Staying put and loving it

I sit by a flowing stream, listening as each droplet trickles down a tiny mountain of rocks. Barefoot and relaxed after my mid-afternoon yoga session by the lake and a lunchtime cocktail with my husband, I sink further into the chaise longue. What will I do next? Soak in the hot tub? Go to the pool? It’s all so tempting – so I give up and close my eyes, all the while thinking how lucky I am to be in … Loachapoka.

Let’s face it – for the past several years, life hasn’t been too bad for most of us. Whether we flew first class a couple of times or simply took a last-minute weekend trip to the Gulf Coast, we traveled. Within just the second quarter of 2007, Americans took 487 million car, plane, and train trips, according to the economic forecasting company Global Insight. While gasoline prices aren’t expected to go anywhere near as high as last year, with everything else feeling so shaky, many might hesitate at even a long car trip.

Enter the Staycation, or if you prefer, staying home and loving it. It’s a bit more self-conscious than old-fashioned cocooning, a bit more entertaining-oriented than plain old nesting. Wherever your habitat talents lie, rest assured they may be used for a Staycationing adventure. For example, a dinner party at my friend Katie’s house never revolves around the simple concepts of food and drink. Guests to her parties often wear ’80s attire while playing air guitar or participate in a school days Valentine’s Day card exchanges. By channeling their instinctive Staycationing expertise, she and husband Don can transform a trip to their home into a trip back in time. If going the elaborate route is not your thing, consider taking on a new challenge: Channel your inner van Gogh at Corks ‘n Canvas, which offers art classes at the Auburn Chamber of Commerce, 714 East Glenn Avenue, and at the Brass Brassiere, 801 South Railroad Avenue, Opelika.

Or maybe your idea of a fabulous Staycation is simply a lazy Saturday in a hammock with sweet tea and a good book. Whatever you choose to do, the idea is to focus on home and community, and it’s expected to be the reigning vacation plan this summer.

What does this mean for us? It’s simple – a shift in spending, and a shift in priorities. It’s time to put our money where it lasts, creating a vacation home right where we’re already, conveniently, the owner. OK, buy the beach real estate if you like. I wouldn’t dream of stopping you. But some of us are staying put. Everyone else, look around. Are you reading this beside a pile of laundry that somehow ended up in the dining room? Close your eyes — wait, not yet! Read this first, then you can close your eyes. OK, picture the day you walked through your front door for the very first time. Hear the realtor in the background, “And look at all this closet space,” she’s saying. She leads you outside to an “absolutely huge backyard … with so much privacy!” You love that part, too. But what about that kitchen? “A cook’s dream,” she exclaims.
Now, back to you and the laundry and the dining room. When was the last time you used this roughly 300-square-foot area as anything other than a hamper? If the answer is holiday season 1994, it may be time to consider better ways to use your space.

By adding amenities such as hot tubs, swimming pools, and outdoor kitchens, homeowners pump up the relaxation quotient of their homes while increasing the value. Cash tight? Then let’s talk easy fixes: For example, try removing the blinds from a light-filled space in your home to create an instant sunroom. Check out thrift stores and antique malls for secondhand outdoor furniture, or add a small water feature.
Opelika residents Noelle and Iain Stewart make constant changes to their backyard. “We recently put in a nice gravel patio under a Mulberry tree,” says Noelle. “We are also growing our own veggies and herbs, so we know our food is organic.”
Corey O’Steen owns Creative Habitats, a landscaping and outdoor design company in Auburn. “Over the past two years, we have definitely increased the number of outdoor improvement projects that we do,” he says. O’Steen says Lee Countians are installing stone fire pits and paver patios and more.

“To create a total outdoor atmosphere, you really need three elements – fire, water, and food,” O’Steen said.
Introducing the backyard waterfall and outdoor kitchen. You don’t need to go crazy and try to rebuild Victoria Falls complete with the Zambezi River and indigenous wildlife. Take it down a few notches. “You can really acquire the same great sound and look of a large water feature with a smaller waterfall,” he says.
Local contractors also provide Lee County residents with a little slice of vacation. David Kimberly, who was named Lee County’s No. 1 builder by readers of the Opelika-Auburn News, incorporated the Staycation theme into his Auburn home, making dramatic renovations like a wraparound porch. Wife Stephanie, a teacher at Dean Road Elementary School, hopes the next step involves a swimming pool.

And what can I say? It’s good being married to a brick mason these days – my husband, Bryan, is a mastermind at transforming plots of dirt into pretty little stone pathways. Better yet, he tells me that outdoor kitchens are really the luxury of the moment, and they are (thankfully) keeping him quite occupied throughout the county. I’m only a little ashamed to say that I can’t wait for Bryan Waits Masonry to have a slow workweek, giving my brick man an opportunity to build a little open-air gastronomy workshop at our own casa.

ENTERTAINING THE SMALL MASSES
Here’s my disclaimer: I am not a mom. I am the proud aunt of four rambunctious, never-sit-still toddlers. Let me invent a word for the strategy I’m about to cover: kidcations. One of the best features of staycationing is exploring your surroundings. For example, your budget may not allow a trip to Williamsburg, but have you checked out Wetumpka’s Fort Toulouse? While a trip to the beach may be out of reach, Lake Martin is just around the corner. And never fear the occasional camping trip – it doesn’t get much more adventurous than pitching a tent and sleeping under the stars for a night or two – even if you do it in your own backyard.
Auburn resident and grandmother Janice Saidla recommends getting the family together for a game night once a week. According to Noelle Stewart, art is an excellent method to boost the self-esteem and artistic abilities of little budding Picassos. “We recently bought clay at Hobby Lobby and had sculpting day,” she says. “Then you can display the sculptures or give as gifts.”

Lee Magazine’s Lisa Gallagher passes along this idea from her sister, who takes her children to a local hotel with an indoor pool and a hot tub. “The kids (ages five and eight) love hotels, so I thought it was brilliant,” Gallagher says.
Summer activities on-the-cheap abound for Lee County kids. Both Auburn and Opelika public libraries offer free story times for children throughout the week, and Saidla recommends Auburn’s new Salmon Park for picnics and exercise. One of the coolest tools available for Lee County parents is www.frugalauburn.com. It features kids’ activities all around Auburn and Opelika, in addition to ideas for crafts projects and links to community parent groups.

STAYCATION FOR LIFE
Embracing the at-home vacation proved pretty easy. I admit that moving my vacation to Loachapoka initially seemed like a hardship. However, I have fabulous ferns, an eclectic mix of outdoor furniture, and an unsuspecting husband who will begin building an amazing outdoor kitchen in the backyard soon. Bali can wait until next year.