My so-called vacation...

or...
This is why we always vacation NORTH, where things are less likely to be ON FIRE!
You can see upon close examination, that the smoke is sort of headed out to sea and south of our destination on the coast (Santa Cruz) but really, the town is smoky. We may skip it altogether...

Looking for a place is so easy:
Step one: convince a sleepy tot to go to school: "Put on a short sleeve shirt, it's hot." "No it's not! It's going to be cold!"
Step two: Get to work very very late. Make two dimes. Call more apts.
Step three: Tar-zhay stop for vay-cay. Sit on free-way.
Step four: Home. Tot given chocolate ice cream ("Flat ice cream" he says) on empty stomach at school. Witness tantrum.
Step five: Go see place, stumble around, "This will do fine."
Step six: Cook dinner for fam. Tot eats exactly one bite of raw broccoli, mac-n-cheese.
Step seven: fill out forms, clean-up, look at housing foreclosures and fire info (cash sales! multiple bids! smoke! fire!)
Step eight: Repeat