ok, it isn't kokomo

Bodies in the sand
Tropical drink melting in your hand
We'll be falling in love
To the rhythm of a steel drum band

We'll put out to sea
And we'll perfect our chemistry
By and by we'll defy a little bit of gravity

Afternoon delight
Cocktails and moonlit nights
That dreamy look in your eye
Give me a tropical contact high

I realize I never responded to your vacation suggestions, which were all wonderful. Thank you!!! It took some finagling to find a spot that took dogs, and would allow us to easily fly with the dogs. They don't seem to mind traveling, since they love their bag, but I hate to keep them in there for too long. Even flying to California seems to me to be hard on them. After all, they can't go to the bathroom in their bag and they don't eat on the trip.

I ended up discovering a great deal on tickets to St. Croix from Budget Travel Online. If you haven't experienced the wonder that is Budget Travel, I'd bookmark it now. It is my all-time favorite source for vacations. In law school, I found a deal for $600 for 6 nights in Rio de Janeiro, airfare, hotel and transfers included. 6 of my girlfriends and I took advantage of the trip and had a fantastic time. The hotel was the Copacabana Hotel, nothing too fancy, but right on the beach and within walking distance to a number of restaurants, bars and shops. Through the same company we organized tours of Corcovado*, Sugarloaf, and other sites, as well as Samba shows. I'd recommend any of their deals.

Sooooo, we are off to St. Croix in a couple of weeks. I also found very reasonable little cottages right on the beach, with kitchenettes, that allows dogs. Perfect for us! That way, we can eat breakfast at the cottage and do a grocery run for snacks. It'll save us a little more money. It also makes it easier with the dogs, who can run in and out of the cottage while we are sitting on the beach. A private beach! Hurray! I'm concerned about the heat and the pups, especially Murray, but with the room right nearby, I can stick them inside if the temperatures get too high.

I. Can. Not. Wait.

I need a week away from work. I need a week of sleep. I need to not be cold all the time for a few days. I also can't wait to see the dogs' reaction to the warm water and sand. They've only been swimming once, on Cape Cod, and Tango has been to the beach in Florida. He kept trying to eat the sand.

What I do NOT need, is to put on a bathing suit, but maybe Josh won't notice the extra pounds. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Camille will also be coming on the vacation, of course, and I'm hoping that I'll have figured out enough to take some nice beach/flower/ocean pictures. Maybe that will keep me going until spring!


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* Blogger suggested Crackpots instead of Corcovado. Ha!