This summer is a time for vacation more than ever

Subhead

My Two Cents

Image
Body

As a kid, summer vacations usually involved visiting grandparents in Maryland. Once in a while we’d visit Indiana and my dad’s side of the family, but mostly it was Salisbury, Assateague Island and if we were lucky, Ocean City.

Then there were the family treks across the Southwest and stops at Palo Duro Canyon, Santa Fe and Taos. Sometimes we stayed in the Lone Star State with trips to New Braunfels, San Antonio and Austin. Throw in a few sessions at summer camp and you get the picture for how I spent my summer vacations.

All that pretty much ended when I began working each summer when I got to high school.  

Flash forward 20 years and the concept of the summer vacation re-entered my life. At first they were easy. When the girls were young, trips to San Antonio to visit Sea World, the Alamo and Rain Forest Café were the norm. What seemed like a pretty good routine was suddenly interrupted by them getting older, though. 

Our first big summer vacation was a surprise trip to Disney World. We kept the girls in the dark for about half the drive, but despite our efforts to keep it secret all the way to Orlando, Amy and I broke down just outside Baton Rouge and spilled the beans.

That was followed by a road trip to Carlsbad Caverns and the Grand Canyon. From man’s greatest creation to a couple of His greatest wonders, it was a nice change of pace. Since then we’ve been to California, the Florida Panhandle, back to San Antonio, Oklahoma City, Washington D.C., New York City and few places in between. The goal was always trying to plan a trip where we could see and experience something different as a family.

Along the way we’ve found ways to overcome work as well as band and theater camp schedules. 

There was the year I had knee surgery. That summer we used a college campus tour trip as a mini-vacation. We’ve probably done a few “staycations” and ended up letting summer pass by without a trip as well, although those memories don’t last nearly as long as riding Space Mountain or eating dinner with Shamu.

Like families everywhere, we’re trying to figure out what this summer will bring. In addition to increasingly crowded schedules, we’re trying to navigate the covids and what is and isn’t going to be open. 

We haven’t narrowed it down yet, but I suspect some place with wide open spaces to let our senses breath in this country’s vastness is at the top of the list right now.

**

With the recent protests and riots hopefully settling down, now is a good reminder that one of the most powerful tools of change we individuals have is the power to vote. 

It’s hard to believe, but we’re just a little more than a month away from the runoff election from last March’s party primaries. There aren’t any local runoffs, but if you are not already registered to vote and would like to cast a ballot in one of the runoffs you have until June 15 to register. Early voting will begin on June 29 and the election is July 14.

The general election will be Nov. 3 and whether we like it or not, I’m sure we’ll be bombarded with a steadily growing barrage of campaign messages between now and then.

Regardless of which party or candidate you support — or oppose — the right to vote is one of the foundational cornerstones of our democracy and we should each take every opportunity we get to exercise it.

 

Bill Crist is the publisher of The Snyder News. Comments may be emailed to publisher@thesnydernews.com.