We have all survived a week of (did I say vacation?) and the time is winding down and we'll soon be returning home with not only our children in tow, but also 4 of our lovely nieces, ages, 14, 14, 15, and 16. Yes, I guess I am a little loony, but, it actually sounded like fun at the time.
O.K., on with the story.
Before we were to start home we were spending the last couple of days with my husbands family. His sister was also in from Ohio, with her husband and their two kids, so our children were still having a great time playing at Grandma's, with the one cousin on Daddy's side of the family that lived in Missouri and the other 2 from Ohio.
It was mid-afternoon the day before we we planning to leave, when two little boys came running, at top speed, through their Grandmother's kitchen. The younger cousin, for some unknown reason, dropped down to the floor and our little boy then took a flying leap "OVER his cousins back and RIGHT OFF of Grandma's back porch!
You guessed it. The poor little guy now had a BROKEN ARM. So, OFF to the hospital we went, where we learned that the arm was already too swollen to set right. He had to be admitted and stay overnight when they would decide, the next day, if it needed surgery.
No surgery,luckily, was needed, but, it would be one extra day before we could leave.
On and on it goes!
We got that crisis taken care of and the following day we packed up and started HOME (by that time, the word HOME was sounding better and better!) We had everything including all 6 young people in the station wagon.
Only 650 miles to go!
Well-----
I really would like to tell you that we were at the end of our PERFECT vacation. (About time, don't you think?)
No not yet!
We traveled until we were just about half way into the drive and it was time for the NEXT adventure. Our ENTIRE MUFFLER fell off the car!
And of course, (as we should have known by now!)NO ONE was able to fix it that day!
Then----
After we found a campground we went to the grocery store (we had not planned another night in the camper) and---the store WOULD NOT accept our travelers checks! We scrounged enough money from change and the girls allowed us to use some of their spending money to buy a few groceries. We went back to camp, ate, and waited for the next day to arrive.
Because the camper was so small, the girls slept in it and we slept with the little ones (and the broken arm) in the car. NOT my best night!(Or anyone else's.)
Well friends. you are not going to believe this, but, we REALLY did get home without further incident!
UNFORTUNATELY, when we arrived at our home-sweet-home, our REFRIGERATOR had QUIT!!!!!
"Va-a-a cation, Oh it WAS so much fun!"
"But, though we had a good time."
"WE ARE POOPED WHEN IT IS DONE"
Honestly, I can tell you. "VACATIONS ARE NOT FOR WIMPS"
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Vacations are not for WIMPS! (part 1)
It was mid-July 1976. Once again, we were preparing to make our annual trip down to the southwestern part of Missouri.
We would be traveling with our two children, Our son,then 8 and our little girl, 6 years old. We were all happy and looking forward to vacation. Not only were we planning on visiting lots of people, but, we also had several side trips planned. Six Flags, the St. Louis Zoo, camping. All the things, we thought, would make for a "PERFECT" family vacation!
My husband and I were both born and raised in Missouri, but, in the spring of '72 we relocated to the northern part of Ohio when he got the opportunity to start a job working for General Motors Corp..
In the early 70's G.M. was still a great job to have. It represented security and had insurance that was far better than what we had at the foundry where he was then working. (I remember thinking what a good job it would be, because, (of course) people would always need cars to drive!) The other main reason was the lure of money. It would be a much better paying job than what he was making in Missouri.
His sister and her family were already located in Ohio, so we would not be completely without family connections. Still, it was difficult to pack up everything we owned (which wasn't alot) and leave the security of having the extended family surrounding us.
Our little boy was only 3 and his sister a year so we decided we would always make trips back home a priority. My parents and his Mom were all there, as well as his brother and family. Also, all 6 of my siblings and their own families were there. (To this day, our family are the only ones on my side to have moved permanently out of the area where we were raised.)We wanted our kids to have the special feeling. Always knowing where and they came from and who their people were. I needed to make sure they knew they were loved and cherished by their grandparents and also by all those Aunts, Uncles and cousin's.
Everything started out pretty smoothly, or, that is to say, as smoothly as anything we ever started.
The kids were so excited about going to see everyone that they were literally climbing the walls.
Daddy was all ready to go (at least 2 hours before the rest of us) and waiting (patiently, of course) in the front seat of the car! (I joke you not, the horn sounded a time or two before I finally sent a child out to remind him that there were three more of us going and that we were NOT yet ready!)
