The Summer Rut

Summer is in full swing for Maura and I and we’re in a bit of a rut. It hasn’t been a summer for ambitious plans or even much activity. The weather has been hot and money has been short. We’ve stayed close to home most days and not found the energy to do much while we were here. I’ve been remiss as a parent and a travel writer. I’ve left Maura mostly to her own devices—which means she’s spent her time reading, playing video games and watching TV. At least a good deal of her time is spent with her nose in a book. I don’t have to make her read.

I’ve spent my days in front of the computer screen. I’m taking on-line courses in web design so time spent at the keyboard hasn’t been entirely wasted but I have not been as productive as I would like. I have not been writing.

We have managed a few activities besides our trip to Six Flags that I wrote about last week. Jennifer ran in the JP Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge for the second consecutive year. She’s not a competitive runner but she did finish. Maura and I were there not far from the finish line to cheer her on as she limped by. Unlike last year we didn’t make it a father-daughter dinner night. There was no money in the budget for us to go out to eat, even for a hotdog. We had an early dinner of leftovers and then traveled into Boston where we sat on a bench in the Public Garden and read our books while the runners waited for the start, then made our way to the edge of the garden to see the finishers as they ran by.

Last week Maura started her formal summer activities. She’s in WeyRec activities at Great Esker Park again this year. The first week was tubing on the Back River, which should have been enjoyable given the heat early in the week but the session seemed to be under a curse. The tubers were bothered by bees and horseflies, swept away by currents (they wear life jackets and weren’t in any danger) and chased in by a thunder storm. Maura didn’t have nearly as much fun as she had the year before.

This week seems to be going better. She’s in “Survivor” learning how to build a fire and how to find food and water in the woods. She comes home tired and muddy every day but so far has always had a smile on her face.