Spring break heralds the most amazing weather right here in our area - the mornings are cool, the days heat up, then the temperatures drop for a great sundown show.
This year's spring break will be a milestone in our home as it will be the last one we celebrate with a child in high school. Our children growing up and getting their basic education went much faster than we ever anticipated. Our daughter will be done with high school in a few months.
I remember when we first came to Oro Valley from New York and the school district had a spring break schedule that was just a bit different. Back in the late 1990s and early in the millennium "breaks" here, both fall and spring, were three weeks long.
It was a whole new experience for our children to have the time to chill out. The Amphitheater school district held "intercession" classes for the first two weeks of the three-week spring break. I can remember my son coming home and talking nonstop about Mr. Moser's upcoming rocketry class.
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A wide variety of fun classes were offered and it seemed my kids wanted to try them all.
Spring break was a time when kids and teachers got to do fun things with each other besides all the usual school activities.
The spring break also gave parents a wonderful opportunity to take some time off and go with our kids to California. It was so cool to get to go to Disneyland without the huge crowds of the summer and other major holidays. It was so much fun to hear folks swimming late at night in the outdoor pool at the hotel. We figured they were from up north since us Tucsonans would have nothing to do with swimming during such mild temperatures.
One particular Wednesday evening we got to have a very special experience at the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland. We were on day three of our vacation when the weather in L.A. threatened to dampen the fun with a rainstorm.
The threat of a storm actually turned out to be a stroke of luck. Although the clouds were black and ominous, they produced very little rain. Still, the crowds seemed to stay away, and that made for a very special evening. We got to go on the Indiana Jones ride without any line. Even more amazing was that we got to go on that ride 18 straight times with no wait at all. It was a family event we will never forget.
During this spring break, I hope that all the parents in our community get a chance to enjoy the time that their children have off from school. It is a very special time for them - one that can produce memories for a lifetime.
For those of us on our last spring break, it is a time for us to accept the passage in life and that spring breaks will never be the same.
Enjoy the journey,
Bob
E-mail Bob Oro at northwest@azstarnet.com