He never did (and likely, he never will) understand how come it always took me so much longer to get myself ready than it did him. How on earth could that be???
All I had to do was get two children out of bed, dressed, make the beds, get some kind of breakfast into each one of them and the dishes washed. Put out the trash pick up toys double check the locks on windows, doors etc. Make sure teeth were brushed, hair combed, and shoes on. Oh, and fix peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and snacks for a little later in the morning!
Dad also wanted to know why we hadn't found all of their favorite toy's the night before. (We had but someone needed something to sleep with! You just can't pack a favorite teddy or dolly away if you have to have it to sleep with.
"Why" did they need to go to the bathroom "NOW"? They had both been sent to the bathroom 20 minutes before and, Oh,Yes, I needed to go also. Of course, not my man, HE had taken care of HIS business two hours before at the coffee shop!
Now I must give him credit though. He has always helped as much as he could. Over the years he has probably carried at least a ton of luggage to the family car. Sometimes, unfortunately, the suitcases were only partially packed (there was always the last minutes items that happened to still be drying from the last load of clothing I had washed at midnight the night before. Or as happened a time or two the suitcases were not properly fastened, spilling the entire contents onto the floor in front of the couch. Or even worse, not immediately spilling, but leaving them strung across the floor as he attempted to stop the free flow of whatever articles had once been neatly folded! Fortunately, after a few choice words (that I choose not to repeat) things would once again be under control and eventually (Thank the good Lord) we would be ready to head out.
Once on the road it would usually take an hour or so for everyone to settle in. But, finally, everyone relaxed and quited down with new colors and coloring books, magazines and a tape in the cassette player. We were now ready for our adventure.
How little we know. Not one of us expected it to be quite the adventure it turned out to be.
As we spent the first hours we made up silly songs.
"Oh, we're going to Missouri, with the camper on the car."
"And, we're gonna stop at Six Flags, but, it does seem so far."
Yes, I forgot to mention this was a trip with our little 16 foot Empire camper pulled behind our baby blue station wagon. On the back of the camper we had a rack with the kids bicycles securely (we thought) fastened on.
After a couple of hours we stopped and ate our sandwiches. Then the kids played happily for awhile as we sat and relaxed at the roadside rest where we had stopped.
That night we did stop outside of St. Louis and slept at a motel. We were up early the next day and spent several hours at "Six Flags over Mid-America".
"We'll ride the rides all day and night, It's fun to get a thrill"
"But, it might make us dizzy, when we ride the Ferris wheel!"
It was a beautiful sunny day and for some reason that day was not overly crowded. Most of the time there was not even a long wait for the rides and the children even got to ride a few more than one time. I still have pictures somewhere, that the kids drew as we continued the trip the following day. Both drew pictures of the big roller-coaster named the "Screaming Eagle". It was a major roller-coaster in 1976, even though, by todays standards, I'm not sure how it stands up. We were all very impressed at the time. It was a great day and a wonderful way to start a vacation!
The fun had just begun!
It wasn't long after we left the St. Louis area, traveling on Interstate 44, that we heard something strange and immediately realized there was a problem. Looking behind us (there were extended mirror's on each side of the car) we were horrified to see a Sim-truck swerving and almost losing control! That truck driver must have had his guardian angel riding with him that day, because, with skilled action, he managed to get his truck straightened out just in time and avoided a full blown accident. The semi continued on, but, now our kids almost new bicycles were lying at least a quarter of a mile back, somewhere along the roadside or worse, possibly still on the road, causing a hazard to some other unsuspecting driver!
As we slowly backed up along the berm another car pulled up behind us. He had been going the opposite direction and saw what had happened. He had crossed the highway and picked up the bicycles. We loaded them into the camper, thanked the stranger for his kindness, and once again headed south.
Va-a-cation, oh it is so much fun,
We'll swim and play and picnic in the good hot summer sun!
We stopped at Springfield to see my twin brother (who conveniently worked in a bicycle shop) and left the bicycles with him. Miraculously, neither bike had major damage!
After that we headed another hour on down South to see the grandparent's.
"And when we get to Grandma's, We'll see the other's there.
"Our cousin's, aunt's and uncle's, seem to be just everywhere!"
We had finally arrived. It was great fun. For the next couple of days it all went smoothly as we visited one family after another and then back to Mom and Dad's to sleep.
Then came the weekend and the "Family Campout."
Once again, it started out as a beautiful day. We were going to spend the next few days on the rocky riverbank. Fishing, swimming, eating, hiking, singing and laughing. Most of the brother's and sister's were there as were my folks.
