So, here’s the deal about my latest “quest,” which is to find a beach house or a condo or phone booth or something.

My wife is teaching summer school, and that ends June 30. So we thought we would take a week off sometime in July and go visit a beach somewhere. Probably drive (I think Homeland Security would not allow me to bring my kids onto a plane unless they were heavily sedated. The security guys, not the kids). We were thinking Alabama (“white sugar sand beaches!” I think) Or Port A or Padre. Something like that.

Then we got news that my wife might also be teaching the second summer session, which basically starts the first week of July and runs until three days before the kids go back to school in August (because, ya know, we have to start school in the middle of August, just in case we need a snow day or three before the semester ends)

So that leaves the 4th of July weekend. And, have you ever tried to book a beach house three weeks before the fourth of July? I have, and it ain’t pretty. I’ve zapped my e-mail to so many property management web sites that I should have offers coming out of my ears.

So far I have had one response. So we might be going there. Still looking, but hey? “Available” is a nice amenity right now.