By Susan Govern
Summertime and the living is easy – sort of. Recently my family of four went on quite the adventure. We moved my daughter out to her first apartment in Phoenix. In just a couple of weeks she will be starting her new teaching job. That means we not only moved her personal belongings but her supplies for her classroom. Her dad drove the rental truck, she drove her car and I drove my Jeep (her brother was the relief driver for any one of us). Cue the old song “We Got Us A Convoy”.
We made it to Phoenix in the planned three and a half days, arriving on one of the hottest days in June for the city; 118 to 120 degrees. Several rest and water breaks later we finally had everything up into her apartment. This was an interesting start to our summer.
It wasn’t all work. We did get to visit the stores in the area (something my daughter and I especially enjoy). We also visited an uncle of mine living not far from her and enjoyed a delicious meal at a restaurant on the night before her brother flew home.
All too soon it was time for Tim and me to leave as well. Our plans were to make a mini-vacation out of the first part of driving home. We drove north then east to Monument Valley. Now if any of you reading this have ever seen old John Wayne westerns, at some point you have seen Monument Valley. Also if you saw the movies Thelma and Louise or Forrest Gump, then you’ve seen the wide open and majestic country that is Monument Valley.
The sun there shines down from a beautiful clear blue sky and it is advisable to wear sunscreen and a hat if you are spending time outside. I felt safe wearing my hat whenever I exited the car along the drive through the valley as we were only spending a few minutes at a time taking pictures before getting back in the car to drive on to the next scenic spot.
That evening at the motel I looked at my reflection in the mirror and was surprised to see I had turned pink. Not red as with a traditional sunburn, but pink. I was in denial. I couldn’t be sunburned and I was sure after a shower to clean off the red dust that had been blowing about all day I would actually look normal. Nope – I was still pink; on my arms and around my neck, and on my legs. Once again I had gambled I wouldn’t be getting burned and I lost.
You would think that would have taught me a lesson; think again. The next day at the Four Corners Monument (where 4 states meet in one spot), I stood in line with Tim so we could take our pictures at the Monument with the hot sun blazing down from a cloudless sky once more. I had my hat on, but no sunscreen. In my defense, I didn’t realize we would have to wait in a line.
For once, luck was on my side and we only waited about 15 minutes. After we took our pictures, we headed for the shade by the souvenir stalls that were set up all around the area. That night at the motel I looked in the mirror only to see my neck and chest, my arms and my legs a brighter shade of pink. So far Sun = 1, Sue = 0. I was relieved as we continued homeward bound that the “pink” began to fade to a slight tan and I never started to peel.
Summer trips are interesting for another reason – the places you stop at along the way. Rest areas, truck stops, gas stations, restaurants (and not just to eat) – I would say I have become a very good judge just by looking at the building as to whether or not I “need” to stop or can cross my legs for another 10 to 30 miles. In my opinion from all four times now that we have driven cross country and back (by different routes), large truck stops actually may be among the best places to stop for a “necessary” break.
Something else that summertime “gifts” us with is laundry – lots more laundry! There is the dirty clothes bag which gets heavier as you travel the country (as your suitcase becomes lighter with smaller amounts of clean clothes inside), and there is also the swim suits and beach towels that need washing as well.
Sweaty clothes just from day to day wearing even at home seem to pile up so much faster during the summer – all adding to that mountain of laundry in the utility room.
We can also add another interesting aspect of summer – the bugs. For me it’s the mosquitoes that take away my enjoyment of a quiet summer evening outside. I love an evening of watching the lightening bugs and hearing the crickets chirping…but first I must bathe in Deep Woods Off in order to enjoy such simple times.
Yes indeed…summer is full of many pleasures, but also summer is for sunburns and so much more.
