We were so excited to be going to the airport, even though we knew, intellectually, that on the other side of that flight was 85% humidity and temperatures in the 90's. We love travel that much. The suitcase packing, the clothes selections, the streamlining to "just a few" key pieces, the "we can buy that there" trick from Rick Steve's travel tips kick in and we can't help ourselves, we get über excited!
I got into my now acclaimed "Hotel or House Finding" mode and zeroed in on a few key places three or four weeks out from the journey and then began negotiating with the owners. Who wants to rent anything in Oxford in July?? They do well in fall with football rentals, garnering $150 to $250 per ROOM in a 3 BR house in the fall. But not one of those ninnies was willing to negotiate. It's like they don't understand that literally NO ONE WILL RENT YOUR HOUSE IN JULY. Except then I distinguished that July is still Wedding Month. Perhaps someone did rent your home for an astronomical $450 to $750 per night in July in Oxford, MS. Now I will go check. NOPE. They didn't get rented. We paid $750 for all four nights. Another score for the House Maven!
Somehow I feel vindicated. We found a lovely home on Airbnb instead, and at a very reasonable rate with sleeping space for 8. And a great home it was. The wedding venues were delightful, on a lake, and at The Grove. If I'd been able to cart around a portable A/C unit I would have loved them both.
