The Unexpected Road Trip and all the Planned Vacations

As we were passing through Richmond on our way to Florida it occurred to me that August is the month for taking vacations. Capitol Hill becomes very quiet this time of year. Unfortunately our road trip was not planned. We are traveling to visit my parents - one of them is in the hospital and the other is alone. Both are in their 90's. Luckily things could be a lot worse and it is not an emergency. But it is a good time to visit just to calm me down. As we drive along I95, things have become so much easier with our digital devices. I hate airplanes and schedules. We haven't been on a trip this far from home for several years, but we did it routinely before moving to DC. On the way I'm checking Facebook and a lot of friends and family are also traveling and visiting a variety of places- from Hawaii and Pearl Harbor to an escape to San Francisco before the hurricanes; Niagara falls and Toronto; Beale Street; Great Lakes Circle tour and Chicago; kayaking in the Milwaukee River and Lake Michigan; water skiing on a lake somewhere in Massachusetts; a cruise that leaves Baltimore passing under the bridge. Summer is a great time to reconnect and travel to familiar and unfamiliar places - even if it is unexpected.