COMMENTARY: Valued vacations

Thunder roared and a bolt of lightning lit up my darkened bedroom late Saturday night. Such an inappropriate “welcome back” for fellow Hoosiers who have been vacationing on the Florida Panhandle this past week.

From basking in the radiance of sunshine to a dark and dreary night. Like a dream to a nightmare. Not my idea of a hospitable homecoming.

First, I was green for St. Patrick’s Day, then from a case of jealousy after seeing so many of my friends from social media playing on the beaches. What am I doing here?

Oh, how I would love to leap into Mr. Peabody’s Wayback Machine and return to my favorite stomping grounds in Panama City Beach.

Actually, vacations were not a big part of my life growing up with the family in Evansville. My parents treated me wonderfully, but vacations never fit into our budget. Other than a weekend in a tent at nearby Lincoln State Park or an extended holiday at my uncle’s lakehouse just across the border in Michigan, we were pretty much homebodies.

My virgin voyage to Florida was somewhat of a lark. During my sophomore year at IU, I’d won second place in a talent show at McNutt Quad. I decided to use the prize money to accompany two friends to Florida during our Christmas break. We departed Evansville on the 26th.

We slept in a small tent and dined on day-old chicken at a KFC just a couple blocks off Fort Myers Beach. After a few days, we drove across Alligator Alley to Fort Lauderdale, where we partied from a tiny and crowded motel room.

I recall three extraordinary episodes etched into my memory. The legendary black and yellow CAT cap blew off my head and was lost for eternity; I nearly surrendered my trunks while body surfing on an excessively windy day; and the sun blessed me with a terrific tan ... if you consider resplendent red as your preferred color.

How bad was this sunburn? Bob spent New Year’s Eve watching college football bowl games on television while peering out from a cold shower. It was the only way I could chill and soothe my overheated hide.

I liked Florida so much I made it a practice to fly to the gulf for MLB’s spring Citrus League. Is there anything better than brilliant sunshine and baseball?

We would rent a car and hop from St. Pete to Tampa to Bradenton to Sarasota to Lakeland to Clearwater and all the baseball camps nearby. Yes, we were “groupies” in a sense.

However, my greatest days in Florida were in PCB. After winning a couple thousand dollars in the Illinois Lottery, I rented a three bedroom condo on the beach for a month and invited my family and friends. It proved delightful.

I budgeted for a similar vacation each fall before basketball season began. I met so many new friends, and it was heartwarming to share leisure time with my retired parents.

How did I enjoy my time? Days began with hot cups of coffee and a couple of crossword puzzles. After spending the remaining morning hours sunbathing, I played an afternoon of golf or shuffleboard.

We designed unique tournaments that helped us develop our trash-talking skills. My friends were from Evansville, Louisville and all stations in life. We shared food and told stories.

We gathered near the shore each night at sunset, sipped drinks, and reminded ourselves just how wonderful this world could be.

My evenings ended with a guitar or waging a keenly competitive game of Trivial Pursuit. I can still hear the laughter resonating across the pool and courtyard.

Some of those dear friends are gone now. I miss them and their sweet smiles.

We’ll gather again ... someday.

Oh, how I value those vacations.