Summer Vacations Then and Now

Our school district has its last week of school this week.  My friends who have children in Catholic schools have their last day today.  Our thoughts are turning to summer vacation.

Several of my Facebook friends have already been to the beach.  Their posts make me think of the rambling beach houses of my youth, long ago, in Myrtle Beach.  Those houses have probably been completely remodeled--or torn down for newer houses or condo buildings.

In my youth, we saved our summer trip to the beach for the last weeks of summer vacation--a wise move on the part of my parents.  By then, summer was boring, and a change of scenery was just what we needed.

I'm also seeing Facebook posts from friends who will spend their summer working at camp.  They've been getting counselors trained and grounds ready.  Part of me is jealous, although my current working life sometimes shares more elements with camp life than I let myself realize.  Today I will buy food and treats for our Meet and Greet Open House, and tomorrow I'll serve food at the event.

Now I have so many different school schedules running in my head that it's hard to keep track of where we are on the real calendar.  And our weather here is fairly constant throughout most of the year--it's warm to hot--so I don't have any external cues.

But it is lighter much later these days.  Last night when I carried glasses to the sink close to 9 p.m., it still wasn't completely dark.

This week-end, I look at the calendar and see we don't have any plans--the first week-end without plans in many weeks.  Maybe, in addition to the chores, I can plan some staycation type of things:  reading a book by the pool comes to mind.