Hope everyone had a great 4th of July weekend. Beth and I spent ours on a long overdue visit to my mother in Cincinnati (resplendent with Gold Star chili and Graeter’s ice cream, that means that ours was awesome). Mom is doing well, despite the conspiracy of the neighborhood deer to eat her flowers. Officially retired and ripe with tales of her much-adored grandchildren, I am happy to say that she is also quite content.

Unfortunately, the high heat and humidity of the Midwest kept us isolated to the air conditioned indoors and we had to scrap Beth’s much anticipated trip to the fabled Cincinnati Zoo. However, we did find time to catch a movie and visit my grandmother. At 94 years of age, Grandma Kennedy is pretty damn fit and still as sharp as a tack — she can still give most a run for their money on the New York Times crossword puzzle.

Not that we would ever disparage my sister’s kids but, as my mother put it, having an adult visit can be a refreshing change. And, although this had been the weekend of two-hour travel delays travel (both coming and going), we actually benefited from it. Ever seen fireworks from above? Our north-south approach to Newark airport had us flying in over the New York City fireworks display. One of our more scenic landings — a good way to end a good weekend.