the routine of working out (I took a wee bit of a break this summer....).  I turned to my most favorite place to find good workouts: Exercise TV.  

I discovered Exercise TV earlier this year as part of my television on-demand cable package, and was instantly hooked.  Since I can't afford a gym membership (and we were already paying for the cable), this has been a great alternative.  The workouts are quick and usually involve a combination of strength training and cardio.  No leaving the house.  No classes to catch.  It's great!

Fortunately, in addition to being on cable, you can also find these workouts online, and download them to your phone, ipod, or computer for pocket change.  Check out my new summer favorite, the Summer Slimmers two week program.  

This post is part of August's Summer Squeeze series.

Don't forget to check out my other blog on current events, Cigars in the Parlour.  Today's topic: China.

Wild for Wild Spirit

Apparently I am not the only one working on my fall collection.  I just got an email from Bare Escentuals showcasing their new Wild Spirit Collection.  

The smoky eyes and peachy cheeks/lips combo looks very enticing.  Have I mentioned that I love their mineral make-up?

Click here to check out their fall line.

New to Deviantly Domesticated?  Welcome!  We are just kicking off the Summer Squeeze--which is my attempt to squeeze the last bit of vacation out of the summer.  And for me that means having fun with girly stuff, like make-up.  

This blog isn't all about beauty, though.  Stay tuned for my Back to Basics series starting in September, where I'll be talking a lot more about creating a meaningful livelihood by combining career and home into one!  

Squeezing out every drop of Summer

I feel like I haven't taken much of a summer break on this blog.  I mean, we've been tackling some pretty serious issues, like money and the economy, during a season when beach balls and sunscreen should be on the brain.

So, to make up for all the brain power spent over the last 8 weeks, I thought I'd take advantage of the last days of summer and actually enjoy some leisure, and invite you to join me.  My plan is to take a vacation, not from blogging, of course, but from some of these heavier topics I love to dabble in.  And like all true vacations, I plan to read lots of magazines, enjoy good food, tackle late-summer projects (like my garden), and in general take-in the last of these summer days.

In the spirit of this "vacation," you can expect to hear lots from me about my favorite magazine tips, updates on my domestic projects (please feel free to counsel me!), pretty things I stumble across, and perhaps a review of a good book I've read.  

I'm sure I'll be ready to jump into the fall when September rolls around, but until then, I plan to squeeze every last drop out of this summer.  I hope you'll do the same!