(Ladies and gentlemen, blogging friends, I must admit writing this blog yesterday afternoon in the middle of another day-long snowstorm which dumped–at least–another foot of snow upon our Little House in the Woods. Hence, this post smacks of Cabin Fever. You know, that crazy silliness you get when you’ve been cooped up in the house too long. Please forgive in advance anything that resembles giddiness, rambling or excessive dreaming…)
I am going to win a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Marrakech, Morocco.
You wonder how I know that?
Because every day for a week I have emailed an entry to Win the Big Trip in a magnificent travel sweepstakes. And shall continue to do so until March 31st, when a lovely smiling Vanna White-like employee of an Esteemed Company will pull my email address from a spinning wheel of names and telephone our Little House in the Big Woods to say, “Congratulations, Kathy! You’re going to Marrakech, Morocco!”
Sure, you scoff, what a dreamer! There are gazillions of people entering to win this trip. What makes YOU think YOU’RE going to win, anyway?
Umm, because I’m a blogger, and I will take all of you readers along, too! (Virtually, that is.)
Oh wouldn’t we love to see photos of Marrakech? (The appropriate answer required to support this ambition is: Yes, Yes, of course, Kathy, we are dying to see photos of Marrakech!)
But where, you ask, IS Marrakech?
(Wouldn’t you think someone who has been daily entering her email address to win an all-expense trip to Marrakech would know exactly where it is? Wouldn’t you think? OK, let’s guess. I guess that it’s in Africa, somewhere near Egypt. What do you think? This is going to be really embarrassing if it’s near Greece.)
OK, we are SO SAFE! Phew. Wiping brow. Almost humiliated in front of readership. It is in Africa. Please peruse the African map. Please say your prayers that Lake Superior Spirit finds herself in a Moroccan souk (you all know what a souk is, right? You’re savvy? A souk is–one moment please–a traditional market square) with Ms. Canon Rebel snapping wildly hence and yon, photographing marvels of acrobats and story-tellers, water-sellers, dancers and musicians. (Note to self: why is a water-seller a big deal? Must go to Morocco to find out.)

Morocco: up there in the top right quadrant. (Make that the top left quadrant, Sybil corrected me.) South of Spain. West of Algeria.
I would let you all in on the web location and promoter of this Magnificent Trip, but, alas. I would prefer your unmitigated support. Because, as we all know, if you enter the sweepstakes my chances will be less likely. And then the readership will not be fully entertained by Africa’s crowning glory and my itty bitty blog proclaiming its wonder.
There is one other problem. Daughter in NYC passed along the sweepstakes last week because she knows I am already salivating to travel again. It’s been a month since our trip to Nicaragua, darn it! Who knows when and where the wandering feet shall go next? One needs to dream, doesn’t one? One needs to plan future travel blogs, doesn’t one?
Back to the problem. The daughter enters me in the sweepstakes because, of course, she wants to share in the all-expense paid trip for two to Morocco. She wants to go as well. She passed along the tasty sweepstakes tidbit; she wants her share of the reward.
(I, of course, will oust her boyfriend if she wins the sweepstakes, suggesting that Mommy Dearest ought to accompany her.)
But what of Mommy Dearest’s husband? Wouldn’t he like to go to Morocco, too, since he could not fly to Nicaragua? Yes, he surely would. (Except if there are stairs or steps or mountains in Marrakech. His knees do not allow for climbing at this current time. We could postpone the trip until he has two artificial knees! Or he and daughter could duel it out, no, no, not a logical solution.)
I must win the trip, you understand, because there is very little possibility in God’s green earth or our bank account, that I would ever be able to afford a trip to Morocco. Although stranger things have happened. Did you ever hear the story about how I entered a Northwest Airline’s sweepstakes in 2008 and drove around virtual baggage carts every day for a month panting after some sky-in-the-pie prize? (Although the more embarrassing truth is that I liked driving around the baggage carts with increasing daily munching skill.)
