The Summer We Stayed Home

Summer is coming to a close. Not technically, of course. The calendar says we have a little more time, but the kids are back in school, pumpkin spice has invaded everything, and the NFL season has begun. That’s fall to me.

The temperatures here in San Diego clearly did not get the memo. I’m still waiting patiently for my leggings-and-sweatshirt weather to arrive.

I honestly can’t remember a summer when Mr. Whaldo and I didn’t take at least one trip abroad. Alas, this was that summer.

We did make a few trips to Arizona for appointments at the Mayo Clinic, but otherwise, we stayed right here in San Diego. And you know what? It turned out to be a pretty darn good summer anyway.

We were lucky enough to have some wonderful family visits before the really hot weather arrived. Our granddaughter, Marlie, came out to visit, and we spent a day exploring the Air & Space Museum in Balboa Park. I had no idea that part of the museum also included Ripley’s Believe It or Not, so that was a fun surprise.

The three of us wandered through the exhibits, checking out everything from the bizarre to the history of flight and space exploration. The space section was especially fascinating. I mean, have you ever really looked at the size of those spacecraft? I still can't wrap my head around the fact that actual astronauts climbed into those tiny things and thought, "Sure, this seems like a good idea."

We explored the rest of the museum, learning about airplanes from around the world, and surprisingly, even Marlie seemed to enjoy it. I consider that a successful museum day with a teenager.

Of course, the museum wasn't the only thing on the agenda. We had plenty of beach days, played in the waves, played games, ate good food, and introduced Marlie to some of our favorite San Diego eats. Fresh-caught halibut was on the menu, along with her first experience with pho.

A couple of months later, my youngest daughter, Savannah, and her whole family came to visit. That always means a house full of fun with our son-in-law, Matt, young Princess Charlotte, and, of course, teenage Princess Marlie.

My daughter is expecting their third child, and this time we’re getting a boy! After two girls, we're all pretty excited to meet the newest member of the family.

Their visit was wonderfully lazy. The kind of lazy that comes when parents desperately need someone else to entertain the kids for a little while. Charlotte followed Grandpa everywhere because, apparently, Grandpa is her favorite person on the planet. He is completely smitten with her, too, so they make quite the pair.

There were more beach days, movie nights, good food, backyard grilling, and plenty of those ordinary family moments that somehow become the memories you hang onto.

We also squeezed in some fun around San Diego. I've already told you about some of our shenanigans this summer, including the San Diego Safari Park and concerts at The Rady Shell. We also attended our first Candlelight concert, featuring the music of Tool, went to a Padres game, discovered a few new restaurants, and spent plenty of evenings grilling and hanging out in our backyard.

And then there was the part of summer you don't necessarily see on a travel blog.

I’ve been spending a lot of time building my UGC business, learning a completely different side of the content-creation world, and saying yes to opportunities that have come my way. Mr. Whaldo and I have also been doing something that doesn't photograph particularly well, but it’ll be very exciting when the time comes.

We’ve been planning and saving for a big African safari next year.

So maybe this summer wasn't about boarding airplanes and collecting passport stamps. Maybe it was about enjoying the place we call home, spending time with family, working toward new adventures, and making room for what's coming next.

And you know what? I wouldn't trade it. 

Travel is wonderful. I love seeing new places, wandering unfamiliar streets, experiencing different cultures, and occasionally getting myself into travel mishaps that make good stories later. But there is something pretty special about having nowhere you need to be.

Sometimes the best days are beach days with the grandkids. A backyard dinner. A baseball game. A concert under the stars. A little girl following Grandpa around the house. A good meal with people you love.

Those aren't the adventures that usually make the travel headlines, but they're the moments that make life lovely.

As for our immediate travel plans, we're heading back to Arizona for my youngest daughter's baby shower. Then we'll be celebrating another pretty exciting milestone with my eldest daughter at the official release party for her first published book, The Oneironaut and the Realm of Nightmares. I've read it, and yes, I'm completely allowed to brag about it. It's a great story.

After that, we'll settle back into our little corner of San Diego and keep working toward Africa.

Because sometimes you're not traveling.

Sometimes you're getting ready to go somewhere you've dreamed about for a very long time.

I hope you had a wonderful summer, whether you spent it halfway around the world or sitting in your own backyard. Here's to cooler temperatures, pumpkin spice, football, new adventures, and a fantastic fall.

And if anyone knows where the sweatshirt weather is hiding, please send it my way.

-J.S. Whaldo