Bliss Challenge #2: Destination Present

Here's my tardy response to this week's Bliss Challenge (last week's is here). This week's challenge is to post pictures of where you would go if you could get away from it all.

Without ever making this a conscious choice, I have lived just about my whole adult life in places that are popular as vacation destinations (and at that, I grew up between London and Herzlia, Israel, which are both on the tourist map too). I did my undergraduate degree at Oxford, where in the summer months the tourists were thicker on the ground than students, and sometimes so careless of students hurrying on bikes that I dubbed them "Meanderthals." Yes, that was back in my twerpier days. Then, I lived for many years in the CA Bay Area--less concentratedly touristy, but definitely a "destination." Then, Big Island, Hawaii. Tourists and transients in vast numbers. And now, least likely of all for me, here I am in Homer, Alaska, where everyone says they've "always wanted to visit."

On a day like today, when it's been sleeting and snowing by turns, the attractions are less obvious.

But we get to see both sunrises and incredible sunsets like this one from our windows during the winter months.

And views like these gorgeous mountains...

 ...and teeming salmon, are on our regular route.

I spent many years always imagining where else I might go, how I might be different in a different place, this moment, moving so frequently. But that's all in my head! Nowadays, I find it far more helpful to focus on being present where I am and to use all my tools to keep me in the best possible mental space in that place.

If I could be anywhere else, it would be my grandmother's apartment in Israel, on the right of this picture, or in the yard outside--this view is one of the few constants of my entire life. And I was just there!

Meanwhile, foul as today has been, Phil and I caught a break in the precipitation and went for a longish hike on the beach (which is right below our house--also pretty cool as locations go). We found three rocks that were "keepers."

I'm kind of obsessed with rocks with holes in them. As you can imagine, they're not that common, but there's a certain spot on the beach with enough reddish sedimentary rock with holes that I don't pick up every one I find anymore.

This one's bluish basalt, though--first one like it that I've ever found!

 I hope my choice of "being here now" doesn't seem unimaginative. Everyone knows how much I love warm weather and coconuts! But that would be a whole other story...

What's your favorite "get away from it all" destination--either a location or a metaphysical space?