Yes, yes, it happened! I recall it as a Pac-man like game in which we players pushed (or ate?) baggage carts, clearing the screen of carts before time ran out.
I didn’t win a grand prize to anyplace exotic, but if you keep reading, you might think that happened. I won a night’s stay at any Hilton Hotel. Yes, yes, I told Barry, where’s a Hilton Hotel within a day’s drive from the Upper Peninsula? We settled on a Hilton chain in Green Bay or Mackinac City, until the award arrived in the mail. It said THREE NIGHTS free at a Hilton.
Wow, I thought, this is getting good, and then set aside the award until an Appropriate Time to Redeem the Sweepstakes.
Then said daughter volunteered on organic farms in Europe. “Can you come over and visit me?” she emailed. Kathy laughed–what a thought, what nerve, of course we have no money to fly Mama to Europe!
When, suddenly, I thought, “I wonder WHERE you can use those three free nights in a Hilton?”
Sure enough–anywhere in the world.
To make this blog a tiny bit shorter (cuz I’m getting carried away now and typing so fast steam is coming off the fingers) I flew to Europe and we stayed three nights at luxury Hilton Hotels in the Netherlands. Almost all the other nights we stayed with old friends and new on-line friends and the entire trip (including airfare) cost maybe $1,000. (I could be completely wrong. It could have been $1,200 or $1,500, please do not quote.)
We even slept down the hall from where John & Yoko honeymooned in the Hilton in Amsterdam, yes, indeed, it happened, so don’t shake your head pessimistically and say that miracles don’t happen!
Excuse me. It’s time to enter the sweepstakes again. Only 27 more days to enter, you know!
Bet you can’t wait until we arrive in that souk and look for the water-sellers!
P.S. Don’t call me a Travel Hussy, please. I want to win this sweepstakes for you. OK, for all of us. So we can all enjoy Marrakech, which everyone knows exists in Africa, even though I’m still not telling where you can enter the Morocco sweepstakes…unless we can cut a deal about who you might choose as your companion if you win…
I am holding both my thumbs AND big toes as well, Marrakech is awesome 😀
(I am with you on the cabin fevery feeling Kathy, have been raining most of the weekend, grey drizzling light rain falling non stop this side of the pond.)
Wishing all of us northwoods dwellers a Cabin-fever-feeling-free week, Forestfae! (Although you just made grey drizzling light rain feel sweet & mystical.)
laughing and wriggling fingers for Kathy trip, just cause it’s fun
wait..do i get a sticker? 😛
*handing Elisa a great big shiny sticker! 😀 just because she is so adorable!
You get this pretty sticker with a picture of Arabian Nights on it, Elisa. Girls just wanna have fun…
“Top right quadrant” … lol
I hope you noticed that I corrected it, Sybil. First thing. Guess i have quadrant challenges…
I did in fact go to Marrakesh. You will like it. There’s even a travel blog in two parts on my blog, if you’re interested. Don’t worry, not that many stairs and the mountains are half an hour by car 🙂
Glad to hear about the lack of stairs and mountains–Barry may be in luck. I will try to visit your blog about Marrakesh in the near future. Thank you for “Visiting Michigan.”
I can’t wait to see your souk pictures and hopefully more cabin-fever blogs, so I won’t feel so alone…all my blogs reek of cabin-fever… I love your travel and sweepstakes rambling!
Feather Story, I am feeling bonded with another whose blogs reek of cabin-fever. **grin** I am glad the ramblings spoke to you. They certainly did ramble sideways for a while there…
I have every single confidence that YOU are going to win, Win, WIN!
Laurie, by any chance were you ever a cheerleader? I can feel the energy of those rah-rah-rah’s taking us all the way across the Big Sea!
Why yes I was (but I no longer do forward/backward hand springs, and if I did the French splits today, I would certainly need medical attention)…
Indeed it is Cabin Fever season – March with solid white all over the ground brings that out. I’m ready to go. Anywhere. Just for a few days would even be good, although a couple of weeks far far away would be better. I’ll cross toes and fingers for you, because virtual travel is better than no travel at all.
