Joys of Vacation

"Do not stare at me because I am swarthy, for the sun has burned me." ~Song of Solomon 1:6. Elizabeth pointed out that verse to me early in the week. It could be said to be the theme of our vacation. Tans, sun poisoning, peeling skin, aloe vera, vitamin e gel, and sunblock were frequent topics of conversation. Hooray for sunny days!

"There's a tick on the speedometer!" Thus cried Aaron as we set out to drive home. (Aaron was driving the Safari and towed the boat home,without incident, by the way. Not too bad for his third month of having a license.) Needless to say, I had never expected to hear those words. However, I should not have been surprised. Cape Cod seemed especially inundated by ticks this year. The path from our house to the beach teemed with them. When walking slowly through the grass, one could see the little critters sitting on the tips of the grass just waiting for food. I wonder if they knew we would walk along the path or if they were spread throughout the beach grass. What happens to ticks who never find food? Ticks were discovered on the walls, on towels, on my skirt, on my neck.... I'm just thankful none of us were bitten...although I did wake up with a stiff neck this morning, a symptom of LYME's (or just a bad night's sleep.)!

Despite ticks and burns, and in some ways because of them (Ticks and sunburns are interesting conversation pieces), vacation was an extremely enjoyable time. We were blessed with sunny weather, warm water, and good friends. Now it's back to the daily grind, i.e. finishing up school, graduating, helping out with Vacation Bible School, the Girls' Week, the Family Convention, and work....