The Rites of Summer...

Who's the dork with the camera? Yeah, not a great look for me, I'll admit...but I was KILLIN' that suit man, trust me. This actually isn't SUMMER, it was a couple days after the Murrah Bombing anniversary this year. Former President Clinton was in town to receive an award for his help in OKC's recovery following April 19,1995. But Clinton, who NEVER sticks to his schedule, wanted to visit the memorial, and I was one of just a handful of media-types who got to follow him around for the 15 minutes or so that he was there. Pretty cool.

But on with the summertime stuff. School's out, and that in itself brings about all kinds of end-of-the-year happenings. "Dad, I need $30 for a yearbook." THIRTY BUCKS? I don't remember paying that much for my elementary yearbook. Come to think of it, in MY DAY, we didn't even HAVE an elementary yearbook. So of course I bought TWO this year. Next year we'll have a JUNIOR HIGH yearbook. It'll probably be about a hundred...

My son, who'll be in junior high this year, got his first taste of mowing the lawn today. I have crooked lines all over my yard to prove it. It's about time, an old guy like me shouldn't have to do things like that.

I've got a great gig at work...I NEVER forget that. I'm fortunate enough to do stories for News9.com, NEWS9, and OKBlitz.com. I never really know which one I'm gonna service from day to day, but that's kinda cool. Keeps me jumpin'. I just found out recently that I won a First Place in Feature Photography from the Associated Press for "Willie the Singin' Ringer." You can watch that story HERE.  I'll give you the back story on Willie and how we met in my next post...which won't be SIX MONTHS FROM NOW!

We Don't Need No...Education...

That line from Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall" came out I think when I was in 9th grade. Sang it ALL THE TIME, especially the closer we got to school being out. The IRONY cracks me up.

A double negative?

Still, the song takes me back.

Back to the days when summertime seemed to last a LONG time. Back when no one was afraid to get a TAN. Back when an 8 hour day meant 5 hours at the pool and 3 hours cruisin' up and down Air Depot.

Of course, the older you get, the shorter each summer seems. I mean, 3 months is a relatively short span when you're an adult. It seems like forever when you're a teenager.

My kids just got out of school a couple days ago. They've already begun the stay-up-late-and-wake-up-late routine. Man, I'm really jealous.

However, I remember the summer after I graduated high school. Every day I got up late, hung out at my friend's pool, and then we wasted gas driving all around Midwest City most of the night. I kept waiting for my dad to tell me to GET A JOB, since I had worked the summer before. I even felt a little guilty, asking for gas money and stuff. But he never did.

A few months later, after I did finally get a job, I asked him why he never PUSHED me into it. "Son, once you start working, you probably won't quit for a LONG TIME," he said. "I just figured I'd let you enjoy THIS LAST SUMMER."

Wow, he was right. Thanks, Dad.

I really hope that I can remember to do the same for my kid.