The Gray Line Tour – Leonard Gray

Enough with the rain, already!

I’ve lived in south Louisiana for 42 years, and I’ve never grown accustomed to the weather. Never mind that where I came from, Mobile, Ala., is little different. Somehow, it seems here it’s wetter, more muggy, hotter and less endurable.

I tell people I keep better when I’m refrigerated.

Nonetheless, summer comes every year, and every year, my 40-weight sunscreen is put to the test.

Meanwhile, there’s the lawn to keep up, the termites to keep away and the everlasting weeds.

Be that as it may, I enjoy summertime. It’s a good time to open up the windows (when it’s not storming outside), shake out the winter dust, rearrange the furniture, break out the grill for the first time since Super Bowl Sunday and enjoy the good life with your family and friends.

My wife, Susan, loves to cook when she’s not exhausted from her own job. However, she’s learning finally to trust in my own grilling instincts. It’s not just a matter of timing, it’s also poking at the steaks or hamburgers or whatever and determining whether it’s truly cooked, medium-well or half-raw.

She likes medium-well. I like thoroughly cooked.

After nearly 25 years, I’ve finally wooed her over to my favorite steak sauce. And, after 25 years, she’s finally determined I can be useful by making a salad and keeping the lemonade coming.

We both enjoy travel, and we can never seem to do enough. It’s been my ambition to persuade her back to Orlando, as we haven’t been since 1982, and I hear some changes have been made in those 22 years.

However, as our travel plans are already set for t his year, I doubt I’ll make it back to Disney World until at least next summer.. Last time I was there, Epcot was just opening its doors for the first time.

So shake the cobwebs out, keep your vehicles dry and, if need be, sandbagged, and enjoy the summer of 2004. Officially, summer begins on June 21. I just hope to get a jump on it at last.

LEONARD GRAY is managing editor of L’Observateur. He may be reached at (985) 652-9545.