Where I grew up, Memorial Day weekend meant the unofficial launch of summer. It was the first big weekend that swimming pools opened for the season. A three day weekend meant that people could get away to the beaches or their mountain cabins or lake houses, clean up the dust from being shuttered all winter and restock the pantries for the summer.

This year Memorial Day was early and it feels like everything is just a little off-kilter. Normally I would be celebrating June 1 as a summer day, but with the early 3 day weekend, June 1 is just another day.

The good thing about summer is the warmer temperatures, the longer days, and the end of school. Kids have more chances to play outdoors, spend time with their friends, and sleep later in the mornings. Unless their moms work outside of the homes, and then they probably have to keep to the same early rising schedules and be hauled off to day care or, if they are lucky, to camp.

The down side of summer is the heat can get excessive, which means the air conditioners run harder and the electric bills go up. And all the good TV shows end their regular series and all that is left on TV is reruns.

I don’t have access to a swimming pool anymore, so that kinda sucks. If I want to take advantage of water, I can go to the lake or the commercial water park. The water park gets expensive, $30 for admission, $10 to park, and of course all the food and drink is grossly overpriced. I try to limit trips to the water park to the really hot days when there is nothing else to do.

There’s a good chance I can get away this summer for a short beach trip. I can’t decide between the Florida Panhandle with the gorgeous Gulf of Mexico, or the Atlantic Ocean and Virginia Beach. They are totally different experiences, but they are both a lot of fun and the water is fantastic. It would be great if I could get away to both of them, but the budget is just too tight for both this year. Maybe I can find some bargain rates at some decent hotel properties and find someone to split the trip expenses……