Monday, July 6, 2009

the rikrak STAY-cation giveaway!


ahhhh... summmmmmmerrrrr.....

here @ the rikrak home we're celebrating summertime & the glories of home with a little STAY-vacation .. fun little around-the-town adventures in our fabulous hometown! i've been hearing lots of folks chatting about STAY-cations this season, with the economy calling for wise, creative, thrifty vacation problem-solving.

while i love to travel travel travel, i've also always loved STAY-cations in the past... and now's the perfect time for one @ our little place!


so i'm taking a little hiatus from my etsy shop for a little bit, vowing not to go to the post office everyday for 2 whole weeks! (imagine!) and looking forward to exploring even more of our fabulous ottawa with the fam! {fear not! i'll still be blogging each day! :) }

so... in honour of everyone's fabulous places where we live . & in honour of exploring close to home ... i'm having a little giveaway.

on wednesday july 15th @ 9pm est, i will randomly select one of the entries below.
and the winner will receive a fun set of 6 rikrak eco.coasters in the fabric of their choice from my rikrak shop! (value $21.00 US + free worldwide shipping).. to celebrate HOME!


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the rules:
1. just leave me a comment here about what would be something fabulous you would do /explore on a STAY-cation in your city/town & tell us why! if it's a place/festival/etc that has a link, please include it! i'd love to see it! = 1 ballot

2. if you already follow my blog, or sign up to follow or feedburn my blog = 1 extra ballot. please leave me a separate comment about it below.

3. to earn a possiblie further 2 extra entries, you can a) twitter about the giveaway (1 extra ballot) and leave me a link to it here in the comments and/or b) blog about the giveaway (1 extra ballot) and leave me a link to the blog post here in the comments.

4. therefore: each person can enter a possible total of 4 times in this contest: each entry must be in it's own, separate comment space, to make tallying easier! thanks!

4. on wednesday july 15th @ 9pm, i will randomly choose a winner from the comments below!

5. thanks!


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you're all lovelies!! happy STAY-cationing!
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107 comments:

  1. Good morning!

    We too will be having a Staycation this season!
    I am hoping, if the wind ever dies down, to get in our trusty canoe and paddle down the shore of Lake Superior. It is a wonderous Lake with a gorgeous shoreline, I am very lucky to live here!

    Have fun with little rikrak!

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  2. I love staycations. Here we have one right now. Not completely voluntarely, since it's because of some jobissues, but on the other hand: it's great to explore the world close to us and find little lovely places we never saw, even if they are only a few blocks away.

    I hope you'll have a great staycation!

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  3. We're following local theatre, London has lots of theatre companies & through the next month you could see Moonlight & Magnolias, tick, tick Boom! and Alice in Wonderland. Something for every age group & affordable too!

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  4. i would love to tour the old architecture in downtown tucson

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  5. It is totally the season for a stay-cation.
    There is so much to do in the Montreal area: jazz fest & comedy fest are both in July. We'll be taking the kids to either Parc Safari or Granby Zoo. There are also local beaches to visit.

    Mostly it will be a lot of 'balconville' as we like to call it in Quebec. Just lounging around the pool in the backyard. (weather permitting)

    I'll be tweeting your contest, I'm just not sure how to send a link.

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  6. I love staycations because I really hate to leave my yard just when it's looking so pretty, only to find everything overgrown and wilted when I get home from a vacation away. The nearest city to me is Regina...a 30 minute drive. The thing I love most about Regina is Wascana Park. It's really so amazingly beautiful that sometimes I forget how lucky we are to have it. Larger than Central Park in New York and Stanley Park in Vancouver, it's the 4th largest urban park in Canada! I could spend a day there so easily doing nothing more than walking, canoeing, or just sitting under a tree. I need to plan that staycation soon!

    Have a good one yourself!

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  7. Okay! I'm a follower, I've blogged http://charmingbetties.blogspot.com/, twittered http://twitter.com/CharmingBetties and posted previous to this! Fingers crossed now!

