This is a "return post" - as in I've returned to jot down some thoughts after a whirlwind late May, June, and early July.
I guess this time period of 2018 can be summarized in the following: 91 softball or basketball contests and $3,000 earned toward a variety of things including bills, summer vacations, and my ex-wife.
Earlier this week my youngest son Cole and I returned from a 5-day adventure to the Black Hills of South Dakota and Wyoming. This was his high school graduation trip, and this trip was my last of three trips with all of my kids after they had graduated. New for me this time were visits to Devil's Tower, Jewel Cave, and a hike up to Black Elk's Peak. Cole and I were blessed with great weather, and we had a lot of fun. Now he's going to be a college kid...ugh...can't believe all of my "babies" are now out of high school. Time marches on!
I have read two books this summer and am working on a third right now. The first two were in conjunction with the trip to South Dakota. One was about the Lakota's struggle with the United States over the Black Hills, and the other was about Crazy Horse by Joseph Marshall III. I really enjoyed Marshall's book. He wrote a narrative but also included reflections...it was like oral history written down with personal philosophy mixed in. I had a question I needed to ask someone, so I took a leap and contacted Marshall through Facebook. He accepted my message and my friend request, so sometime I hope to get his perspective on my question.
So now it's July 13. Normally Friday the 13th likely isn't considered anything by unlucky, but it's pay day, which is a good start. I've got a little umpiring today and tomorrow, but then Amber and I are taking a road trip to southern Mississippi to check out my best friend's winter home and the surroundings. His camper lot is in Pass Christian, Mississippi, so we may check out other areas to the west like Biloxi and to the east like New Orleans.
And we are going in my "different" car I bought. I had been looking for a long time for a solution to a need for a car with a lot of room that would get better gas mileage. And the solution was a 2010 Chevy HHR. It's actually considered a wagon, and I purchased it with 134,000 miles on it. The hope is that it will be my "distance car"...the vehicle I use to travel to softball and basketball games that I'm officiating (and maybe volleyball too). At 25 miles per gallon, it's much more economical to drive that the ole Dodge 1500 that gets about 14 mpg on good days. Cole and I took the HHR to the Black Hills, and it worked out well. Amber and I are going to take it to Mississippi too.
After returning from the Southern trip, the summer days will be numbered. I'll start to turn my attention to the 2018-19 school year. I am reading a book now that was intended as a book talk book for Khan Academy. I'm a little confused by it now, but my hope is that I will gain better insight as I continue on.
Summer '18 has been everything I had hoped for so far, and I'm looking forward to the next couple of weeks to continue to recharge.
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