Dear Friends,
What plans do you have for the summer, any family summer vacation plans? Are you a beach vacation, a mountains vacation, perhaps you plan a cruise, or a drive through several states (see America first), camping, sightseeing, family reunion? After two years of being told to stay home, wear a mask, get vaccinated, get a booster, be afraid, are you looking forward to a return to normalcy.
“Come on kids pack your bags mom and I are taking you on vacation, Disney World!” Perhaps you mapped out your travel, what routes, where to stop, where you will be staying when you arrive. Have you bought passes for all the rides ahead of time, checked out all the restaurants in the area for the family friendly ones. Your checklist in hand you and your spouse go over each item again. Lights are set on timers, newspaper on hold, mail being picked up by a neighbor, home alarm settings good you are so prepared to go on your long awaited family get away. Vacation time for your job and hers are worked out, the kids are out of school and excited about going, it’s all they talk about. Then, it happens, slowly we are told that COVID19 is still with us, mask up, shortages in food stores, especially baby food. Restaurants are unable to get the food supplies they need to meet the menu orders. “I have heard that your fried chicken is the best anywhere, I will have the three piece dinner with fries and Cole slaw, can you make that a breast and two legs?” What do you say when the waitress returns and says sorry we are out of legs we can give you two wings. So many restaurants unable to have enough food on hand “How about steamed clams for me and crabs for the wife?” “Sorry we are out of clams.” “You are literally twenty feet from the ocean, how can you run out of clams?”
But I am getting ahead of things, I am assuming you are able to get there, tolls have gone up, gas has gone up (up? How about sky rocketed over fifty cents a gallon just in May) how expensive is your vacation now? Looks like my wife and I will be making reservations at the same place we stayed the last two years, Shay Porch and the Forman Grill.