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On summer Sunday afternoons when I was a kid my family's biggest activity was going on a ride. Before my mom picked up her knitting bag and locked the front door she'd say to me, "You'd better take along a book cause we might be stopping...." "...at a driving range" we'd say in unison.
My dad always kept his clubs in the trunk, a sure sign of an avid golfer. He won trophies and was even a groundskeeper at a local course when he was younger. His foursome played every week, rain or shine.
For my dad, those hot Sunday afternoons were the perfect time to drive through the countryside admiring the flora and fauna, spending quality time with his family, and hunting for the perfect driving range.
"Thar she blows!" he'd say as he aimed the car toward the little hut with the bigger-than-life golf ball on its roof. He'd find a shady spot to park and get his clubs out of the trunk. "Shouldn't take long. I'm only going to hit a few buckets of balls."
Of course, my mom knew better. She'd get out of the car, open all the doors and windows so we could have a nice cross breeze and not die of heat stroke. A sweet smell of manure and newly cut hay would waft through the car.
I'd find a comfortable place in the back seat and start to read. I read so many books on those Sunday rides: JANE EYRE, THE BOURNE IDENTITY, ROSEMARY'S BABY, CHRISTY, and the list goes on and on.
My mom would begin knitting. But I'd see her nod off on occasion or stare out the window. Maybe she was counting cows in the neighboring field.
When my dad finished his last bucket of balls, he'd put his clubs back in the trunk, get behind the wheel and say, "Who's for ice cream?" It seems we always ended our Sunday ride with ice cream.
"Thar she blows!" I'd shout as I spotted the country dairy stand where we often stopped..
The thwack thwack of my dad's hitting: the clack clack of my mom's knitting: the turn turn of my book's pages, the lick lick of our ice cream cones. What more could a boy want on a hot summer Sunday ride?
I've picked four novels for you this month that are fun to read. I figure that you all need a little break from the heavy novels you've been reading for your group. Have fun with them!
Happy Reading!
Ken
kenbksco@gmail.com
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