I’ve not had too many vacations in my life, but each one of them has been special to me.

My favorite vacation was two years ago. I took a road trip by myself to see a friend in Chicago. It was just so peaceful and serene. Just listening to the sound of my tires coasting against the street was therapeutic.

An open cooler full of garlic bologna sandwiches, a basket of fresh picked apples from Pennsylvania Dutch country at my side the whole time, and the sound of the open road flying past me in my car somehow made me feel like I was the only thing in the world. It was nothing short of fantastic.

The reason that my vacation next week will be special is not so much where I’m going, because I don’t intend to do much at all. This one is special because of a special project that has concluded here at Suffolk Publications.

So even though my tremendous jolly physique may be missed here in Suffolk next week, I feel like I’m leaving you all a little gift to enjoy. Because, while I’m on vacation, Suffolk will see the arrival of Virginia-Carolina Boomers magazine on its streets.

In case you readers of Suffolk News-Herald haven’t noticed the promos for this magazine in our paper for the last few weeks, Boomers is a lifestyle magazine that will feature stories from the region, from Virginia to the Carolinas. It’s about art, architecture, finances, and just life in general.

There are a lot of interesting subjects for all readers, but particularly those in the “Baby Boomers” — age range to appreciate. The staff here at Suffolk Publications and at our sister papers in Franklin and Ahoskie worked very hard to make such a massive project the reality that I’ve been observing come off the press for the last few days.

So even as my mind slips slowly into vacation mode, I can honestly say that Boomers magazine is a piece the good people of Suffolk will come to enjoy very much.

And speaking as the person who put the pages together, it is a pleasure working on projects with this scope and potential for tremendous success. It is the kind of project that truly makes me feel like my vacation is well earned.

So when you pick up a copy of the new Boomers magazine and you’d like to throw a few accolades or acknowledgements of my genius as a designer in my direction, I kindly request you save them all up for when I return. Because I probably wouldn’t be able to hear them over all my vacation snoring.

Enjoy Boomers. It will be in our papers Sept. 29.