This ain't Orlando, Honey...or San Francisco...or.....

Kevin's annual SPE conference trip. He and Kate made this May conference their father-daughter "thing" for her high school years. Orlando, Dallas, San Francisco. Kate would take a tour of the city or lounge poolside while Kevin was in meetings then they would explore the area when he had some free time.

I think they stopped phoning me with "traveler updates" after one infamous year when they were in a convertible cruising over the Golden Gate bridge and had the unfortunate timing to call just as some little person vomited all over me.

" You rented a convertible? Oh. You're driving across the Golden Gate? Oh. On your way to tour a winery? Oh. Well, gosh, I'm so merry freakin' thrilled for you that I could do a happy dance. But then the puke on my shoes would spatter across the rest of the floor. Dinner? At the winery? Sounds lovely. Me? Well, I was going to have the leftovers from lunch but now that I get a second look at them on my shoes, they don't look all that great."

It seemed like a reasonable response to me.

There was an unspoken pact after that to downplay their travel escapades.

Now that I'm not working and am finally able to travel with him, where are these conferences held? Chicago. Milwaukee. This is not the lush tropical or exotic locale he promised when I signed on for this plan.

The downtown buildings block a view of the lakefront from our hotel but I'll settle for a fiery sunrise beyond the skelton of towering scaffolding.