Labor Day Weekend

Went “down the shore” this weekend … Saturday morning to just a little while ago. Got plenty of R&R, the girls got their fix of the beach. We slept two nights at The Bungalow, always a great little stay. My father-in-law very generously bought and barbecued enough for a small army (which I guess the Hoppers are).

We did our annual pilgrimmage to the fair down there, and for the first time I rode the giant Ferris Wheel with both my girls, who enjoyed the whole experience immensely. The wife, feeling justifiably lucky (she did win a trip to Paris a few months’ back), bought a couple of raffle tickets to win either an iPod or an iPad or … $13,500 first prize. Yowza! The family accountant in me drooled at the amount of bills we could pay with that stash o’ cash. But alas, it was not in the cards, this time.

I was able to finish The Two Towers on audio CD while they were all sweating in the sun. Two-thirds of audio Tolkien down, should be an interesting post on my third trek through Middle-earth in a month or so. Tried to get in to Alan Dean Foster’s Icerigger, but couldn’t, despite some good characters and a good plot (shipwreck in space).

My father-in-law attends a very old, traditional Catholic church down there, probably the closest thing to pre-Vatican II that I’ve been to. Beautiful church, vividly ornamented, every inch of wall telling a story or flaunting a symbol. They have Mary recessed in a grotto at the rear of the church! Anyway, I enjoy going there, but when I got back to the Bungalow a heavy depression fell over me, one I just could not shake. Lasted just about all day yesterday. Depressing.

But I’m better now, now that I’m home. Me and Little One have already gone food shopping and I mowed the front lawn. Laundry’s going right now, and I’m listening to Michael Medved as I type this. Busy next couple of days at work, but I have some decent posts on the near horizon.