I got a phone call today from a friend that is moving to middle-of-nowhere Maine.  She was calling to warn me about her imminent departure and wanted to get together before the big move because she knows I will not be driving 4-6 hours to visit anytime soon.  That is, at least until gas prices stop hovering around $4 per gallon.  I was sure she was exaggerating about $3.89 per gallon gas in Nottingham since the prices in the greater Manchester area are still a good 20 cents lower.  Not that I think $3.69 per gallon is a bargain.  Not at all.  On the contrary, I'm all but ready to start digging for oil (did you hear about that guy in Indiana?) in my own backyard.  With a shovel. 

Forget planting perennials this year.  I'm looking for oil!   

This is about the time of year that my family and I used to get the boat out of the garage and haul it up to Lake Sunapee every weekend.  We'd go through a tank of gas in the truck just driving back and forth (a 45-mile trip, one way).  We then spent the day on the lake puttering around in our boat.  We usually didn't go through more than half a tank in the boat unless we were feeling particularly reckless.  There were many weekends that we did this on both Saturday and Sunday.  It was our thing and we loved it.  Looking back, we probably burned through $100 per weekend in gas alone.  But that was at $1.59 per gallon. 

Sadly, we no longer have our boat.  However, if we did (and I do miss it) I think our trips to the lake would have been limited to special occasions this year.  I simply refuse to pay these absurd prices for anything other than essential driving. 

Watch out for me on the road too.  I'll be the one driving the speed limit.