Not Doing Things on my list

This past weekend, I deliberately did not do two activities on my list of things that I wanted to accomplish.  The sad part is that Sunday was the last day to do either of them.

The first event was mini-golfing at a modern art museum.  Now, I love miniature golf, and I used to go a lot when I was a kid.  Not so much anymore, especially because there's not many places around nowadays.  This course is eighteen holes, each one designed by an artist and each hole completely different.  Not a windmill in sight.  The pictures I have seen of the course look amazing and fun, and it's a little hard to believe that it's now closed for the winter season, as the weather may stay lovely for some weeks yet.

Then there is the Renaissance Festival, also closing down in the face of the impending cold.  I love the Renaissance Festival, too.  I worked as an ale wench for two years at the Northern California Renaissance Faire.  Had to take classes on how to dress, how to speak, and what to say to boozed up clientele.  It was a great experience and I miss it all.  Yet, I didn't go.

Why not?  I realized that what I really wanted to do on such a gorgeous sunny day was spend time with my honey, preferably not with a crowd.  And so we found a wildlife refuge not far from our house, where we have never been.  We walked down the bluffs to the swampy area next to the river, and saw fewer than twenty people in a few hours.  We saw ducks and a faraway eagle and two snakes.  It was heaven.  I'm not sure what I'll have to do next summer to get into the mood to wait in line to play miniature golf, or to spend a day eating and drinking among thousands of people speaking in an olde English accent, but I have a whole year to figure it out.