Vacation Memories and New School Routines

September is past the halfway point. The children have returned to school, Wife is still killing it at work, and I continue to bring joy and happiness to the tourists and beer afficionados who want to know a little more about the beverage that brings me joy.

After months of lazing about the house during the summer, my little Miracles of Christ have adjusted to the routine of getting up early and making the bus. It's 50-50 that The Oppressed might make the bus, but The Boy has no trouble making it out the door. He and his crew are taking advantage of the nice fall weather and riding their bikes to school every morning. The bus can wait until the winter. Right now, the big boys on campus are rolling into the schoolyard and beginning the day with fresh air and exercise.

Boys Riding Bikes

The Boy is always coming up with great ideas and looking for ways to improve his life. I don't know who came up with the idea to ride bikes to school, but it wouldn't surprise me if he had a hand in making this decision. Whoever it was, the boys enjoy their mornings, and the short bike ride is just the thing to exercise their bodies before exercising their minds.

There always seems to be plenty of things around for the boy. He's always trying new things and finding new things to do with his free time. Last summer, we went to Delaware for vacation and spent the days on and around the beaches of The First State. My son had a skimboard and took it on the water. He needed some wax, and I went with him to a nearby store so he could wax up his skimboard. I wasn't allowed to go into the store with him, though. He had his money, and he knew what he wanted. I was allowed to accompany him to the store, but that was the extent of it.

The end of another vacation day

Shopping with my Son

What do I know? I'm just a parent.

While I waited outside, the boy was in the store with his money conducting his business. When he emerged from the store with a big smile on his face, I noticed he was carrying a bag that had what appeared to be a large quantity of wax. I asked him what else he bought. He told me he only bought wax. I looked in the bag and saw three small bricks of wax. The man behind the counter told him about a special sale happening where you could buy two waxes and get the third for free. The boy was certainly excited to hear about this news, and he walked out of the store, proud of his "free" third brick of wax. I explained to him there would be no way he would ever work through all three bricks. That didn't matter. He got something for free, and The Boy was happy to get it. Had I been in the store with him, I would have tried to dissuade him from buying more than he needed, but I doubt he would have listened to me. What do I know? I'm just a parent.

Warm weather and clear skies

It was a good trip for the family overall. Wife was happy to sit at the beach and work on her tan. I looked for local beers to try out like I always do when we're in a different part of the country. Our hotel room was set up in a way that The Boy would sleep in a pull-out bed. This part of the room could be separated by a curtain so people could change while the bathroom was occupied. My little reason for single malt kept the curtain closed and had his own private spot where he could play on his Nintendo Switch before falling asleep for the night. In the morning, he and I would be the first ones up. We would go down to the lobby for breakfast. I would drink my coffee while he worked on a waffle. The Boy made the waffle by himself. I was not allowed to help him. That was fine with me. I was just happy to spend some time with The Boy in the morning.

Donuts

Decisions, decisions...

I was also able to spend a little time with The Oppressed. We went out and got donuts from a local shop. Like I've said before, it's nice to check out what and where the locals eat. There were plenty of donuts to check out at the Fractured Prune, and the family was happy with what we picked out.