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  8. We'll be going up north for a bit - Collingwood, Muskoka... staying at a cottage. Getting away from the city is sometimes needed. Although I don't really live in the city.. LOL. Collingwood and Muskoka though are alot quieter than the suburbs. We're also going out to local festivals, farmer's markets... it's great to meet people in the area and support locally owned businesses. Having a vacation doesn't have to mean you need to fly across the ocean. :)

    Hope you're having a great summer.

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  9. good for you- a 2 week staycation!!
    i'm sort of doing a staycation, as in, staying in canada! we are taking the car out to bc for a couple of weeks with the tent! my soul is sooo looking forward to being in the mountains and near the ocean! i will, however miss my garden and all the wonderful things going on here during that time! Luckily I'll be around long enough to enjoy the street performers festival:

    http://www.edmontonstreetfest.com/2009/index.php

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  10. We love staycations! We've been exploring our surroundings for the past week and have had a blast! Have gone to 2 museums and traveled up north for a day trip. Having a blast!

    Enjoy your staycation!
    Denise

    Thanks for the chance at a fabulous giveaway!!

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  11. It's so nice to see that my family and I are not the only ones doing a STAY-cation this year. We're on Long Island, NY and may be venturing to upstate NY to see family.

    I'm a follower too and a fellow blogger-
    emilylanestudio.blogspot.com.

    I've commented, I followed and I've blogged, now my fingers are crossed!

    Love your shop and blog. Have a great STAY-cation!

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  12. I love stay-cation!
    No baggabes to made....
    We enjoy the beauty of life, in our garden!
    Bye

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  13. I follow your blog!

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  14. With my staycation I would go to an amusement park, the pool, turn off the phone and rent some great movies.

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  15. I'm on staycation this week!! I'm loving going to the municipal pool and hanging out in our backyard! I plan on revamping our back patio area to a more family friendly outdoor area :)

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  16. I'm new to DC and would love to do a staycation! There's supposed to be great hiking not far from here, but I'd honestly be happy just going down to the national mall and hanging out at Smithsonians for a full day or two. I feel like it's not the same experience when we go for a couple of hours in the middle of a chore-filled weekend!

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  17. We could go to Silver Springs Park or Wild Waters...here's a link:
    http://silversprings.com/

    http://www.wildwaterspark.com/

    contact me at:
    celeste@mail4me.com

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  18. Blog follower!

    contact me at:
    celeste@mail4me.com

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  19. For a stay-cation I would love to go to a water park. Maybe I am too old for that but I don't care. I would love to spend a day drifting along a lazy river! Emerald Isle is a great park and it is only a little over an hour away! http://www.emeraldpointe.com/

    katie[at]starttofinishsupplies.com

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  20. I would go to the Domes in Milwaukee. Here's a link: http://www.milwaukeedomes.org/

    carethediva[at]hotmail[dot]com

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  21. I am now a blog follower

    katie[at]starttofinishsupplies.com

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  22. We are planning some camping - but not venturing too far from home. We're also checking out the $1 movies at the theatre in Kanata (on Wed - cause it's not too far from you!) And I'll likely take the little people downtown to visit the markets. Yum!

    Enjoy your staycation! Being a visitor in your own town is always great!

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  23. My husband and I had a stay-vacation to celebrate our anniversary while my mother-in-law watched our toddlers. We spent the afternoon exploring Shaker Village http://www.shakervillageky.org/

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  24. I twitted you as twitter user helenapuck

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  25. I would be checking out all the beautiful parks, the farmer's markets, and the gorgeous downtown area.

    Have fun on your staycation!

    lesjoujou AT gmail DOT com

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  26. If I had a STAY-cataion, I would sleep late, have my boyfriend make french toast for breakfast, and then take a drive down to Savannah to see the sun set on the water. Sounds so amazing. Wish I could do it!

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  27. I live in San Diego, so the possibilities are ENDLESS! The San Diego Zoo, Sea World, Hotel Del Coranado... though really I think the thing I would do is just spend some time in the little surf & turf neighborhoods by the beach... and of course hit the beach itself! Maybe it's cliché but there really is no better way to spend a summer day in Southern California!

