I need a vacation.

Sorry, I had to lead with that old shot (it never really got the play I was hoping for so why not bust it out again.)

No, I have not been doing any sawing of late – although I have been bustin’ my ass plenty, As I write this, I’m getting ready to pack up for our first official vacation of the year. Clan Humphries is joining forces with Clan Smith (my buddy Justin and his brood) and heading south to Sesame Street World… Land… Place!!! (I can never remember the name). Anyway, as that description hints at, this is a vacation for the kids. The adults will probably work harder than we ever have in our lives.

Before leaving, I thought I’d drop a brief post touching upon a few random topics. No rhyme nor reason to this… just a couple of things I wanted to put out there. We’ll start young and work our way old.

I know a lot of people brag about their kids – their little geniuses – and like most people, those not immediately in the fam tend to roll their eyes and pray you don’t bust out a home movie. That said, some of the stuff I’ve heard coming from Colin lately has blown my mind. He possesses a genuine photographic memory.

Now, I believe I have a touch of it as well. I can recall – with absolute clarity – the details surrounding the most mundane situations. For instance, I know that the evening I saw Jurassic Park (I saw it twice that day – once during the afternoon with my cousin Jason and his family and once in the evening with my boy Sean), I consumed a package of Spree. There’s no Earthly reason for me to remember what snack food I ate during that movie 14 years ago, but for some reason I do.

Colin has trumped my paranormal skills. I first saw it manifested this past Autumn as we vacationed in Maine. One morning, we loaded up the Family Truckster and headed West towards The Potting Shed – our breakfast hangout that requires a 25 minute drive but is absolutely worth it. The road to Chatham, ME is long and winding and non-descript. Just a swath of blacktop that cuts through the dense Maine forest and is dotted by tiny cottages and the occasional farm house. There isn’t a mile marker or milestone that stands out – not one you could pick from a line up anyway.

As we returned from the restaurant – bear in mind, this was Colin’s first foray to The Potting Shed – he suddenly announced “The Big plow is coming up.” Andi and I looked at each other quizzically. We scanned the road ahead. No sign of a big plow. Roughly 20 seconds later, as we rounded a corner, there on the side of the road was a massive plow (we’re talking as big as a house) which someone was using as the billboard for their business. We’ve driven that road easily 30 times in the last 10 years and have never seen the thing. Colin sees it once and immediately remembers its location (within 1,000 yards or less).

I bring this up because last weekend he stunned me again. We were expecting a visit from Mookie and Kerry – who were bringing some birthday gifts for Colin and Aria. A few weeks back, we received notice that our bridge connecting the main road (Rte 131) to our street was closed for repairs. I had forgotten to relay that intel to Mook and when he hit the passage, he realized he would need to find a way around. At some point, he decided to call me for directions.

As I was speaking with Mook, I must have been audibly repeating the things he was telling me. I know I said aloud “You’re lost?” and followed that with “…so you’re on Northwest Schoolhouse Road?” Colin made a dash to the second phone and picked it up. What follows is his exact discourse, word for word.

Colin:   “Mookie. You’re lost? You’re on Northwest Schoolhouse Road? You have to get on Rte 20 and take that to Rte 31. Then take a right onto Northwest Schoolhouse Road and then get on Dudley-Southbridge Road. Then a left on West Dudley Road and then you are at Fish Road which is my street. The bridge is out. If you keep going straight your car will be in the water.”

Those directions are exactly the directions to get to our house. After I stopped laughing in amazement, I asked Andi how he knew all that, and she said that he always asks which street they are on when they are driving and he was able to piece it all together from our house out to Route 20 in Auburn. If we continue to harness this power, we could run MapQuest out of business in no time.

Who needs Tom Tom when you’ve got Colin Colin?

Now let’s go old.

I came across this photo, this morning. You can find it at IndianaJones.com – the official fan site for the Indy flicks.

Anyway, the shot was captured by Spielberg himself and while it simply shows Harry lounging between takes – I have to say that one of my fears has been allayed. Despite how old he has appeared in other projects, I think Ford’s appearance here looks great. That’s the Indy I know and love – sure he’s got a few more miles on him – but damn’t if it doesn’t feel good to have him back.

From what I know of the script, subtitled ‘City of the Gods’, the film takes place well in the 50’s – making Indy 20+ years older than he was when we last saw him. That fits with the image above. I’ve also heard rumors that John Hurt has been tapped to play Albert Einstein, that the film kicks off with the A-Bomb tests in the Nevada desert and that Indy’s nemesis is the Russians – meaning we’ll get some early Cold War intrigue mixed in the pot.

Although his draft was not used, I’ve heard that elements of Frank Darabont’s script have made it to the finished document. Darabont’s tale, subtitled ‘Chariots of the Gods’ (a better title if the rumors of alien involvement are true), had Indy discovering that an ancient civilization benefited from alien technology. Whatever comes of this, this one adhoc shot has me pumped for the flick.

The man with the hat is back.

With that, I am outta’ here. When I return, I’ll provide a recap of the vacation with pics to back it all up. With Colin Colin in the car, I’ve decided to dispense with the GPS. Not for us. Where we’re going, we don’t need maps.

See you in a week.