Falling into Autumn

Where has all the summer gone?
The flip-flops, suntan oil, shorts and pool gear will soon be packed away for another year, if you haven't done so already.
Fortunately, my wife and I will have a bit of a lease on the summer during the month of October.
We spend a week at Hilton Head Island, South Carolina each year, courtesy of my in-laws, who own a condo on the island.
Over the past few years, we've chosen to take the trip during mid-September, around the time of our anniversary.  Not being fond of crowded beaches peopled with a thousand or more screaming kids in near triple-digit temperatures, we enjoy September and the nearly-deserted beaches the post-tourist season brings.
But since we had a half-decade marker this year, we opted to stay closer to home and take the trek down south a month later.
One of the beauties of Hilton Head is the fairly consistent mild weather, and the ability to enjoy summertime activities after the kiddos return to class.
This will be our third trip down there with our now-two-year-old daughter, and what we've enjoyed are the changes we've seen in her ability to travel since she was a baby.
It's still hit or miss, but lately we've had success with a portable DVD player set-up in the back seat.  She enjoys that while Margie and I indulge in a Jeff Foxworthy or Bill Engvall CD or a game of Mad Libs.
Since Savannah's vocabulary has all but exploded since the Fourth of July, it's going to make me wonder if she's learned that well-known phrase that's all but music to every parent's ears:
"Are we there yet?"
I'll find out for sure this trip.
And if she has learned it, I'm sure I'll yearn for the days when she was two months old, screaming her head off, and my wife and I unable to find our hotel because the GPS doesn't recognize the address.
Because "Are we there yet" will be heard every hour on the hour (if I'm lucky) for all 13 hours of the trip.
Happy Motoring.


NEXT WEEK:  Walk the Plank