Despite lamenting the fact that summer’s almost over, I can look back on these last few months and know that this has been an incredible season… from Yosemite to Baja to Florence Lake and everywhere in between, I’ve kayaked and surfed and hiked and camped my heart out. But it wasn’t all action and adventure… There were the quiet moments too, the ones where I simply sat back and let it all soak in.
Those moments of reflection (il dolce far niente, the sweetness of doing nothing) allowed me to truly appreciate where I was, who I was with, and what I was doing. (The next time you feel like your life is a whirlwind, take a moment to catch your breath and do a little something for yourself — even when that something is really nothing.)
After a long day of adventure (and sometimes even before all the hubbub), I always look forward to putting my feet up and enjoying the pleasant idleness. And for one lucky winner, TravelChair and I have teamed up to give away one of their Lounge Lizards, which will make putting your feet up that much more pleasant too!
The Lounge Lizard is a zero-gravity chair that makes you feel almost weightless when you’re lying in it. Lean back, set the lock, and feel all the stress and tension of the day melt away. It’s the air equivalent of putting a pile of pillows under your feet.
After a 16-mile hike in the Sierra, this was me the next morning…
The Lounge Lizard also makes a great camp chair. It’ll make you the envy of all your backcountry buddies. I know it doesn’t look like a camp chair, or even something that you haul down to Baja with you, but if it folds, I consider it a camp chair!
The whole thing folds up flat into a tidy 20-pound package (admittedly, a much easier deal with the separate carrying bag). It’s made with a breathable, quick-drying, mildew-resistant mesh that you can hose down after dragging it through the dirt to lounge by the sea. And on those hot summer days, you won’t get sweaty back syndrome from a stuffy seat. (This is an especially good feature when your friends keep stealing your chair.)
After a whole summer of schlepping it from car to camp (and even boat to camp), the Lounge Lizard has held up to the abuse and still has many, many more summers (and falls, and winters, and springs) of il dolce far niente ahead.
Even if you’re not the camping type, this chair would feel right at home in the garden or by the pool. In fact, when I first got my Lounge Lizard, I simply took it out of the box and set it up in my living room. I woke up some 20 minutes later, realizing that I had fallen asleep while testing it out! Take it from a person who never naps — it really is that comfortable.
I mean, does this picture need any explanation?
Want to be in my shoes? I’m excited to announce that TravelChair is giving away the coveted Lounge Lizard ($185 value) to one lucky Garden Betty reader!
How to enter: Simply leave a comment below and tell me your favorite memory from this summer, whether it was on the road or at home! To receive an additional entry, follow @gardenbetty on Twitter, and leave a second comment below indicating your Twitter username. You have two chances to win!
The giveaway will end at 11:59 PM Pacific Standard Time on Friday, September 14, 2012. Winner will be drawn at random and announced the following week. Good luck!
Giveaway Rules
- Giveaway begins September 10, 2012 and ends September 14, 2012.
- No purchase is necessary. To enter, leave a comment on this blog post.
- Only US residents ages 18 and older are eligible to enter.
- Two entries allowed per person.
- Odds of winning are based on number of entries received.
- Winner will be drawn at random.
- If winner does not respond within 48 hours after time of contact, that entry will be forfeited and a new winner will be drawn.
This post is brought to you by TravelChair. Thank you for supporting the sponsors that support Garden Betty.
Update: A big thanks to everyone who entered!
This giveaway is now closed. The winner has been announced here.
Favorite memory of summer has to be, without a doubt, going to Yosemite for the first time.
And of course, I’m following you on Twitter! 🙂
I SO need this chair – I’ve been dying for a good camping chair for months, and this lounger looks ridiculously comfortable.
My favorite memory of this summer was sending my first V5s outdoors at Stone Fort in Tennessee. It was a really great trip up to the mountains, and felt so empowering to finally overcome my limits and move up to the next level in climbing – but it would have been so much better to have a comfy chair to kick back in while I celebrating my epic sends. 😉
Ah! Is summer really over?! I finally, FINALLY taught myself how to make cheese… and of course many nights of yard games, beaches, friends, laughing.
Also, I follow Garden Betty – @thefoxtale:twitter
vmswain@gmail.com – My favorite memory is sitting at the ocean’s edge on Bar Harbor, creating a Zen rock pile. My boyfriend handed me rocks to build with, until he handed me a diamond ring, and asked me to marry him.
