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2022: another epic summer begins

14 min readJun 6, 2025
McKayla and Emma, sitting on an interstate divider near Livingston, Kentucky

These summers have become so epic in my mind, and I try to never take them for granted. My daughter Emma is 16 and currently lives with her mom and sister in Kentucky, but for the past decade — basically — Erin and I have gotten her for half the summer. This stemming from a 2010 visitation agreement which felt like a tremendous victory at the time. A sensation which really hasn’t faded any in all the years since.

Things were a little contentious back then, in certain precincts. But we’re all a whole lot chummier now, shall we say, and haven’t had any problems for eons. So as Erin and I arrive at their second story apartment in Richmond, to scoop Emma up, she and Jill (my ex-girlfriend/ baby momma) hang out chatting for a solid hour. In fact it’s all one big female scene, considering Emma’s sister, Maddie, is also around, and we also happened to bring the best friend Emma has made in North Carolina, McKayla, along for the ride. With nothing to offer as this ensemble lounges around a bedroom conversing, I mostly wander around, play with the umpteen cats and one dog they’ve somehow crammed into this space.

Once the four of us finally hit the road, we’re all keyed up to the extent that the expected five hour drive will surely fly by in a blur. Passing the multiple signs for the Kentucky Music Hall Of Fame, which never fails to crack me up — I like to speculate that…

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