Roz Lee | Helloooo, Summer!

This weekend is the unofficial beginning of summer for most American families. The kids are out of school, the weather has finally reached play outside temperatures, and thoughts of the long, cold, miserable winter are fading like a thermal fax in the sun.

It's time to find some good old-fashioned family fun. The family vacation isn't a new concept. As long as there have been families, people have loaded up the family conveyance and headed out for adventure. We even did it a time or two when I was a kid. It was more difficult then because of the dinosaurs, but we still managed to get away from the stresses of home. Back then, we really were away. The phone stayed at home, along with the television. The car had a radio to provide traveling music and the occasional bit of news, but we were for the most part, incommunicado.

That didn't mean we didn't talk. We just talked to each other. My brother and I shared the backseat and communication was something we were good at. We poked at each other to indicate we were bored. We called each other names that indicated we were having a good time, but were too cool to show it. We asked pertinent questions like, "Are we there yet?", and "How much longer?", to indicate we were enjoying the scenery. When a place looked promising, we shouted out things like, "I 'gotta pee," or "I'm hungry," to indicate we wanted to explore that area of the world a little closer.

Yes, those were the good 'ole days. Now, when I load up my family, we take along at least one phone per person, a couple of computers with internet access, and everyone brings along their music, movies and books on various other electronic devices. About the only thing we don't bring along is the house itself. The closest we've come to an off the grid vacation in the last few years was when we took the kids (now grown) on a Caribbean Cruise. It took a while to adjust to limited cell phone and internet use and television where the most exciting channel was the live camera view over the bow of the ship, but we did it.

For seven days, we communicated--with each other. We relaxed and enjoyed our surroundings. There was no pressure to find out what the friends we'd left behind were doing, or to tell them what we had for lunch. Work couldn't find us, even if it wanted to. It was liberating, just like the good 'ole days when the wind blew through the open car window and adventure lay just around the next bend in the road. We took life as it happened and enjoyed the simple pleasure of being together and seeing something new.

Sure, we poked at each other. We called each other names. We asked pertinent questions and found ways to linger in interesting places. It was the good old-fashioned vacation we'd been hoping for, and one I'm eager to repeat.

No matter what your plans are for this Memorial Day weekend, take a moment to say thanks to the brave men and women who have made it possible for us to enjoy the freedom of the open road. Lift a hand in salute, offer up a prayer, or wave a flag for our service members, past and present, and especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

P.S. There was another benefit of that cruise...it's where I dreamed up THE LUST BOAT. If you can't get away this summer with or without the kids, download a copy of THE LUST BOAT, and set sail on a cruise like no other! Don't forget the palm fronds and the cabana boy - you'll need them!

Find out more about Roz Lee at her website - www.rozlee.net

THE LUST BOAT and the second book in the series, SHOW ME THE ROPES are available now from www.eredsage.com or on Amazon.com