This is NOT Mexico.

They LOOK cozy, but my bathing suited ass would be frozen after a few minutes in one of these deck chairs. And there's no hot, swarthy (or sleazy with a gold tooth) guy wandering around the deck checking if I need a freshly made drink in a coconut. And you know why he's not there? Because he IS in Mexico. And I'm staying here in Massachusetts.

My plan was to spend the next 6 days on beach chairs. Thanks to Mother Nature and a crazy thunderstorm/snowstorm that's still going on, that plan's kind of shot. But thanks also to a well executed decision regarding trip insurance, we'll go in February instead, which makes this snowday still kind of fun.

Insead of the sand and sea and the aforementioned skeevy beach guys, we'll be looking at about a foot and a half of snow for the next 6 days. It's a different kind of beautiful, right? I 've shoveled once, built a snow fort, and am now waiting for the driveway to be done so I can finish up the back stairs.

After which, we'll have lunch. Without the margaritas.

Instead, we'll experiment with the amaretto from my Grandma's kitchen, or try this weird Dutch cinnamon liquor a friend gave me, or go with the kahluha. It's like an adult hot chocolate buffet right? (the kids will get the straight up kind).

We live on a street that's a little like a dorm, so I'm betting there will be a bit of mixing and matching once the shoveling is done and friends begin meandering the street, looking for a little conversation. It's a good thing it's shaping up to be a good snowday, or I'd be pissed.

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And it's giving me time to think about other vacations. Cabins in gorgeous spots and crafty diversions. The new homepage on Ravelry is all about Squam Lake. Mmmmmmm. I've been checking that link out. And I just heard about a Colorado Mountain version called TheMakerie that looks just as amazing. The cabins alone make me want to go, never mind all the classes and the great food. Since you have probably not heard of Colorado one, a link is here: themakerie.com. Check it out. See? Mmmmmm.

Rustic cabins, lakes or mountains, yummy food, interesting people, cool new stuff to learn, and a retreat from the everyday. Just perusing these two websites makes me want to book a cabin on a lake with my knitting friends and take crafty classes and snap gorgeous pictures.

Maybe next year.... when the snow stops.

I'm going back out now, and once done shoveling those steps, I'm going to take the rest of the day as my own mini-vacation with the hot chocolate and the knitting and a couple of non crafty friends. Hope you're all cozy and knitting too if you're in New England!