Carol, did you catch the Travel Bug when you were young and now you’re completely bonded with it? I’ve only been home a month and I would love to go….anywhere. As for crossing toes, maybe that would work in addition to our fingers… Good luck to us!
Oh yes, without a doubt……knowing you will be soon doing some variegated vagabondizing (as Mark Twain calls it) or your name isn’t Kathy Drue!!
“Variegated vagabondizing?” My goodness, that clever Mark Twain–why he makes up words with sizzle! Must start reading him. A good book to read on the airplane to Morocco, don’t you think?
I believe in good vibes, and you have lots of good vibes going for you.
I also believe I’m going to learn a lot from your blogging/writing techniques. You’re funny, interesting, and write so well. Thanks!
There are so many good vibes spinning around here I’m getting dizzy, roughwighting. Thanks for your kind blogging words. Would you like a sticker or award today? (**grin** I just gave Elisa one in one of the comments up above.)
Hey Kathy!
It’s Kryssy, Sorry I’ve been under the radar, and yes I haven’t been reading your (or barely) anyone else’s blog for that matter.) Just wanted to say Hi! and wish you GOOD LUCK on the sweepstakes. 🙂
Hi Kryssy, it is good to hear from you, sweetie. Hope all is well. Thank you for you good luck wishes–but your “Hi!” was just as appreciated.
I’m not sure about this. There were no incentives for all your blogging friends to continue wishing you success in winning….maybe an unexplained star on our blog causing all sorts of curious questions….maybe, just maybe I could your winning then.
O right, the virtual trip we can take with you. How embarrassing that I forgot…yes and the photos….so win, forget the unexplained star and send those neat photos.
I wasn’t sure about it either, Linda, until the virtual trip idea provided the perfect excuse, errrr, explanation for all of this tomfoolery!
I would be afraid to go anywhere over there. I found this on the travel.state.gov web page. On April 28, 2011, in an attack against Western tourists, a terrorist bomb detonated at the Argana Café in Marrakesh’s Djemaa el-Fnasquare, killing 17 people and seriously injuring at least 19.
Here is the link: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_975.html
Women are also harassed and crime is bad over there too.
Connie, it’s a scary world we live in. Don’t know if you read any of my Nicaragua articles, especially this one: https://upwoods.wordpress.com/2012/02/03/danger-in-nicaragua/
I was a little scared about going to Central America, too. The same travel page (but for Nicaragua) offered warnings that would scare a person into locking their door and never leaving the woods.
It’s funny. I would be a bit scared about going to Morocco. But would it keep me home? Probably not. Maybe, not probably not. It would depend what my heart said when it came time to accept the sweepstakes.
Thank you for sharing the link.
I think the men would bother you and your daughter. She is beautiful and to see two women alone would draw them to you both.
Gosh, I guess we’ll just have to take her boyfriend along then. Since he’s Egyptian and speaks Arabic fluently, I guess we’ll be safe…
Good luck on winning your trip. He would be a good travel companion for you guys.
Aaahh!! Naaiice 🙂 I’d like to join you too. We can together explore the new region, what say? 😉 If only I could get off from my work 😐
Sure, Sonali! You can meet us there! That’s a plan… As for work, ahhh yes. I keep forgetting about work. Luckily, my job is part-time and the hours are flexible, but don’t know how that helps someone who is working full time. 😦
Alright ill see you there.. before I forget, Kathy kindly pack some snow for me from your place. & don’t forget your amazing camera. I’ll pack some colors for you from India.. may be colored kurtis? 🙂
Hi Sweety, sure hope you’re winning, that would be fantastic.
If not and you still want to go to Morocco, please contact me cos I have a very dear trustworthy family member, who is from Marrakesh, but lives in Holland with my niece and also happens to be a tour organizer. I dont think you could have a better one travelling through Morocco. My sisters and lots of their friends did a trip with him and are going again cos he’s such a great guide. And you’d be safe too.
