Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Southern Fried Musings

It's not so hot here in the deep south, unless you go outside. Yesterday, we had a ton of errands and seemed to get only far away parking spaces. Living a sheltered life, from air conditioned house to air conditioned car, I had no idea it was hotter than an oven out there.

We only have two weeks until school starts. The other day Jeff said something, I wasn't really listening, and it included bla, bla, bla eight years of marriage. I looked at him like he was crazy. Have I really been married eight years, seems like just yesterday. Actually he is exaggerating, it wont be eight years until November. Lily is five and starting kindergarten, Jeff and I have been married for nearly eight years, and our Mandy is just shy of 18. Didn't I just graduate from hight school last week? I really had this out of body moment of wondering where has all the time gone.

Jeff asked me the other day if I still needed to have Saturday off. Seeing as I will be off all week while Lily is in school. He went on to tell me that he loves taking care of Lily on Saturday but occasionally would like to have a whole weekend vegetating in front of the TV. At first I thought that sounded reasonable, but now I am not so sure. I still want to have a day to myself. Maybe I wont need it if I have 7 hours per day all week to myself?

I heard on the radio the other day, great ideas for family vacations and someone suggested a literary tour. Meaning taking your kids to the sites from some of their favorite books. I think most of Mandy's favorite books take place in another dimensions, but I was wondering about taking trips to some of the great southern books sights. I was thinking of books like: Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, To Kill a Mockingbird, Gone with the Wind, ...Can you think of any other books set in the south that we might read and figure out where they are set and go there for a fun family adventure?

4 comments:

Kathy said...

Have lived there, I can't really say it would be a fun family adventure, but The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood is set in Alexandria and Pineville, Louisiana. That book immediately popped to mind and now I can't think of anything else.

Lynn said...

It cracked me up when you said that Mandy's books all seem to take place in another dimension...Elle is spending all of her time reading books about vampires. Thank goodness Transylvania is not located in the USA!

Anonymous said...

Well if any piece of your tour will come near Raleigh make sure to let me know and we will all take Jeff to Golden Corral!

Sheila said...

Okay, this isn't a great Southern book, but there is a part in John Grisham's The Firm (I think it was that book) that is set in Orange Beach and at the Perdido Bay Hilton. Also, The Firm is a good reason to visit Memphis.

There are lots of Southern locales but my mind is too tired to tax itself right now. Great topic though.

I just thought of a modern classic, Confederacy of Dunces, and New Orleans.