Vacation is a nice word...and better thought.

Here it is, the middle of the week. Taste buds have finally recovered, and we went to "all you can eat seafood" last night. As much lobster and crab as you could stuff in, for $21.50 at the local Indian Casino. (Chumash Casino and Resort, to be exact.) Only one within a few hundred miles, and they simply have a license to print money over there. But at least the food was good.

I get really melancholy on these "off" weeks. Waiting to start back up, and yet not wanting to do so. Watching others with much more difficult times in life, whether related to cancer diagnosis or other issues. I feel lucky, and a bit guilty. Otherwise, life is pretty wonderful on vacation. Out tonight with my younger sister to sample the beer garden here in the local town festival...and compare it to Chautauqua Festival. The 54th annual Flower Festival is barely older than I am, but I haven't been in dozens of years, so I have no clue what things are like. I'm curious as to whether I'll know that many people, compared to being at home...

Flower Festival is simply part of being in town this time of year....the odd part is that very few flowers are grown here for their seeds, so the name doesn't like it did in the original days. But I think the "Windy City Beer & Brawl" is probably taken by Chicago...

Back at it on Monday afternoon, which is a bit of a switch because of work. This will be my only "afternoon session" series in the 12, and though I don't expect it to be much different, I'm not sure how it will pan out. Stay tuned for more next week...