The third cup 5/25

Sunday, May 25, 2003

Hi neighbors. Memorial Day weekend is upon us. I hope you have lots of coffee, steaks, hot dogs and barbecue sauce on hand for all the friends and relatives that drop in. Schools out, the weather is nice, time for some outdoor fun. There is lots of yard work to do, gardens to tend, flowers to re-pot, home repairs or remodeling to do. There is always lots of work with a home, yard and garden. But not this weekend. This is the official starting weekend of summer fun and shouldn't be wasted on work. Of course sometimes even fun can be work. Like cleaning out the old travel trailer in preparation for this year's vacation. How many can work at this job at once may be limited by the size of the trailer; and the agility of the crew. Speaking of crew; don't forget to clean the boat out. Check out the lights on the boat trailer, make sure all the floatation devices are in place. Untangle all the fishing lines, hooks, and other gear. Do some maintenance on the motor, sail and oars. Maybe you are the hardy type who go hiking and camping with only a tiny tent, sleeping bag, compass, canteen and bag of trail mix. If you have a family, you might go camping with a huge tent, gas stove, sleeping cots, battery powered television and laptop. As much as we all love home, it seems there is a rustling of the spirit in the spring. The first warm weekend arrives and we're ready to go. We get an overwhelming urge to migrate. Since humans aren't really into that whole "go north in the spring and south in the fall" instinctual thing, we mainly just wander east and west in a zigzag pattern. True this annual migration may take us to Canada or Mexico, over the oceans to Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, or to some South American country. The possibilities are endless. We could travel by boat, train, blimp, bus, or airplane. We could see places of inspiration and natural wonders. We could take in places of amusement and entertainment. With some planning, we could fly to another country and get a feel for other cultures and histories. If just getting away is the plan, and not going anywhere in particular, we can take a cruise and just enjoy the ocean for a few days or weeks. So much to do, so many options, so many places to go! But let's face it. Most Americans will spend their vacations visiting relatives by car. I imagine it's the same with people everywhere. Going across country in a car filled with children and suitcases can be a harrowing, er, learning experience. It's nice to know there will be relatives along the journey for moral support and bathroom privileges. Some place safe to stop and rearrange the luggage to make room for the souvenirs and occasionally an additional passenger who jumped in at Aunt Molly's to finish the journey with you. For lots of people, the annual family vacation is the only time they are all in a restricted area together for any length of time. Many new things are discovered about each other. Odd discussions arise. Varied interests are revealed. As day after day the entire family rides for hours together, children may become bored. Parents may become frustrated. New topics of discussion arise between parents, like child labor laws, boarding schools, and DNA testing research. Children learn new skills while on vacation. Some are simple amusements like what phrase or rude noise will make your sibling turn red and starting screaming for your mother. Other children conduct highly sophisticated research experiments designed to test parents' tolerance levels concerning noise levels, bladder control, sleep depravation and hunger. A relative's house along the way can offer opportunities to stay out of the car for several hours. If they have children, your children can disappear into their children's rooms for a while; at least until the first fights break out. After any visit with a relative, the next 50 miles or so can be spent wondering how folks with the same genetic material turned out so nice, rich, well-behaved, and organized -- or not. Until the next time friends remember; it's time to start planning that vacation. Plan well, pack sparingly, prepare in advance and leave at least one or two days of free time to come home and recover before going back to work.

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