I’m mentioning this beause you might want to compare prizes and it might be cheaper organizing a Marrakech trip from here than from the US. Not sure, but it’s worth a check I guess.
Love,
Lucienne
Lucienne, wondering if these tours are available to be joined in Morocco itself, if one is travelling in from another part of the world. And if and/or where it would be possible to get this information. Thank you 🙂
What a GREAT suggestion, Lucienne. How very cool! I am going to keep this in mind. Wondering if you’ve ever been to Morocco. (It’s so fun that you stopped by to read this blog when I was thinking about you and what fun we had meeting in the Netherlands.)
Love to you this Monday! Kathy
Morocco!!! Yes, please! (You can whisper the secret of the sweepstakes to me, Kathy. I’m sure it’s only open to citizens of the continental US, anyway.) 😉
I would love to see your photos of Marrakech, so I’m crossing my fingers, arms, legs, and eyes for your e-mail address to be pulled at the end of this month!
Too cool about that Hilton prize, too. You picked a great Hilton to redeem it at (not that I’ve been there myself, but the Netherlands are way cooler than Green Bay, hands down).
Dana (and anyone who is reading Dana’s comment) shhhhh….I DID whisper the secret of the sweepstakes to you. It’s kind of hidden, but it’s there. It’s like a Treasure Hunt. If you want to know the rules…dive in and look. The clues are there…
And that Hilton prize–wow–one of the coolest things that’s ever happened to this chick, that’s for sure! Way cooler than Green Bay. (Having been to both places, I 100% agree with you.)
Did you know that in 1777 Morocco was the first country to publicly recognize the newly formed American republic? Our oldest ally! I learned this fact at the Restaurant Marrakesh in the Morocco pavilion at EPCOT in Disney World. Have to say I enjoyed the atmosphere of that virtual visit and the delicious food, probably as close to the real thing as I will ever get. Except when I visit again through your blog! 🙂
Barbara, that is an amazing and little-known fact! OK, if I don’t win that sweepstakes to Morocco, EPCOT in Disney World would work. (But let’s not be defeatist YET!)
Heh, funny, I just finished drafting a blog for a Monday post about not having a winter where I live. I’m not complaining mind you, but I get cabin fever in the summer here. Can’t go out of the a/c without getting heat stroke. Good luck on your sweepstakes!
To think that someone can get cabin fever in the summer! I never thought of that once. You are so right. I hope to make it blog-reading soon, but am once again way way behind. (If I would quit creating daily it would be easier to keep up.)
Kathy, I don’t know how you do it. I can’t keep up and I just started without near the readership as yours. I’ve decided to do 3 days a week and I’m still having trouble keeping up. Whew! Happy Blogging. 🙂
Whispering to you, Lori: here’s the secret…shhh…you just have to get a tiny bit more obsessed and passionate about it. Are you dreaming you’re writing blogs yet? No? Just keep being delighted when you see the words pop out. Your delight will make more words pop out more quickly. Like popcorn! (P.S. I have trouble keeping up on comments and reading other blogs, but never on writing them cuz it’s a love affair.)
Ahh, no trouble writing blogs here either, or coming up with topics. I also like to read other blogs and try to give myself time for that, not to mention housework and my writing. I wrote about this on my blog in Confession from a Novice Blogger. I know you don’t get a chance to read others, but it’s here just in case.
http://loreezlane.wordpress.com/2012/02/29/confession-from-a-novice-blogger/
P.S. Yep, I’ve been there … dreaming about writing blogs.
Housework? What’s that? lol!
You must win! You must go! You must write and tell all!
Gosh, I love you cheerleaders! You guys are the best. Tammy, I should write the company and tell them what you said. 🙂
The value of that trip is going up every day with the increase in fuel prices 😉 The price for regular at the gas station down the street was $4.19.9 as of last night. I bet you could auction off that trip and make enough money to visit both children. Any guess-timates yet as to when Barry might get his first new knee?
