Mark spent his spring break in Washington, DC with his cousins, aunt and grandparents rather than at home with his mother who was suffering from tax-season induced dementia.

He is back and in school, while I'm ready to hang out. I can't wait until school gets out next month so we can take some tours.

One year, my mother was working on a political campaign and couldn't take off for our usual week or two at the beach. Dad decided to take one or two days at a time and take us to historical & other interesting sites around S. C. It may have been 1970 --- the year of the South Carolina Tricentennial celebrations. I remember going to Camden, where they had people dressed up as soldiers and civilians from the American Revolutionary era. I don't remember if there was a reenactment of the battle of Camden, but I think the original battle involved two armies missing each other and a lot of dysentery. I don't remember that stuff any more. I suppose I should look it up. We also went to Kings Mountain, which is a naturally beautiful place. The ghosts of brothers who killed each other in the battles & skirmishes around there aren't as loud as the mockingbirds and the jays, but it's hard to miss them.

I think I'll take Mark, Roslyn, Shayna and anyone else who will fit in my minivan and wants to go to some of these places this year. That would be an accomplishment.

Pass the sunscreen and the bug repellent.