As school bus drove down Broadway with its precious cargo, everybody sighed with relief. God, it’s a pain to get them out of the house in time for school. One parent noted that there were only two more full days of school. We all paused, silently contemplated that information, and went home. Maybe I was the only one that smiled, because it’s road trip time, baby!

This weekend we’re going to Pennsylvania for a “Day Out With Thomas”. The kids are going to ride a real Thomas train with hundreds of other five year old boys through scenic Strasburg, while clutching hundreds of dollars of new Thomas products in their sweaty little palms. There’s sure to be long discussions about which train would be most likely to kick Diesel 10’s ass. Sweet.

The kids are totally stoked. Jonah, who’s seven now, hasn’t told his friends about it at school, because they might laugh. But he’s excited. After the train ride, there a huge train museum to keep him occupied.

The following weekend we’re driving down to North Carolina and the outer banks. If I can keep Steve out of the “gotta make good time” mindset, the drive should be fun, too. I love exploring the little fishing villages along the coast of DelMarVa.

For the next few weeks, there’s going to be a lot of eating pancakes in hotel beds like Roman lords.