Vacation Month Heats Up

August is the traditional vacation month and me and the fam are taking full advantage.

I live in Mass, but I woke up in Illinois on August first. We visited the town I grew up in, and the kids got to see the grandparents, great-grandparents, cousins, aunts, and uncles. Me and the Wife also sneaked away for a great date night. We met up with old friends and had a few beers. We slept on the 30th floor of a classy hotel on the beautiful Mag Mile of Chicago. I returned to the big city a couple days later to watch at Cubs game at Wrigley. That night I met up with old friends again and even sang a few karaoke songs. Man, I was nervous before singing my first tune, Babylon, but I settled in, and had a lot of fun. Nothing like hanging with life-long friends and family, reminiscing on old times, discussing new interests, and laughing all night long.

Soon the drive home began. We said our goodbyes and got in the Honda Civic. The first day we drove from IL to Batavia, NY, which lasted 12 full hours (13 if you include time zone change). There were thunderstorms along the way, but we rode them out, with the kids plugged in to devices, me behind the wheel, and the Wife holding the map. Our hotel room had a busted AC, that leaked water all over the carpet, but we didn't care, and passed out. The next day, we drove from 9am to 4pm, another eternity of highway. After 20 hours of driving total, we finally landed in our driveway.

The travelling is not over yet. On Monday we fly to Oregon to visit my sister. I've seen sis at Christmas in IL but haven't set foot in her home in over ten years. It'll be me, and the kids in a jet for 6 hours while my wife, who just spent her vacation days, will stay home with the dog. I can't wait to see my sister's place and meet the friends she's made since my last visit. I've also shared my latest manuscript with only my sis, and can't wait to hear what she thinks of it.

And during all of this, the heat persists! My god, is this the hottest summer on record or what? I checked the weather in Oregon, and its 90-plus there too. I just played whiffle ball with my son and the sweat was dripping down my sunglasses like rain on a windshield. This is the second day in a row I've had to re-shirt, after one was sweat through. But hey, I'm not complaining. I'd rather seat any day than shovel snow.