Later in the day the men went off fishing and the rest of us took the younger kids down to swim in the shallow creek. Soon we became aware of dark storm clouds gathering and within minutes sharp flashes of lightening were crashing all around us. Our first thought was to get the wet children out of the lightening,so we headed for the camper.
The wind picked up and started blowing everything,every which way, just about the same time the rest of the group arrived back at camp.
Within a couple of minutes, two of our teen girls became trapped in a tent that blew down. Back out into the storm went Grandpa and my husband, headed out to the save the screaming teenagers. After a struggle with the tent they were told to get out and in the camper. "But Grandpa, one of them cried, "We aren't dressed!"
"Just grab a towel and GET INTO THE CAMPER!" came Grandpa's voice over the howling wind. After successfully rescuing the half naked girls, the men had no other choice than to lay down under the crippled tent until the worst of the storm calmed and the strong wind subsided.
It was a frightening experience, but, we were blessed and Alla's well that ends well!
I guess it was a good thing we hadn't gotten around to unhooking the camper. We believe the weight of our car (and the combined weight of everyone inside) helped to keep us from rolling over and ending up it the river!
For a few minutes there, that little 16 foot camper was sure "Rockin' and Rollin'" with 17 people and a hound dog inside!
We would be traveling with our two children, Our son,then 8 and our little girl, 6 years old. We were all happy and looking forward to vacation. Not only were we planning on visiting lots of people, but, we also had several side trips planned. Six Flags, the St. Louis Zoo, camping. All the things, we thought, would make for a "PERFECT" family vacation!
My husband and I were both born and raised in Missouri, but, in the spring of '72 we relocated to the northern part of Ohio when he got the opportunity to start a job working for General Motors Corp..
In the early 70's G.M. was still a great job to have. It represented security and had insurance that was far better than what we had at the foundry where he was then working. (I remember thinking what a good job it would be, because, (of course) people would always need cars to drive!) The other main reason was the lure of money. It would be a much better paying job than what he was making in Missouri.
His sister and her family were already located in Ohio, so we would not be completely without family connections. Still, it was difficult to pack up everything we owned (which wasn't alot) and leave the security of having the extended family surrounding us.
Our little boy was only 3 and his sister a year so we decided we would always make trips back home a priority. My parents and his Mom were all there, as well as his brother and family. Also, all 6 of my siblings and their own families were there. (To this day, our family are the only ones on my side to have moved permanently out of the area where we were raised.)We wanted our kids to have the special feeling. Always knowing where and they came from and who their people were. I needed to make sure they knew they were loved and cherished by their grandparents and also by all those Aunts, Uncles and cousin's.
Everything started out pretty smoothly, or, that is to say, as smoothly as anything we ever started.
The kids were so excited about going to see everyone that they were literally climbing the walls.
Daddy was all ready to go (at least 2 hours before the rest of us) and waiting (patiently, of course) in the front seat of the car! (I joke you not, the horn sounded a time or two before I finally sent a child out to remind him that there were three more of us going and that we were NOT yet ready!)
He never did (and likely, he never will) understand how come it always took me so much longer to get myself ready than it did him. How on earth could that be???
All I had to do was get two children out of bed, dressed, make the beds, get some kind of breakfast into each one of them and the dishes washed. Put out the trash pick up toys double check the locks on windows, doors etc. Make sure teeth were brushed, hair combed, and shoes on. Oh, and fix peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and snacks for a little later in the morning!
Dad also wanted to know why we hadn't found all of their favorite toy's the night before. (We had but someone needed something to sleep with! You just can't pack a favorite teddy or dolly away if you have to have it to sleep with.
"Why" did they need to go to the bathroom "NOW"? They had both been sent to the bathroom 20 minutes before and, Oh,Yes, I needed to go also. Of course, not my man, HE had taken care of HIS business two hours before at the coffee shop!
Now I must give him credit though. He has always helped as much as he could. Over the years he has probably carried at least a ton of luggage to the family car. Sometimes, unfortunately, the suitcases were only partially packed (there was always the last minutes items that happened to still be drying from the last load of clothing I had washed at midnight the night before. Or as happened a time or two the suitcases were not properly fastened, spilling the entire contents onto the floor in front of the couch. Or even worse, not immediately spilling, but leaving them strung across the floor as he attempted to stop the free flow of whatever articles had once been neatly folded! Fortunately, after a few choice words (that I choose not to repeat) things would once again be under control and eventually (Thank the good Lord) we would be ready to head out.
