The weekend weather forecast was almost unbelievable: clear skies and daytime temperatures in the upper 60s and lower 70s. Even though we had taken Cloud 9 to A&P Vintage Trailer Works for our washer/dryer repair last weekend, we were determined to go camping this weekend, if we could get the Airstream back in time. A call on Wednesday night confirmed that we were good to go, so Jon drove the 62 miles to Paradise on Thursday to pick up our tiny home, allowing us to prepare for our weekend at Cedar Hill State Park.

Friday had the usual Date Night features: Grilled steaks, asparagus and peppers with baked potato and Ravenswood Old Vine Zinfandel. We ended the evening watching another episode of our new favorite docu-series: “The Circus.” Subtitled “Inside the Greatest Political Show on Earth,” it provides behind-the-scenes access to the presidential candidates in real time. We’re a couple of episodes into the second of five seasons, so we’ve got plenty of binge-watching ahead of us.

During a particularly candid moment on Saturday, we admitted to each other that we really needed a break — from work, from politics, from family drama. The beautiful weather and the relative quiet of the campground brought welcome relief, enabling us to shift our focus from the Trump impeachment trial to planning our travel in the months ahead. Cliff started working on our taxes, while Jon explored his ancestry online.

The current political polarization has left us exhausted. We’ve found ourselves only discussing our views among ourselves because every time we try to engage others on social media we get blasted or shamed, and we’re just done with it. We consider ourselves patriotic citizens because we love America and would give our lives for our country. But we won’t tolerate willful ignorance or deception or cult-like worship of anyone. The impeachment process provided a much-needed civics course, and for that we’re grateful. But it also revealed just how tribal our nation has become. We long for someone — anyone — who can unite us in a way that truly makes America great.