There you go, John. I never thought about the fuel price comparison. Over $4? NOOOOO!!!! Auction off the trip? John, John, John…my heart began thudding in dismay. (Although we may have to auction off the trip to pay for another $6000 deductible when the knee surgeries happen.) We have no official guess-timates yet. Now is the first month that he can start considering it as a possibility. The doc wouldn’t even consider scheduling until March.
I sure hope you win because I so want to see your pictures and read your blogs.
Thank you Lucindalines! Another breath of positive energy!
How sly of you not to tell us where to enter! However, I’m not just anyone, right? You can tell me!
Oh well, I have to confess having wanted to go to Morocco for ages! Damn–I want to go! However, being the good friend that I am, I have to wish you the best of luck with your entries. Surely to God you will win!
You. Will. Win.
Hugs,
Kathy
Kathy, I am even slyer (slier? more sly?) than that. The sweepstakes clue is cleverly hidden in the blog. It is like a treasure hunt. If you really want to know–if the Universe wants you to know–you must slowllllly re-read my blog and the Treasure may be yours too.
I truly wouldn’t mind if you won. You would keep us entertained and on the edge of our seats in that souk. So go for it!
One can only HOPE!! Best of LUCK!!
Jane, I haven’t seen you FOREVER! I hope you have enjoyed your Wisconsin winter. I appreciate your Morocco support!
Kathy, if anyone can MAKE you win this trip, you can! I’m convinced you have “power in your mind”! And I WILL enjoy the virtual blogging trip you take us all on, WHEN you go there! 😀
Did you know there was a song in the 1960’s called “Marrakech Express”? I knew Marrakech was in Africa, just because of the song. Who ever said music couldn’t be educational? Not me!
Joanne, the main reason I probably WILL win is because I don’t really care if it happens or not. I’ve noticed there is often a correlation between manifesting and the level of play/fun/joy that you bring to it. I remember that song, by the way, thanks for the trip down Memory Lane!
Think positive Kathy…”I will win….I will win…I will win” 😀 I’ll be saying it for you too! (or perhaps it should be “WE will win…WE will win…WE will win!” hehehe Going someplace new and exotic would be an adventure indeed and just think of all the tiny little virtual traveling buddies you’d have!! lol..I can see it now…Kathy is wandering around the souk while excitedly muttering descriptions to her secret traveling companions! But no one will look at you and wonder because hey…you’re a tourist and you’re entitled! 😀 And if they do question you as to why you are talking to “yourself” you can blame it on cabin fever and whip out a photo of the foot of new snow in your northwoods! See, the pictures came in handy didn’t they!
Again I have to tell you that I think Kiah is a beautiful young woman 🙂 But you already knew that didn’t you ♥
Grinning, Brenda. It IS a definite WE. Why would the Universe listen to a “me” request when it has a “we” request? So now you’re suggesting I talk to myself, Brenda? LOL…only in little notebooks. However, Cabin Fever can be serious. I could be talking to myself before the day is out. Thanks for your sweet comment about Kiah.
I went on a day trip to Marrakech when I went on a cheap beach holiday to Agadir with my sister when I was sixteen (crikey – 30 years ago…) – North African tourism was very new and at budget prices…
I have some strong memories from there even now – the sunrise in the desert as the coach drove through the Atlas mountains (we had a VERY early start – around 3/4am – …), when we got there, seeing a woman in a full yashmak on a tiny 50cc moped racing around with her infant child hanging on to her front for dear life and shopping bags hanging off the handlebars… The spice stalls in the souks with all their wonderful exotic colours and scents where we bartered for saffron for a friend…my sister getting chased around a carpet factory we visited…(the owner was very fond of her…) – oh and one smell I’ll never forget – the tannery….. peeeeew! 🙂 There are a few memories I wish I didn’t have – there’s alot of poverty there – but I’m glad we went.
