When I was a child we would take vacations during the first 2 weeks of June. One time we went to Michigan, remember picking blueberries, seeing the steel mills in Pittsburg, other cities that I really don't remember. I think I was about 10 or so. We had a 1949 Oldsmobile..I loved that car. We took our former pastor and his wife so they could see their home state. If I am correct they were not able to drive and dad wanted to go to Michigan and away we went. If you remember those cars DID NOT HAVE AIR CONDITIONERS!!!!
And we traveled in the hot summer to the North...I don't remember being too hot so I must have used to the heat. But I was really impressed with the blueberries, they were delicious. Remember seeing the lakes and not realizing that it was one of the Great Lakes. Later on when honey and I went to New England and to Niagara Falls, counting the lakes as we passed them...being very impressed with them.
In 1970's honey and I went to Chicago Ill. We parked at Lake Michigan and took the train into downtown Chicago...loved it..want to go back one day...but it will be only my dreams...
Back to my childhood....we went to the Smokey Mountains. Several times different things happened worth mentioning. One time we were in road work, mother was driving, I was reading (which I did all the time) and all of a sudden I looked up saw a semi truck in front of us and in my mind I saw him coming backward to us...wow.".are we about to be hit?" was my thought...mother appeared to be just sitting and not doing anything...so I grabbed my purse, opened the door and jumped out and ran as far as I could...was my parents mad or what...and they should have been...mother didn't know what to do next, could not pull around him as they would not leave me... apparently I came back to the car ...she then pulled around and off we went...but boy did I get an ear full!!!! I would not do that again!!! So I stayed in my book and shut out the world...mother would say to me" Judy look at the mountains" and the reply from me .."if you have seen one you have seen them all" famous quote that my mother used over and over when telling that story!!! I was into reading at that time of my life...mysteries, nurse stories...anything I could get my hands on...my daughter was the same way...
During that same trip we saw some bears ... actually stopped , sat on the rocks,then put our feet in the cold stream...that was a fun trip. Dad loved the mountains so much that he later purchased the top of a mountain in Suches Ga...that was a trip in itself. He built a cabin, had running water BUT no indoor plumbing...no hot water heater ...a outdoor shower as us girls HAADDD to have our showers!!!! I would get Shirley to hold the shower curtain for me then I would hold it for her.... we would play games at night when the nighttime temperature would drop and on went the sweaters...which we were not used to being raised in Miami Florida. Times were good, food was good and we had such fun, running in the woods, putting our feet in the cold streams, walking up the road after dinner to walk off all that good food...dad eventually put in a large garden, built a 2 story home which mother insisted it be brick! As in Florida everything is cement block and painted light colors...since mother had a bad knee he put in a elevator which my children loved to play on and dad would have fits!!! I too would love to play on it also if I was a child. I stood up for my kids many a times...when other grandchild came along they did the same~!!!
After dad passed away mother sold that place of solitude. Such a mistake but it wasn't mine to to as I please. Memories cannot be erased of those wonderful years. Although tears do appear when we think of what could have been...we go on with life and thank God for those memories..
As an adult I took many vacations with my honey and children. Had some good time, stressful times but all in all it was good times . Amen.
Thank you grandpa for listening to this little girls chatter. Do you remember when you drove us to Anniston Al and the wreck? I love you J
2 comments:
Ahhh, vacation memories! You have had some good ones to remember. We used to leave Uleta after church on Sunday night, drive all night to NC, where all our relatives lived - usually we did this at Christmas time. I had just gotten my drivers license after my birthday in Nov., and Dad said he would drive all night and as soon as it got daylight I could drive. So, I slept all night, then started driving at daybreak. After about an hour I ran up behind a truck hauling something and he was going about 10 mph, and Dad said to go ahead and pass him. This was a 2-lane road. I started to pass, blew my horn - and he must have not seen me before the horn blew and he started pulling over into my lane just as it started around him! I had to leave the road and the pavement dropped off. He got on ahead of me, but my car was out of control, and I ended up on the right side of the road with the front bumper against a tree! No damage except a busted front tire. HaHA. Truck driver came back and helped us get the car onto the highway and Dad made me drive into the next town! So glad he did, because I probably never would have driven again after that! Such memories! Keep up the good work, Girl. Love you.
Thats what happened when I learned to drive...dad took me out in his old truck, with stick shift and at 5 pm...can you imagine even in the 50's there was alot of traffic....I stalled in the road and he was so patient and said" just crank it again and it will go" and it did...but I learned!!! Ih those good memeories..I always thought you were a good driver...and now you are the main driver..oh how ironic!..love you..
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