Tomorrow thousands will gather at the Oktoberfest grounds in Munich to watch the parade that ushers in the beginning of Oktoberfest. Last year we had the opportunity to attend the opening for the 200th Oktoberfest. It was amazing, insane, and something every beer lover should experience at least once.

Here are a few memories for us and a few enticements for you to put it on your bucket list.

The beer for Oktoberfest really does roll in on carts in barrels!

In front of Schottenhamel just before the guns are fired to start Oktoberfest!

Beer Maids lined up in the tent getting ready to serve the throngs

The rugged coastline of Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island in Maine. One of our favorite places on the East Coast. Awesome hiking (from mountainous to coastal and easy to strenuous), kayaking, and vegan restaurant options in the village of Bar Harbor!

Note the beautiful rose color of the granite mixed with the jagged and fractured rock created by an ancient volcano.

The famous and beautiful Multnomah Falls. The falls are the second highest in the world (although this is debated by experts apparently) and a must-see for anyone visiting the Portland Oregon area.

Irene blasted New England on Sunday and left behind a lot of wind damage on the eastern side of Connecticut and flooding to the west. By Sunday evening, over 750,000 households were without power and most estimates indicate that it will be at least a week before the smaller towns are back online.

Amy and I live in one of those small towns.

When you live out in the boondocks as we do (by Connecticut standards, 50 square miles with only 7,000+ residents), it means you also have a well and septic system. A well pump requires electricity to operate.

No electricity = no running water.

Luckily for me, Amy grew up in a small town in a home on a well and knew that we needed to fill up the bathtubs before the storm hit. She was also adamant that we go out days in advance to get bottled water, fuel for our gas grill, and gasoline for our portable generator.

Since the storm knocked our power out we’ve been forced to notice, the hard way, all of the modern conveniences we take for granted every single day. The simple act of flushing a toilet involves dunking a bucket in the tub and then pouring the water into the toilet rather than simply pushing the handle. Washing dishes no longer involves simply rinsing them off and tossing them in the dishwasher. Showering requires water to be heated on the grill and then mixed with cold water from the tub which then gets dumped from a bucket over your head.

How did people do it back before indoor plumbing!? How do they do it today in areas where plumbing is either non-existent or only available to the wealthy?

Being without these luxuries sucks but there are positives as well. We’re forced now to be cognizant of what we’re doing all of the time. We’re not glued to Facebook and Twitter, the Internet, or even the TV. We’re thoughtful of the amount of water we use everyday, and without refrigeration we’re picking up fresh food every day.

We’re living in our same old house but we’re experiencing many aspects of it as if it were a foreign world. These tasks and worries that we’re confronted with are new and fresh, we’re not stuck in our old routine (although if the power were gone long enough even this situation would become routine at some point).

Amy summed it up as “being present in the moment.” Our minds aren’t always wandering off wondering what all of our Facebook friends are doing. We’re focused on simply making it through the day and that can be a really great feeling. This is the same feeling we have when we travel, when we experience a new culture and try to get by on limited vocabularies. We travel because its new and exciting.

Fortunately and unfortunately, our utility company informed us today that we should have power back by the end of the day. I’m both excited to be able to shower again but I’m also a little disappointed that this in-home adventure is coming to a close.

So how do we keep the feeling alive? How do we make everyday feel fresh and filled with new experiences? How do we keep ourselves from getting trapped in the monotony of the everyday?

When we begin our around the world adventure will we fall victim to the same problems? Will traveling become monotonous and boring? I think we need to figure it out before we go! Currently our biggest and best distraction from daily life is planning the next trip, but when we’re in Tonga out in the Pacific Islands we don’t want to spend all of our time focusing on the next trip? We’re really going to need a way to find balance.

Amy suggested that we designate one evening a week to unplug from the routine. We can use candles or as few lights as possible, we’ll cook simple meals outside on the grill, we’ll have conversations about life and our worries, and we’ll really pay attention to what we consume food/energy/water wise.

I think this is a great place to start. Since we’re not out on the road yet and we have limited vacation days each year, changing our perspective and habits will help us stay sane. It will also have the added benefit of getting us used to living simply and with far less than our modern middle class selves are used to.

Can you offer any advice? How do you keep things fresh in your own life?

Stop back to see some pictures of the local damage that we’ll be uploading soon.

One of the dragons from the Chinese New Year parade in China Town, NYC – 2009