Summer begins today. Actually, it official began at 12:04 this morning. At the time, I was looking at the inside of my eyelids and sleeping but Earth was moving (and shaking) – tilting, rotating, and revolving. There are all sorts of definitions of summer – school, weather, and celestial. Whatever the definition, for most of us summer means vacation and time to kick back and relax. But, time keeps moving regardless of who you are or whether you are on vacation or not.

My world has been moving and shaking, too. This morning I am on a road trip, I head south to Mississippi and a visit with my step-mom. It will be a good time and both us will be learning. One will be learning a brand new world – the iPad and the internet and the other will be learning how best to teach several years of technology in a couple of days. The good news is that my visit will be followed up with a visit from my brother, Warren and his two boys next weekend. So, what I miss, he’ll be able to follow up on. I am still open to technology advice. I have my list, it’s written down, and I am certain I’ll add more along the drive.

Does anyone have any advice about teaching a soon to be 79 year-old how to use an iPad? Or even the internet?

It’s a long drive, 631 miles door to door. It should take about 10-11 hours and I have plenty of daylight. I plan to stop at my ALL TIME favorite road stop – Lambert’s Café in Sikeston, Missouri. It’s the home of the throwed rolls. I do know ‘throwed’ it is not a word, but it is on their billboards and it is part of their lore. If you haven’t been there, you need to experience it. I’ve been three times – twice in 1991 on the move up to Chicago – once on move in March and again when B moved in June and the third stop in 2004. It is over four hundred miles from here to there so we don’t visit often, only when we travel that way. I don’t know if I will eat there because it’s a lot of food, and time and I don’t want to get all full and sleepy, nor do I want to spend an hour eating.

Today is the sixteenth day of summer vacation, by my count there are fifty-eight days remaining. As I explained in my last post about the ‘Sunshine Report,’ every Wednesday during the school year, we began geography class, the first class of the day, with the ‘Sunshine Report.’ I checked this morning and there was little difference between Wednesday’s readings and today’s. I forgot Mexico City and I added Oxford, my weekend destination. I suppose I could add a few more, but I won’t.

NOTE: Rome and Wheaton are about the same latitude. Sunrise is AM and Sunset is PM.

As you can see the further north a location is, the more daylight it gets. The pattern reverses in the winter and, I am sad to report that from now until December 21^st on the Winter Solstice, the days will slowly begin to get shorter. I know I am a spoilsport. As a teacher, I am the king of things kids never think of, or many adults for that matter, whether it is clothing tags, banana stickers, sunrises and sunsets, or correct forms of verbs.

So, I have 15 hours and 13 minutes of daylight. I’ll spend most of my daylight seated behind the wheel headed south. I am packed and ready to go, I have a couple of errands to do, and then I am off. Today is gonna be a great day, I know it and can feel it. Making the Days Count, one day at a time, no matter what how much daylight I have, driving south with time to think and dream.

Do you have a favorite road stop? What is and where is it? How did you find it?

BTW this is my 300^th post – it snuck up on me. Summer writing – some ‘er good, some er; not. Thanks for stopping by.