Once on the road it would usually take an hour or so for everyone to settle in. But, finally, everyone relaxed and quited down with new colors and coloring books, magazines and a tape in the cassette player. We were now ready for our adventure.
How little we know. Not one of us expected it to be quite the adventure it turned out to be.
As we spent the first hours we made up silly songs.
"Oh, we're going to Missouri, with the camper on the car."
"And, we're gonna stop at Six Flags, but, it does seem so far."
Yes, I forgot to mention this was a trip with our little 16 foot Empire camper pulled behind our baby blue station wagon. On the back of the camper we had a rack with the kids bicycles securely (we thought) fastened on.
After a couple of hours we stopped and ate our sandwiches. Then the kids played happily for awhile as we sat and relaxed at the roadside rest where we had stopped.
That night we did stop outside of St. Louis and slept at a motel. We were up early the next day and spent several hours at "Six Flags over Mid-America".
"We'll ride the rides all day and night, It's fun to get a thrill"
"But, it might make us dizzy, when we ride the Ferris wheel!"
It was a beautiful sunny day and for some reason that day was not overly crowded. Most of the time there was not even a long wait for the rides and the children even got to ride a few more than one time. I still have pictures somewhere, that the kids drew as we continued the trip the following day. Both drew pictures of the big roller-coaster named the "Screaming Eagle". It was a major roller-coaster in 1976, even though, by todays standards, I'm not sure how it stands up. We were all very impressed at the time. It was a great day and a wonderful way to start a vacation!
The fun had just begun!
It wasn't long after we left the St. Louis area, traveling on Interstate 44, that we heard something strange and immediately realized there was a problem. Looking behind us (there were extended mirror's on each side of the car) we were horrified to see a Sim-truck swerving and almost losing control! That truck driver must have had his guardian angel riding with him that day, because, with skilled action, he managed to get his truck straightened out just in time and avoided a full blown accident. The semi continued on, but, now our kids almost new bicycles were lying at least a quarter of a mile back, somewhere along the roadside or worse, possibly still on the road, causing a hazard to some other unsuspecting driver!
As we slowly backed up along the berm another car pulled up behind us. He had been going the opposite direction and saw what had happened. He had crossed the highway and picked up the bicycles. We loaded them into the camper, thanked the stranger for his kindness, and once again headed south.
Va-a-cation, oh it is so much fun,
We'll swim and play and picnic in the good hot summer sun!
We stopped at Springfield to see my twin brother (who conveniently worked in a bicycle shop) and left the bicycles with him. Miraculously, neither bike had major damage!
After that we headed another hour on down South to see the grandparent's.
"And when we get to Grandma's, We'll see the other's there.
"Our cousin's, aunt's and uncle's, seem to be just everywhere!"
We had finally arrived. It was great fun. For the next couple of days it all went smoothly as we visited one family after another and then back to Mom and Dad's to sleep.
Then came the weekend and the "Family Campout."
Once again, it started out as a beautiful day. We were going to spend the next few days on the rocky riverbank. Fishing, swimming, eating, hiking, singing and laughing. Most of the brother's and sister's were there as were my folks.
Later in the day the men went off fishing and the rest of us took the younger kids down to swim in the shallow creek. Soon we became aware of dark storm clouds gathering and within minutes sharp flashes of lightening were crashing all around us. Our first thought was to get the wet children out of the lightening,so we headed for the camper.
The wind picked up and started blowing everything,every which way, just about the same time the rest of the group arrived back at camp.
Within a couple of minutes, two of our teen girls became trapped in a tent that blew down. Back out into the storm went Grandpa and my husband, headed out to the save the screaming teenagers. After a struggle with the tent they were told to get out and in the camper. "But Grandpa, one of them cried, "We aren't dressed!"
"Just grab a towel and GET INTO THE CAMPER!" came Grandpa's voice over the howling wind. After successfully rescuing the half naked girls, the men had no other choice than to lay down under the crippled tent until the worst of the storm calmed and the strong wind subsided.
It was a frightening experience, but, we were blessed and Alla's well that ends well!
I guess it was a good thing we hadn't gotten around to unhooking the camper. We believe the weight of our car (and the combined weight of everyone inside) helped to keep us from rolling over and ending up it the river!
For a few minutes there, that little 16 foot camper was sure "Rockin' and Rollin'" with 17 people and a hound dog inside!
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