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  28. And of course I already follow you! :)

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  29. And have re-tweeted, @CinderLisa. :)

    LOVE the coasters, btw! Your whole shop is simply delightful.

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  30. i live in brisbane- AUSTRALIA, and have a little 9 month old baby boy, so this yhear we will be stay-cationing...exploring the art museum, state library, southbank-man made beach in the city with great activities and markets, and seeing the gold coast, and attractions like sea-world, movie-world and dream world! enjoy your time at home : )

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  31. A staycation is perfect for where we live. The bright lights of Branson are nearby as well as TableRock Lake and Silver Dollar City. We plan on taking in a show or two over the next few weeks and definately hitting Silver Dollar City for some fun roller coater action.
    Hope you enjoy yours!

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  32. I am now following you too.

    www.kristyscustomcreations.blogspot.com

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  33. I just moved to the Midwest, specifically Illinois, the land of Lincoln and corn. So I am looking forward to checking out the sweet corn festival in Urbana:
    http://www.facebook.com/pages/Urbana-IL/Urbana-Sweetcorn-Festival/77572024237

    and the Lincoln library and museum in Springfield: http://www.alplm.org/

    I also want to go hiking in Turkey Run State Park just over the state border in Indiana: http://www.turkeyrunstatepark.com/

    urchiken at gmail dot com

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  34. Hello,

    We plan to do lots of summer fun activities around town in Mississauga. The city has great events planned all summer:
    http://www.mississauga.ca/portal/discover/mymississauga

    Also there is wonderful walking tours throughout Historical Streetsville.
    http://www.villageofstreetsville.com/

    Have a great vacation at home!

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  35. On a Stay-cation that I would love to have is just go around taking pictures of things I have not seen before, like all the covered bridges and little creeks and ponds around. As well as abandoned houses and just take pictures of everything I see and spend the whole day taking pictures and then have a picnic at the park.

    amanda[dot]hayslett[at]gmail[dot]com
    amanda.hayslett@gmail.com

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  36. I am now following your blog :)

    amanda.hayslett@gmail.com

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  37. summer time, its good to go for a jog at the park.

    sherrygo at hotmail dot com

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  38. blogged http://iluvcontest.blogspot.com/2009/07/win-fun-set-of-6-rirak-ecocoasters.html

    sherrygo at hotmail dot com

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  39. follower :)

    sherrygo at hotmail dot com

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  40. Lovely contest I love anything vintage.I would plan a picnic at the nearby river .The river has trails to explore and lots of wildlife like eagles,herons,ducks,occasionally you will see swans or seals.Helen

    malfie@care2.com

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  41. I'm going to be staying in San Francisco this year! Geeze, even the bridge toll is getting to steep! Probably hang out at Ghirardelli Square (www.ghirardellisq.com)

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  42. Wow, there are so many things to do in the Montreal area for a stay-cation. I think the first one on my list is a visit to Old Montreal. That is, if the rain every stops :-)

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  43. I think many will be having staycations this year....In our rural area there isn't a whole lot going on..we just ended our Acadian Festival celebrating the heritage of the area...that was fun! Now, if the weather cooperates, we could go tenting on the hill (while being eaten by blackflies), pick wild strawberries (yumm), bike ride the back roads....lots of them....and have an icecream treat at the local ice cream shop.

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  44. We just moved to Phoenix, AZ so had a bit of a staycation for 2 weeks before I started working. It's pretty hot right now, but if I didn't have to work I would want to hike in the morning...there are a few mountains just a bit further than we usually hike that I have heard are amazing! And then, of course, I'd like to check out more of the local culinary scene! Thanks for the giveaway!

    krherning at yahoo dot com

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  45. For our staycation we love going to the Local pool. It keeps us cool and makes us think we are somewhere in the tropics.

    CherryBlossomsDesign at hotmail

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  46. We have a scenic railroad I'd love to take my daughter out on.

    www.wmsr.com

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  47. We're staying local - heading to Fire Island - 45 minute drive and a 30 minute ferry ride. No cars there - it is like awesome!

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  48. and I FOLLOW. :-)

    LOVE LOVE your coasters.

