This essay is about the importance of vacation and relaxation.

A vacation is a time for me to relax and enjoy my free time. It is a time when I can escape the stress of my everyday life and relax my body and mind. My grandmother's house in Florida is where I can accomplish that peace of mind. The weather, surroundings, and feelings experienced are only some of the many wonderful things about Florida. It is one of the best vacation spots and a priceless experience to enjoy.

The time of the year that I usually travel to Florida is May. My grandmother's house is in Key West, where the weather is beautiful. As the sun rises in the morning, the moist dew on each perfectly green blade of grass begins to evaporate. The fresh smell of air is something so indescribable and cannot be found in the factory polluted atmosphere of New York. The sun is accompanied with sizzling temperatures ranging from 75-85 Fahrenheit. It is a great time to be out on the soft, white, sandy beaches and get an attractive brown tan from the beaming rays of the vibrant sun. However, on some days the relative humidity is so bad that it actually feels as if the air is sticking to your skin. By mid day the temperatures can reach a scorching 90 Fahrenheit or above. Learning from a painful experience, I now know to always wear sun screen if I want to go outside at that time of day. Without it, I will be as red as a tomato that night and in as much pain as if someone was touching me with red-hot pokers. Before the moon comes up and the sun disappears into the magenta horizon, there is usually a period of fifteen to twenty minutes when it pours, cooling everything down. After the rain, I usually go outside and watch the moon come up among the stars in the sky. My favorite type of moon to see in a starry sky is a thin crescent shaped one laying sideways. I like it because it reminds me of a big bowl, waiting to catch the stars when dawn comes.

My grandmother's house is in Key West in a very beautiful neighborhood. Her house is a big white one with baby blue shutters on the windows and a red door. In the front yard on the lawn is a big huge tree with a black tire swing attached to it for her grandchildren to play on. A concrete walkway leads from her front door to either the mailbox, or the garden on the side of the house. The garden is my favorite part of the house, even more so then the tire swing. Red, white, blue, yellow, and purple flowers can be seen blooming in the perfectly landscaped garden. These exotic colors send the mind into a world never ventured into before. It is as if my mind goes into shock at the sight of the bright and beautiful colors of the flowers. The smells of the flowers will also put the nose through an aromatic heaven. The magnificent fragrances of the flowers make me feel like I am in a perfume store with only the most astonishing scents. Combine all those scents with the smell of a hearty homemade Italian dinner created by my grandmother and you too, will experience a paradise meant for the senses.

Vacation time in Florida allows my mind and body to be at peace with itself. Sitting outside in the backyard by the pool, hearing the soothing hum of the pool filter, and surrounded by the glorious flowers, I experience the serenity that only the monks have described before. The smells, sounds, and surroundings allow every muscle in my body to relax and no tension nor stress can be found. My mind wanders into a perfect world, my utopia. The sun is shining down brightly over the land and there is not a cloud in sight. Clear flowing waterfalls can be seen everywhere, emptying into a crystal blue lake. At the point where the waterfalls hit the lake, fluorescent rainbows can be seen, each showing every color brilliantly. In the lake, exotic and tropical fishes of all different colors swim about with no worries. The land is all a perfect shade of green and each flower is slightly different from the next, each possessing every color imaginable and some never even thought of. I imagine myself laying in the middle of a green meadow surrounded by the sweet smelling flowers with the sun warming my skin and the ground beneath me. While I am in this place, nothing can bother me and I have not a care in the world. I am at peace with myself and my environment, in a place I can only dream of.

Relaxation is the first word that comes to mind when I think of my grandmother's house. It is a place where the stresses of my life cannot bother me. The weather, surroundings, and sensations make Florida a wonderful place to experience serenity and a bit if heaven. Whenever I smell the perfumed scent of flowers, my mind automatically connects with the utopia I am in while at my grandmother's house. For those few moments, I experience true and untouchable happiness.