Nubble Light at Sunset – © 2012 Karina Chapman
Remember that old pastime of taking a Sunday Drive? When did we all stop doing that?
This past Sunday, I wasn’t feeling that well. After watching our daughter’s soccer game, my husband suggested that we go do some errands. My mother-in-law kindly watched the girls, so we took a little Sunday drive.
We do this now and again; it’s nice to get out and enjoy the scenery, maybe take a drive to another little town in Maine, and have lunch or even just a coffee. In this case, we made a stop at the Lindt factory outlet in Kittery, and bought some of those lovely (and dangerous) Lindor chocolate balls.
Our reason? We had a coupon for 25% off our purchase.
It sounds like a pretty silly reason to go for a drive, but getting out was the true motivation.
That’s the beauty of the old Sunday Drive. It’s an opportunity to visit favorite places, enjoy the scenery (an especially worthy pastime along the coast of Maine), and spend a little time insulated from the world.
Once upon a time, the Sunday Drive was iconic in America. Everyone used to go for Sunday drives–especially our grandparents! Of course, in post-WWII/post-Depression America, the freedom to use such as precious commodity as gas must have felt positively decadent. Even the Chevrolet company got into the act, with a series of movies called “The Road to Romance“, which showcased their cars in various picturesque drives around America.
Long Sands Beach at Sunset – © 2012 Karina Chapman
I’m not sure why we all stopped. Perhaps it is the reality of commuting. Honestly, I spend so much time in my car every day (40 minutes each way, to and from school), you’d think the last thing I would like to do is get into the car on the weekend.
Then there is the cost of gas. Here in Maine, it’s not as bad as in some states, but our gas prices are still perilously close to $4 a gallon (today around $3.73/gallon). That expense alone would be enough to scare off all but the most dedicated Sunday drivers.
Yet there we were–tooling along up Route One in southern Maine, enjoying the scenery, feeling glad we call this state “home”.
Our actual drive simply took us down the coast to Kittery, then up through York along Long Sands and Short Sands beaches. We even stopped by Nubble Light, which always reminds us of our very first visit to Maine back in 1991–four years before we eventually moved here from California.
It always gives me a little thrill to see the empty parking spots and the bare posts where coin-operated parking meters stand during the summer tourist season. Seeing those empty stretches of pavement where, in summertime, cars sit nose-to-tail reminds me that yes–we are lucky enough to live here. Because when the summer ends, and the tourists leave, Maine belongs to us, the people who call it home.
Your Monday Challenge is this:
Plan to take a Sunday Drive this weekend!
It’s fall; there isn’t a better time of year to take a drive, especially if you are in an area where the seasons change and you get to enjoy some fall colors. The heat of summer is (largely) gone, and school is well underway all across the country. Although there may be some people out and about, taking Sunday Drives like you, it’s unlikely you’ll run across the type of gridlocked traffic you’d see in July or August.
Plan to take a drive somewhere where you can have lunch, or even go really old school and pack a picnic lunch to enjoy al fresco.
I’m glad I had the chance to enjoy our quiet Sunday Drive yesterday. Sometime before the snow flies, I’d like to take a Sunday Drive to Vermont, and sometime in the next few weeks I would like to spend a day down in Boston. Boston in the fall is just fabulous, and I’d like to enjoy it before the cold really settles in.
Where could you go for a Sunday Drive this coming weekend?
Have a Happy Aloha Monday!
Kittery Sky (unretouched) – © 2012 Karina Chapman
Oh, how wonderful to see Nubble! My favourite lighthouse … I’m sure it’s many people’s favourite lighthouse too LOL. I have pictures of my own from there, but haven’t been there after I bought the DSLR. What an incredibly picturesque place it is!
We do take drives on Sundays every now and then … quite often, actually. Now, my husband just came back from three weeks in France, and he caught a nasty cold, so he has to recover from that now first..
Posted by Rebekah | October 23, 2012, 8:47 pmOh goodness. I hope he feels better. But the bigger question is why didn’t you go with him?
Enjoy your Sunday drive when he gets better!
Posted by AlohaKarina | October 23, 2012, 8:58 pmWe have a really great agreement: I go home to Sweden on my own … he goes to France to see his old friends, from his years in Brittany, and he won’t have to translate everything to me. Next year, we might go somewhere together… possibly Italy.
Posted by Rebekah | October 23, 2012, 9:08 pmNext time, both of you go to both places! Start with Sweden, head to France, then move on to Italy. It’s possible–and you can do it in just 2-3 weeks, easily.
We love Eurail passes for this reason!
Posted by AlohaKarina | October 23, 2012, 9:16 pmYes, it’s doable but I don’t see it happening. My husband is 77, and he wants to make this trip to Italy to re-visit Cortona, where he studied for so many years. We’ll see — it isn’t even at the planning stage yet.
Posted by Rebekah | October 23, 2012, 9:20 pmWhat a beautiful drive you had. Just lovely photographs. Hope you are feeling well and enjoying the chocolate balls, taking as needed. I took a Sunday Drive recently on the National Road-Route 40, instead of the interstate. It was a cool thing to do. Have to plan to do it again.
Posted by rutheh | October 29, 2012, 6:43 pmThank you! I found out I’m allergic to almonds and I got some amaretto chocolate balls. Bummer!!
Posted by AlohaKarina | November 9, 2012, 9:01 am