Mid-day at the Oasis...
We had a nice, albeit brief, family reunion with Karen, Ryan and the kids at the Lake Forest Oasis. Bridget was working and Em was out of town, but otherwise the gang was all there. A big enough group that we had to push together three tables. The dining experience has changed a lot since Karen and I were kids, but the big thrill - traffic speeding below one’s feet - remains the same. Eddie and cousin Dave were obsessed with the nearby jumbo claw machine. That’s why I didn’t tip the maitre d’ (aka Chuck) for finding us deluxe seating. This time we remembered the boots for Auntie Karen, so she will never again show up at a messing crime scene wearing open toed pumps.

Time to get caught up on all the news. Em’s wedding plans. School for the cousins. Eddie’s triumph at the LEGO store. (We were there yesterday. His record still stands. So if no one beat it today, I guess he’s the man.) Karen in trouble with state government (from governor on down) for a three line email to a local radio discussion of drug enforcement in the north woods. (Sorry, guv, she’s right.)

Then time to hit the road. School starts at our parish tomorrow which means parking lot mayhem. If I didn’t keep irregular hours, I’d be tempted to pay the bus fee and ride to church with the kids. (There must be a lot of room on the buses because it looks as though most of the dear ones are personally delivered by maternal chauffeurs piloting Escalades and Navigators. Blech....)

Time to do more school work with our guys. I’ve sort of violated the no school before Labor Day rule this year, because I’ll need to be working some extra hours in September. I’ve tried to explain that we want to do a lot of September now, and we can relive August in September. Doesn’t make much sense to the boys. Or me, either. But we try.