Harvesting all the yummy food from my garden. We didn’t go anywhere this summer.
Camping at the coast and taking my son crabbing for the first time.
I follow the Garden Betty on twitter (@Sleepyheadedmom)
My favorite memory of the summer was taking our son to his first concert. He had a blast and even got an autograph. Lucky little boy.
I followed you on twitter. I’m @ghadel
Spent the night in the Queen Mary and had my first paranormal experience 🙂
Sorry, my favorite memory of the summer was sitting in your Lounge Lizard overlooking a point break in Mexico and passing out!
This chair would make a nice addition to my R.E.I. Camp Cot so I would be covered in and out of my tent!
Looks like the perfect way to kick back and watch the world (and my kids) go by!
I follow you on twitter. I’m @pineapplehugger
My favorite memory this summer was my daughters 13th birthday. Spending the day jumping off the pier and playing at the beach with family and friends.
Having had a year from hell…hubby broke his hip when he fell on his road bicycle; then diagnosed with acute Myloid leukemia , spent 115 days in the hospital undergoing 4 rounds of chemo, but now life is getting a little back to normal. He’s in remission, praise the Lord. My favorite trip this summer was to Priest Lake Idaho with a side trip through Yellowstone. The weather was fantastic; the park phenomenal; the lake was gorgeous & time spent with family was priceless.
A fantastic week spent at my childhood vacation spot – Cape Cod! Seeing it through my childrens’ eyes has been absolutely amazing!
My fav. memory of this summer was our son being in the Olympics. A fantastic achievement!
My favorite memory was kayaking near Park City with my son, daughter and sister.
I follow you on Twitter. My handle is @aisatsuma.
My favorite memory of this summer was eating dinner with my son and daughter at Chez Panisse. To start, we had the most amazing salad with avocado, cucumber and mint with honey and lime. What followed was even more incredible. I got to cross one thing off my bucket list and enjoyed the experience with my two kids.
My favorite memory this summer was around midnight driving through the desert between Phoenix and Palm Desert…Lightning bolts dancing in the sky all around us. Ooohhhs, aaahhhhs, and wowwwws were the only sounds in the car, besides the didya see that one!?!?
My favorite memory was petting penguins at the zoo!
My favorit memory of this summer? After walking the coast to coast in The U.K. Relaxing by the sea and celebrating that we finished!
I follow you on Twitter! @toesandtomatoes
My favorite memory of this summer… My family and I going to the mountains to visit my grandma. We watched thunderstorms while enjoying her blackberries and tomatoes. Love summer time!
Best summer memory 2012: swimming in the cool spring-fed pool at Landa Park in New Braunfels, TX & then a delicious dinner at the Grist Mill. This has become our annual tradition to celebrate our son’s birthday in July.
Favorite Summer Memory: Running our dog on the sands of Marina Beach close to Monterey!
My favorite memory is my husband shaking the pawpaw tree next the creek and having it rain pawpaw’s down all around.
My favorite memory is when we brought home our chickens and just sat in the grass and watched them for hours!
My favorite summer memory is roadtripping with my husband and our two dogs
I follow garden betty on twitter, username is shespeaksbark
Also — following you on Twitter. My username is @Leanne_Opaskar:twitter
My favorite summer memory this year was the call from our listing agent telling us we got the house. (; The fabulous beautiful house that was everything we wanted and then some. I suspect my next-favorite will be showing up tomorrow or Wednesday, when we close! I would love one of these chairs for our new half-acre backyard with the view of the entire valley …
I am following you on twitter!
My user name is Oh Suzanna@OhMySuzanna:twitter
That chair looks fabulously comfortable. My favorite memory of the summer is our week in the Big Horn Mountains of Wyoming, a place of il dolce far niente, the sweetness of doing nothing….unless you feel like doing all sorts of outdoor things, which we always do. Driving through Custer State Part and seeing buffalo and the wild burros was very special, too.
My favorite summer memory is picking cherries. It was early in June, hot and the trees were laden with ripe fruit. I swear there was magic in the sultry still air!
My favorite summer memory this year was watching as my 9 year old nephew fight his way through our family euchre tournament! He ended up in 2nd place and was a gracious runner-up for the title.