When you don't have time, or money, for a full vacation, try a micro adventure. Mostly its finding something new, to you. Keep it simple, uncomplicated, not requiring a lot of planning. I've seen a lot of good ideas for little, local adventures. You can even combine ideas into one, as they suit you.

Your Own Old Neighbourhood

Explore a new or different neighbourhood. Walk down a street you haven't walked down before. Take a new route home from work. Try a new place for coffee. Look for a high point to see more of the area you live in and find other new places to walk another day. Look for historical/ ghost walking tours in your town or city, go on them. Go to a place you see everyday, at night. Look for houses with Little Libraries and exchange books you've read for those you haven't yet. Find festivals, events, workshops in your community - start looking at the library. Photograph an old cemetery.

The Great Outdoors

Start a new outdoor activity: fly a kite, plant a garden, have a picnic, go to the park, build a sandcastle, go swimming, or skating. Spend an afternoon blowing bubbles outdoors. Try geocaching or orienteering. Stargazing or moon bathing. Go out at night or very early in the morning. Make a campfire in your own backyard - bring marshmallows. Go beachcombing, rockhounding, or mudlarking. Walk barefoot. Forage for wild food.

Arts, Crafts, and Skills

Try something artsy or crafty. Never tried sewing, embroidery, crochet? How about painting, or drawing? Sculpture with paper, rock, clay, or something more unusual. Try cooking or baking with a recipe you saved but haven't tried yet. Learn to tie sailor knots. Practice your penmanship. Rearrange your furniture, be your own interior decorator. Play a game with just paper and pens, like retro Dungeons and Dragons. Go to an art tour, studio or gallery tours.

Get Active

Explore sports. Try tennis, hockey, ping pong, something you feel fit enough to tackle and haven't already done.

Another Time and Place...

Explore another culture or time period. Make a meal of authentic dishes. Add some fashion flair from another culture or vintage clothes, if you can find them. Learn another language, or enough of it to greet people and get directions. Follow and read a weblog from another country. Listen to a new style of music.

Sort out your sock drawer, really, don't keep socks without a pair.

Look for more ideas online if you haven't found one to start yet.

Part of the reason I like video games is to explore them. Whether you pick a game with cars which race through the countryside, or villagers trying to build up a city before the army comes to crush it, some video games are made to be explored by people who like art, history and technology. In short, urban explorers.

I was asked how I came to volunteer with Ontario Barn Preservation. This is what I wrote.

Ironically, I am allergic to almost everything inside a barn: hay, animals, and mold/fungus. But, I really like history, particularly finding out about how things were done/ made and worked. My Dad was an electrical engineer who always wanted (and tried several times) to be a dairy farmer. But, he did not want to get his hands dirty. Anyway, that's why I mostly grew up in the suburbs, mainly a town called Port Union in the east end of Scarborough, Toronto, now.

I've loved writing and tried drawing since I was a kid. I became a photographer as I grew up, not professionally at all. I took photos of my Mom's garden for her. I took photos of family and my cats and family trips, my own trips. Always interested in old buildings and places too. In college Photography was one of the courses I took as part of Corporate Communications. When I got my first digital camera I was finally able to take all the photos I wanted without thinking about the cost of developing them. At first I only had to make sure I had enough storage and battery power. My first camera didn't have much for storage.

One of the first places I photographed was an abandoned farm house near Bradford. The house was demolished since then. But, that was the start of photographing old farm houses around Ontario. The next camera I bought was an investment with more memory and a memory card for storage. It also had zoom so I could see details of buildings farther away or get a close look at a house I couldn't access. I started a group for rural exploration photographers in Ontario on Flickr. Its still there along with a few others. I met other people through my photo group and got together to meet a few in person too. I was still in my 30's and 40's then.

By my 50's I wasn't doing as much. But, I still like seeing other photos of old places in Ontario. I often search for history related groups/ organizations in Ontario. I keep a list of links from those I find. Most of them I added to the ODP site. I maintain the category for Urban Exploration there. Anyway, from looking for Ontario history this and that I found Ontario Barn Preservation. They were looking for volunteers. I knew I could not be someone who goes into barns, or help with knowing how to fix them up. But, I sent in my name anyway, just to see what would come from it.

That was about 3 years ago I think. I've been checking the emails, replying to them or directing them to the right people here. I write the newsletter every two months (not strictly on schedule), I post blurbs to social media accounts. Also helping out with memberships, posts to the website, running the site, finding possible contractors to add to the list, dozens of this and that as needed. Officially, I'm the administrative assistant.

When I was photographing the old farm houses I didn't really pay much attention to the barns. There were there and I got some photos, but it was the houses, the abandoned gardens, the structure and the weathering that I especially photographed. Since joining OBP I've learned more about barns and have a greater appreciation for them. Sometimes they call them cathedrals of the field and I think its a good name for them.

Of course, you could put together your own kit. Some cleaning solution, brushes, a little pick to pluck mould/ fungus out of the small places, and something to keep water in. But, it supports others if you choose to buy the kit. Also, you won't have to look for the best cleaning solution and brushes yourself.

I think you might bring along something to sit on too. Also, I'd consider an old towel or blanket to spread on the grass. Just in case the grass doesn't like something in the soap/ cleaner you use.

If you pick out the fungus and mould consider collecting all of those little living things and moving them to a new location. I've seen people making gardens with mould and fungi collected from the street.

Of course, bring your camera! If nothing else, get some before and after photos.