Friday Five - Getaway Edition

From the RevGalBlogPals site:

Suppose you were told to pack some essentials for a trip to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

Describe your location, in general or specific terms....

While I love the mountains and lake, it is the beach that I crave when I need to get away. Nowhere specific, but it must include good sand for walking, a porch with a rocking chair, and quiet neighbors.

1) What book(s) will you bring?

If the last Harry Potter book isn't out yet, I would need a good big thick novel. Lightish reading, but engrossing. A good story. But no dying children please (see post below), or women dying of cancer. Any suggestions? I'm always looking.

2) What music accompanies you?

Ummm....Shawn Colvin, Indigo Girls, Springsteen, and some big booming classical music like Pictures at an Exhibition, Elgar, Holst....must listen to it while watching the waves.

3) What essentials of everyday living must you take (as in the health and beauty aids aisle variety)?

Sunscreen....lately I'm partial to the spray kind, together with the face stick. Have been using it all week on the kids what with field day and beach day, last week of school stuff. I don't need much else, really. I buy what's on sale. I do love being clean and lotioned after a sandy wind-blown day.

4) What technological gadgets if any, will you take with you or do you leave it all behind?

I would take my iPod, for the music listed above. Cellphone, but I would leave it off most of the day. If I am with my family, the walkie-talkies are useful, but we usually forget to bring them. Nothing else needed. Mr. Incredible packs a separate bag for all his gadgets: GPS, satellite radio, etc. It's part of the fun for him.

5) What culinary delights will you partake in while there?

Seafood. Any kind. All kinds. Boiled peanuts too. A good crab boil (also known by other names, I know, but can't remember any right now), where you put crab, shrimp, potatoes, corn, sausage all in a pot, then dump it out on a newspaper-covered table and dig in. Yum.

As a bonus question, what makes for a perfect day on vacation for you?

Sleeping until I wake up naturally. The beach, a good book, some good seafood, and my family. Although I can appreciate a day alone, too....