local summer vacations....

It stormed/rained last night, it was very peaceful....

I drove past a bright yellow canola field yesterday and it made me think about summer it was so bright, like the sunshine....

Summer season is almost here and I know that it will be time for many traditional summer fun activities, vacations, road trips......I was always so excited to finish school and be free for the summer!....lol...I would be given my class diploma/awards for the year, and I was running for the door! I'm free from school for a few months!!!...haha! (I still wish I could feel that way now about some things)...oh well....I  think everyone feels that way about summer season!

Traditional Activities can be out of your home state you can travel to, OR just vacation in your own local home state, help local economy, save money...but still sort of get away for awhile....

BRING ALONG FAMILY/FRIENDS
Invite Family/Friends to go on vacation with you, more fun! Stay in cabins, motels/hotels, or rental properties local to the area you are vacationing at... REMEMBER to always have fun and laugh, relax, forget your worries if you can...Create memories with your group and take plenty of pictures on your vacation.

PETS ON VACATION
Sometimes you may wish to take your pets on vacation but often times you cannot, so you need to find someone reliable, trustworthy and caring who can keep them for you or feed/water them at your home..Keep them safe indoors of your home from anything electrical, or unsanitary....you can monitor them with equipment on your cell phone with a camera to watch them while you are gone...to know they are safe...

IF your pets can go on vacation with you, make very sure they are on a leash,collar at all times and with you always, watch/monitor them so you will know where they are!..It would be so upsetting/terrifying to lose a pet on vacation..sadness!..so we must ALWAYS keep them on leashes, with collars while travelling, you may place them in their pet taxi/kennel too! sometimes it is just best to leave them at home, with extra care from a family/friend to help out with them...

SAVE MONEY
Vacationing can be expensive, so when you know you wish to take a vacation check out the prices of the area you are going to go vacation at..look online first..this helps you get the idea of how much it may cost you, save money as quickly as you can and you and your traveling companions can throw money in together to afford places to stay, dine, relax, sightsee, enjoy a few days...

Just for fun here are a few summer seasonal activities:

 SWIMMING----the public swimming pools will be opening soon....I have always enjoyed swimming, it is one of my favorite activities!...It helps me not hurt so bad, I relax all over when I swim....Whenever I was younger I took part in swimming lessons at the local public swimming pool for many summers...I liked attending the lessons and learning to dive....I like the water..always have!...

Public swimming pools need to be sanitized, chlorinated, clean ALWAYS!..bathe before you go to the pool----i always do this!....you may have a put-up pool at home, keep it very clean as well, free of debris and nastiness!...VERY important.

CAMPING/FISHING/MOUNTAIN CLIMBING/STATE PARKS----Oklahoma has many beautiful state parks and I have been to a few of them...It can be nice to camp out under the stars in a tent or rent a cute cabin!, have cookouts at the lakes, explore, and just relax, have safe campfires...use skewers---roast hot dogs, roast marshmallows/create S'mores!... ;)  OR go out on the lake wave running, swimming, water skiing, or fishing from a boat....go mountain climbing (with safety gear)..have fun..

ALWAYS watch your children and keep them close nearby you, make sure they are safe at all times and do not become lost!.....it is terrible if something bad would happen on vacation!

often vacationing/sightseeing locally is more affordable..you don't have all the travel expenses....

FUN OKLAHOMA STATE PARKS
A few state parks here in Oklahoma for summer season fun are:
Lake Murray
Beavers Bend Resort Park
Kaw Lake
Tenkiller Ferry Lake
Robbers Cave State Park
Lake Eufaula State Park
Chickasaw National Recreation Area
Quartz Mountain Nature Park
Wichita Mountains Wild Life Refuge, Mountains Area
Keystone Lake
Oologah Lake
Canton Lake
Black Kettle National Grassland
Lake of the Arbuckles
Skiatook Lake
Foss State Park
Lake Lawtonka
Lake Ellsworth
Medicine Park
Hugo Lake
Sulphur
ArrowHead State Park
Little Sahara State Park--go all terrain driving on the sand dunes!..fun!
Webbers Falls
Arcadia Lake
Lake Texhoma
Quartz Mountain Resort--enjoy the art!..needs some work, but it is beautiful.

VEHICLE UPKEEP- PLENTY OF FUEL
Make sure you always have plenty of fuel in your vehicle's tank..long driving trips can use a lot of fuel....check out your vehicle before you drive long distances...a garage/mechanic can check your vehicle out and make sure it is working properly for a fee...

THRILL RIDES/WATER PARKS
As a child I have always enjoyed going to water parks and on the thrill rides, locally in Texas, many people like Six Flags for the summer to attend, Sea World, Schlitterbahn Water Park, Hurricane Harbor for the water parks, or go down to the beach in Padre Island, Texas.... AND here in Oklahoma we have Frontier City and you can enjoy the rides there, and White Water Bay has always been a fun water park to attend...I attended these as a child/teen...always fun to go to! I wish we had more of these thrill rides and water parks here in Oklahoma! also listen to live music at the Zoo Amphitheatre....fun times...

LOCAL OKLAHOMA MUSEUMS
Science Museum
Oklahoma City Museum of Art
Oklahoma History Center
Museum of Osteology
National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum
Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History
Gilcrease Museum
Museum of the Great Plains
Fort Sill National Historic Landmark and Museum
Philbrook Museum of Art
Stafford Air and Space Museum
Chickasaw Cultural Center
Comanche National Museum and Cultural Center
Chisholm Trail Heritage Center
 just a few !....lol..

PURCHASE SOUVENIRS ON VACATIONS
I always like to purchase souvenirs from the museums or from vacations..no matter where you go, always purchase a souvenir! Keepsake them..

TAKE PICTURES AND SCRAPBOOK YOUR VACATIONS
Take plenty of pictures on your vacation and create a scrapbook to keep your memories in of your vacation!..make it cute and colorful, use themed stickers and card stock....Scrapbooking is fun. 

J.