I’ve got everything crossed for you and there’s alot of positive thinking in the thread along with mine – you never know…. it just might happen! 🙂
J
You’re still a youngun, Jacquie, well, just a few years younger than me… I LOVE reading your memories of the mountains and the spice stalls and yashmak and saffron and bartering and, well, maybe even the tannery… Poverty is so hard to see, but I think it awakens us to something beyond our own lives. Thank you so much for sharing.
Everyone’s going to want to go, Jacquie, if they pause and read your evocative words!
That would be great – as you would be just next door you could pop in for tea.
OK, Kerry, now you’ve got me REALLY wanting to go! Tea with you would be lovely. What kind?
Well you can have English Breakfast, green tea, black tea, jasmine, lapsang soushong, Earl Grey or one of a variety of fruit infusions. Failing that I will pull mint from the garden and make mint tea Moroccan style.
Jasmine please. Although that mint tea sounds wonderful right now. Could we have two cups? In between a walk?
Of course you can – Have a great break Kathy.
Oh, to be in Marrakech now that spring is here….Please post lots of pictures!!
Oh, to be in Marrakech in the spring–wait a second, Eagle-Eyed Editor. Did you say Spring? Do you think it’s spring already? Wait til you see the pics I post tomorrow…Spring is the LAST thing that’s happening in our world. Sigh.
We have daffodils and crocuses coming up. Unusual for us, since we’ve been known to have snowstorms in March too. If I could send you some warmer weather, I would! I think of you every time I hear the national weather reports.
And you’re going to love this…I just looked out the window and flakes of SNOW are coming down. Did you Midwesterners push it our way??
Oh yes, didn’t you get the memo? March Lion decided to blow some snow your way. He’s blowing as hard as he can. So far he’s only been able to push out a few flakes to scare the daffodils. Silly lion…
ROTFL. We raise our daffodils tough around here; the lion’s in for a fight.
So I’m not the only one who would love to get out of here, eh?? 😉 It would be wonderful if you won the trip, I could live vicariously through your photos – so please, keep entering!! 🙂
OK, Holly, just for you–I entered again today. 🙂
And tomorrow will do it again–just for you.
See I KNEW it wasn’t just for me!
With such positive thinking, I don’t see how it’s possible that you WOULDN’T win! If you find such an entry for a trip to Iceland, you’ll let me know, right? I’ve been salivating over that for a while. Almost did it this year, but then, no…holding off for the bank account. Perhaps when you go to Africa? 🙂
You think, Heather? OK, I’ll keep my eye open for that Iceland sweepstakes. I think. It will be hard for me–gasp!–to give it up to you, but I would, cuz we’re friends. I think I would. Pretty sure it’s possible…
Well, if you’re already going to be in Marrakech… 😀
Oh right, Heather. I forgot. 😉
Keeping my fingers crossed for you. I solemnly promise not take part in the sweepstakes and talk everyone I know out of buying any. 🙂
You are a good woman, Irene. I heartily approve of you! 🙂
I love your enthusiasm for traveling, Kathy! I’m only now catching up on all the blogs you wrote – and loudly cheering for you to WIN-WIN-WIN the trip to Morocco!
Dear Reggie, smiling. I am enthusiastic about travel! (Not always upon just returning from a trip though…) Don’t feel you have to read through all the old blogs written while you were away. There are way too many, unless you’re longing for thousands of Kathy-words, lol.
I know, I have such a huge backlog that I just cannot read everything – or comment on every post, which is a little frustrating.
OK, dear readers. Here’s the–sob!–scoop. It doesn’t look like we won. Apparently the winners–sob!–were notified April 13th. (My daughter just emailed with the–sob!–news.) tee hee
Yay! for the winner…and POO! Will just have to wait until next time, sigh.
Awwww, I am so sorry to hear that. Holding thumbs for your next ticket-lottery!
Reggie and Elisa, I am smiling to see that you are still subscribed to the comments here. Yep, awaiting the next time. Hmmm, wonder where “next time” will be? Wishing you both luck on any sweepstakes you may enter.