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  49. I would spend and entire day at the frederick meijer botanical garden here and have a picnic under the trees. Thanks!

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  50. We spend a day at the local children's museum! They have fun stuff for the little one, coffee for "mommy", a train to play on and activities + a library - a great day for $5!!

    jamieandandre at bellsouth dot net

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  51. Follower - yay!

    jamieandandre at bellsouth dot net

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  52. Tweeted!

    http://twitter.com/SavinginStyle/status/2527744921

    jamieandandre at bellsouth dot net

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  53. Philadelphia Art Museum on Sundays -- pay as you wish and such a beautiful place!

    acm211 [at] gmail [dot] com

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  54. My little girls and I love exploring all the fun pools in our area.

    I'm following
    and
    I tweeted

    Have a super staycation!

    cutthecakedesigns@gmail.com

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  55. Staycations can be a lot of fun if you get a little creative! We will be exploring Washington DC this year as it's practically in our backyard but we tend to avoid it due to the crowds

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  56. I tweeted! https://twitter.com/PurelyElegant

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  57. I stay-cated here in Lexington KY this summer. I visited the Shaker Village right outside of town, along with visiting stops along the bourbon trail. Mmm...Kentucky bourbon...

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  58. Our stay-cation is just about... getting ready for our move! So, no time or money for a vacation this summer.
    One of the highlights here in St. Louis is the Festival of Nations, such a great event, we always love to join:
    http://www.iistl.org/festival.php

    Thanks for the giveaway!

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  59. on my staycation, i would get my friend to come with me to every thrift store in the city and do some major thrifting.
    Lmhoot@flash.net

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  60. I am actually going on vacation but we have had plenty of staycations. I would love to visit the museums here. I have yet to do that.

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  61. We actually did have a staycation in our city! We went to what our city calls the Stars and Stripes Festival - http://www.starsandstripesfest.com/. There's all types of different food (usually the most expensive part of the event), LOTS of free concerts and fun rides. There's also usually a craft & art show and a lot of the local downtown stores offer sales and do events. It's a great way to put money back into our own little city. :)

    kkondek at gmail.com

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  62. Tweet! http://twitter.com/ktkatherine/status/2543236766
    kkondek at gmail.com

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  63. It's easy to have a stay-cation in my city, San Diego. I would go hiking at Torrey Pines, then head to the beach. Maybe go sea kayaking in La Jolla.

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  64. I subscribed to your blog

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  65. I love stay-cations. There is so much near me such as castles and Art museums and I'm about an hours drive from Niagara Falls and Niagara on the Lake. Thanks for this giveaway and please count me in

    chinook92(at)gmail(dot)com

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  66. I follow your blog

    chinook92(at)gmail(dot)com

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  67. Hi Kristal, I've just won an eco wallet on Kristin's blog so I won't enter this giveaway - don't want to be greedy! Just thought I'd join in the stay-cation fun. One of my fav places close to home are the Dandenong Ranges (http://www.visitvictoria.com/displayobject.cfm/objectid.000341F2-2C89-1EBF-BED880C476A90000/). Lots of national parks for hiking, gourmet food and antique and gift shops!

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  68. http://twitter.com/simplypuzzling

    Posted a tweet about this awesome giveaway!!

    amanda.hayslett@gmail.com

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  69. for my fourth entry for the giveaway I have posted a short sweet blog about the coasters and your giveaway!
    can be found at : http://simplypuzzling.blogspot.com/

    amanda.hayslett@gmail.com

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  70. i live in austin, pretty close to downtown, so there's always something to do or new to explore. i haven't lived here long, so i'm constantly finding new things.

    i love taking walks around the texas state capitol grounds (although it's a bit hot now) or trying out EVERY little coffee shop. if you're ever in austin, go to the hideout at 7th and congress - it's my favorite!

    but the ultimate austin touristy thing during the summer is watching the bats emerge from under the congress avenue bridge. here's a link to the details: http://www.austin360.com/search/content/events/special/bats.html.

