Resort Retort

Friends in Santa Barbara just don't get "resort"--the springlike clothes that pop up in stores this time of year.  It doesn't make much sense to me either.  We can wear shorts and flip flops pretty much all year long.  I don't mean to rub it in, but we took Mimi to the beach on Christmas Day, it was so warm!

But for my Kansas family and New York friends, a dead-of-winter vacation is de rigueur.  The freezing cold winters are brutal and long, long, long!  They watch Travelocity for cheap fares to Cancun or Barbados and if they find one, trust me, it's hasta la vista, baby.  I'm outta here!  So it's nice to be able to find a strapless dress amid all the puffer coats when the holidays are over.

I did go to the Virgin Islands one December, but I ended up wearing only a swimsuit the entire two weeks I was down there.  I think I wrapped a towel around my waist when I ventured ashore for a pina colada. I, too, had bought some new clothes to wear but they remained in my duffel bag, tags still on.   So are resort clothes really necessary?

My travel buddy and I are actually hatching another plan.  We want to take bicycles via ferries all the way from Florida to the tip of South America.  We are starting to collect info and, of course, it's always fun to think about what we're going to take in the tiny backpack we'll each have.  For me, it's pretty much a couple of swimsuits, a pair of shorts, a toothbrush and a snorkel.  Hasta la vista, baby!