Relaxation Taken to a Whole New Level

Summertime should be a time to relax, right? I read an article a while back that declared summertime relaxation ended with the advent of air conditioning. The article said that with the ability to control our comfort level, we no longer feel the need to slow down and be still (thus avoiding sweating and all the stress that summertime heat brings). I have no idea if that's true, but I do find myself moving slower and doing less when it's 80 degrees inside the house, and even with the fan blowing, it's only comparable to the temperature outside.

Whether the article is true or not, I have found that summertime can be just as stressful and busy as the school year. Work must continue, exercise still needs to happen, health must still be monitored and bills must continue to be paid.

So Jody and I decided that we needed to make relaxation an integral part of our world and our weekly routine. We need to make time to do nothing. Who knew that NOTHING is actually SOMETHING? 

Well, what did we do, you ask?

We bought hammocks. Yes! But not just any hammocks. We bought the most amazing hammocks EVER! The brand is called ENO (Eagle's Nest Outfitters) and is based out of North Carolina. The story behind the company is great, and you should read about it here. At this point, we have two DoubleNest hammocks and what ENO calls the Slap Straps PRO - which is the suspension system for the hammock. It is brilliantly easy to set up your hammock, and it does not require a tree... just two poles that will allow for suspension between them. ENO, you are amazing. I love you.

Jody has already gone solo backpacking/overnight hammocking twice, but I don't want to go unless I have the full set-up. I know you're dying to find out more. Well, in my girlie opinion, I will also need something to protect me from the bugs and the rain. Nothing would scare me more than to wake up with a giant BUG on me in the middle of the night. So I will not hammock overnight unless I have the Guardian Bug Net. And then, because the Rocky Mountains (and probably mountains anywhere) are notorious for afternoon thunderstorms and rain showers, I will need some kind of Rainfly. ENO has four different kinds of tarps, and I don't know yet which one is the most effective... but I definitely want one before I will join Jody and brave the outdoors overnight for hammocking rather than tent camping.


We have also discovered that we don't need to drive into the mountains to use our hammocks. A quick walk or drive over to the high school's practice fields/park takes us to perfect hammocking sites where we can play fetch with Eu-mi (to wear her out), and then we stake her down next to the hammocks, and we can settle into our hammocks for several hours. Yes, I did say hours. Did you know that in a hammock time moves at a whole new pace? You can settle in with a good book, and before you know it, three hours have passed. It's amazing. And then you wake up and realize your book is next to you, you have been drooling all over yourself, and you are so relaxed that it will take you thirty minutes to really wake up.


Here are a few pictures from a recent adventure.

Who knew that NOTHING could be composed of such a beautiful SOMETHING!? If you're looking for me... just look for the nearest trees that are perfectly situated to hold my hammock.....

P.S. To purchase your own ENO hammock, check out your local REI store or you can shop online at rei.com ... Click on the link and you'll go right to the ENO search results page. :)