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  71. I live in Atlanta and depending on the time of year there are great festivals to go to - The Inman Park Festival, Grant Park Shade Festival, Dogwood Festival. I think if I was doing a staycation now, I would hike up Stone Mountain with my family!

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  72. I love stay-cation!!!!I love my home and I like make changes in it or simply enjoy it. There are also smal villages near mine and interesting festivals and we can go there and return home withot making baggages!!!!!


    cal_rubies at yahoo dot es

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  73. Follower!

    cal_rubies at yahoo dot es

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  74. On a stay-cation i would visit my grandparents who live an hour away from my place and would spend time with them and their adorable dog.

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  75. I would explore the buildings that are over 100 years old and take some photographs of them.

    aikychien at yahoo dot com

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  76. I'm a follower.

    aikychien at yahoo dot com

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  77. ooo - i love staycations! there is so much to see and do in ottawa. two favourite stops close to home are the central experimental farm. i often detour to slowly drive through it (the long way) on my way home. lately, we have been visiting the locks in and around ottawa along the beautiful rideau canal. no wonder the waterway has been declared a world heritage site!

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  78. i moved my blog to a different i-location and lost all the links to blogs i was following. :(

    no worries - you are back on the list. yay!

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  79. I live just outside New York City. The city is one of the best staycation locations I can think of no matter what time of the year.

    dmc710(at)aol(dot)com

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  80. I live just outside New York City.
    It's one of the best staycation locations I can think of no matter what time of the year.

    dmc710(at)aol(dot)com

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  81. I live just outside New York City.
    It's one of the best staycation locations I can think of no matter what time of the year.

    dmc710(at)aol(dot)com

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  82. I love stay-cations, and since our current home is still quite new to us, there is plenty to explore. Currently though, I am hooked on walking the beach. And since there are so many fabulous beaches within an hour, I can choose a new one each week. Last week, Shediac; this week Cap-Pele.

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  83. And, I am already a rikrak follower!

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  84. My city is full of STAY-cation ideas, most of them are natural and delicacy spot, I love spending evening at Lembang, it's always winter there, very chilly, but they are stocked with fresh strawberries and milk (yep farm areas), and you can Rent-a-horse there, hahaha. Very safe and easy, even if you don't ride horses, the horses are trained.

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  85. I would love to take my daughter to the Children's Museum in town. We have been to a Children's Museum on vacation before, but never the one in our own town.
    shan_da(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  86. I do follow your blog! http://thelittlegoat.com

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  87. Honestly, Im looking to go to Alcatraz! I havent been since I was a kid, and not since I moved to SF! Excited!

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  88. I tweeted about it too! @laureniskeen

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  89. We are loving our staycation this year. Taking advantage of the weekends to explore nearby little towns.

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  90. Hmm, if I could do a little staycation I would love to catch the train that runs on the island here. It takes you to the capital city, Victoria and it is so lovely there at the harbour during the summer :) Who knows... maybe I'll get to do it *grin*.

    Have fun on your staycation!!

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  91. oh and i follow your blog:) as you already know that!

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  92. I tweeted about it to from @Rosy_Posy and linked it to you :)

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  93. oh and just twittered about it:) Ok tripled my chances:)

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  94. I currently live in Morgantown, West Virginia which is a beautiful little town in the Appalachian mountains. Whenever I get a chance I like to do some whitewater rafting in one of the many rivers in the area. I think that's what I would do on a staycation, and maybe even throw some camping gear into the boat to spend the night somewhere along the river.

    Happy summer everyone!

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  95. I twittered about your giveaway! :)

    http://twitter.com/executeme

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  96. thanks so much for all of your fabulous STAY-cation ideas, nicies! i'd LOVE to visit you all and go exploring with your great great suggestions! the contest is now closed! please tune in tomorrow am for the winner! thanks!

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  97. Oh man, didn't make the cut-off! Oh well how about you join my giveaway here kokopinto.blogspot.com/2009/06/uppin-ante-adopt-critter.html

    Four printable sets will be won this weekend! Come join, it's easy!

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thanks so much for your comments, nicies!
it's a joy to read what everyone writes here.
thank you!