Changes...
I made my decision to wander in Maine before my brother received his bad news just a week ago. (You may remember that I dedicated last September's trip to him as he fought his battle with cancer.)
As the days moved by, the timing of my planned trip started to feel really off. I thought and I thought. I agonized, and I thought some more. What should I do? Ever since I heard Neal's news, I've been fighting with myself over my plans. Should I leave the plans as is and potentially need to cancel at the last minute, or need to come home in mid-trip to be with family? Or should I change the dates?
Plans can be changed, vacation dates can be moved, but I need to make that decision now. Why? Because I have B&B reservations, and B&B reservations typically come with a very restrictive cancellation policy. Of the four B&Bs where I have reservations, two have a 14-day cancellation policy, and two have a 10-day cancellation policy. At first I was just going to leave the reservations as is, knowing that if I needed to be with my family during my planned vacation that I would lose my deposits. But as the days creep by, it just feels like my timing is really off. When I compared the cancellation policies and today's date, I realized that if I cancel now I will only lose one deposit.
I finally decided this morning to try to move my trip out further into September. Time for the telephone... I canceled reservations at two of the B&Bs, and I moved the other two. One of those was the reservation where I was already inside of the 14-day cancellation window, but the B&B owner was wonderful and just moved my reservation without charging me for the canceled reservation. How nice! I don't know if that was because I started the conversation by acknowledging that I knew they wouldn't refund my 1-night deposit, or if that's an unstated policy if the reservation is moved as opposed to cancelled. No matter the reason, that made my day! And I was lucky to find four consecutive days available at the B&B I chose in Bar Harbor. I'll be staying in two different rooms, but my original reservation had that quirk as well.
I suppose that given my brother's life situation that my vacation isn't really important. It may be selfish, but it still feels important to me. It's well past time for a break, a calming wander on my bike, a canvas of ocean and rocks waiting for capture by my camera.
My moved Maine trip is still not too far off, beginning on September 18th instead of the original September 2nd start date.
My changed plans leave me with a trip that is two days shorter than the original. I'll still be covering two distinct sections of the Maine coast, one that is new to me, and one that is quite familiar. And yes, I'm still looking forward to my trip.
