Vacation's Over

It is with some sadness that I have to report that my two weeks of vacation have come to an end and I'm back to work.

Don't get me wrong...I enjoy my job and the people I work for are great and good friends of many years but there's just something a lot more enjoyable about sleeping in, staying up late, traveling, spending time with family, camping and not having to keep an eye on the clock.

This summer my vacation was spent close to home with plenty of day trips and lots of time spent at the trailer at Presqu'ile with my parents. I have been spent time at Presqu'ile every summer for the last 40 years and I always enjoy sitting by the lake, watching the fire burn and looking at the stars on a warm night.

My vacation was also special because my brother Scott and Sister-In-Law Erin and her sister Ashley made the trip up from Florida to get away from the heat. Unfortunately for them the temperatures were just as hot here if not hotter than they were in the Sunshine State.

Without going into every boring detail of the vacation I will tell you that we were kept busy most days with small trips around Eastern Ontario including Kingston's Fort Henry, the Captain's Table Restaurant in Hastings for fish 'n' chips, Healy Falls, Picton and Toronto. Can someone please explain to me why the Yorkdale Mall doesn't open until 10am on Thursdays?

Aside from the fun and relaxing stuff, the time off also meant we had to get a couple of jobs done as well. My parents have wanted a new kitchen floor so we took one day and were able to get that job completed. Of course things never go as smoothly as you expect so it's safe to say that the language on our job site was certainly rated PG. I have to give added credit to my brother for doing most of the work as he remains the most agile of the Kennedy men. My talents were noticed more when it came to moving heavy furniture and appliances or standing on a recently glued board to help it set in place.

We also spent a morning trimming a tree. No we weren't putting decorations on it for Christmas but instead using the chainsaw to take a few dead limbs off. So now the risk of having a branch come crashing through the front window of my parents place is somewhat diminished. Plus they also have more wood to burn at the campsite.

All in all it was a great vacation that left me well rested and ready to get back to work. The stretch run to the holiday season has begun and I now have four months to get my Christmas shopping done. It won't be enough time as usual.