This is an exciting time of year. The weather is getting steadily warmer, bringing the blooms to the trees and the sounds of lawn mowers to the neighborhoods.
We are creatures of the sun, and as the coats come off you can just feel the lightness come to the step and the smile come to the face.
It’s this time of year when people start seriously thinking about the big “V” word, vacation, and the heady rush of freedom the thought of shirking daily responsibility for even a few days brings.
But this year there is a dark cloud on the horizon; a cold, wet and nasty blanket looking to extinguish that small spark of hope afforded the working class each year.
It’s coming from the gasoline pumps.
The specter of gasoline prices well over three dollars a gallon has many of us rethinking our summer plans.
It’s not just the cost of driving out of town. The price of gasoline affects just about every consumer item we buy, from the price of lettuce to the cost of the summer bathing suit.
With everything across the board elevated to cover the cost of getting it here, going from here to there becomes more problematic for many families.
Ironically, the gas squeeze may actually help the Erie tourist trade. With millions of the American population within an 8-hour drive of here, the hope is that trips to the ocean may be replaced with a short jaunt to your favorite Great Lake.
The funny thing is, that cold wet blanket knocking down travel plans could just create a little mini-boom in local tourism this year.
That’s scant consolation for those here who don’t really want to stay here for vacation, too.
But with a little imagination and a dogged determination to keep that sunny disposition that the warmer weather inevitably brings, the fun can still be had in 2006, in what will surely come to be known as the Summer of Short Trips.