We were on Vacation in the tall pines-
We were traveling. Lilly and I were driving through tall pines to see her parents play music. In the back of the van, our two kids talked and watched TV. When we got to our destination, we unpacked the van and the kids and went to watch Lilly's parents play.
They were good! They had driven their RV and set up and they would take the stage on a schedule. Her dad played piano and sang occasionally while her mom played guitar and led most of the songs. Quite a team.
The place where they played was nice. It had quite a few RV hookups and a nice stage. However, it was in the dense forest, and it was HOT! It was the middle of summer and that meant two things here: hot and humid! Shade was in great demand and by the time we arrived shade places were gone.
We set up our chairs and items the best we could for stage visibility. We watched Lilly's parent play their songs. The kids enjoyed it at first but then got very restless. After Lilly's parents played, they returned to their RV. They had A/C! For a few minutes, we cooled off, ate lunch, talked, and watched them discuss the goings on at the jam.
Soon, though, we went back outside. Wow! The heat and humidity smacked you in the face as you walked out of the R.V.
Knowing that Lilly's parents were done for the day, we told them that we were going to find a motel for the night. They were good with this, and the festival went on for another day and we would come back and see more. We said our good-byes and loaded back into the van.
Being in a rural location in unfamiliar territory, we drove through small towns-each looking like the last. Broken buildings, cars on the side of the road, loose dogs running around, etc. Basically, your typical run-down area. We needed a motel. We thought we had passed one on the way to the festival, so we kept driving and back-tracking until we found it. It was an older-style unit with several long buildings-each housing 5 or 6 hotel rooms. No matter. They looked well-kept and clean, and the sign mentioned A/C and cable.
We were sold-assuming a room was available. And there was a room! We got in the van and headed for our room. Once in front of the door we grabbed our gear and headed in. The room had two large beds, a TV, a large bathroom with a large sink and table with a shower. Above all, there was a functioning air conditioner and we kicked it on. It felt sooo good!
Lilly and I thought we should take care of the kids first, so each child took a bath and put on some pj's. Lilly brushed our daughter's hair and got the kids settled. For some reason they were comfortable on the floor, sitting between the beds, watching the TV.
Now it was our turn to clean up. It had been a hot, sweaty day and we were ready to clean up. We both got in the bathroom, locked the door, and got unclothed. The shower came on and I got in. Lilly wasn't far behind. She got into the shower as I held her hand and we shut the curtain. Already, things were "looking up!"