What I did on my summer vacation

What did I do on vacation? Well, I skimmed the Patent Reform Act of 2006 and decided I could ignore it for a bit to focus on the good stuff: took the kids to Disney World (met Mickey in his “special room” - nothing matches that for kids); stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge (an incredible experience); drove to my favorite place in the world - St. Pete Beach, Florida - for leg two of the trip; read Wolves of the Calla (the fifth title in Stephen King’s Dark Tower series); started the sixth (Song of Susannah); learned that some of the delicious grouper sandwiches I’ve eaten over the years in Florida might have been catfish…or tilapia or some other fish; watched a lot of baseball, including several painful Indians games; took my sons shelling on the beach I’ve been wandering for the past 30 years; talked Castro with the short order cook at a Cuban grill; got a little sunburn on my shoulders; went to my favorite seafood restaurant only to find it boarded up (Noooooo!); passed on a trip to my second favorite restaurant (saw Hulk Hogan there a few years back!) because my youngest son was “a bit cranky;” met a former captain and all-big ten player from “that school up north” and his family….and really liked the guy (learned that he’s a Buckeye at heart…that helped, and that’s why he’ll remain nameless on the blog); played miniature golf…twice; missed a chance to catch up with a Florida-based friend and his family (darnit!); watched the sunset over the Gulf of Mexico; and spent a lot of time with my family. Family vacations are truly one of the best parts of life, most of the time.