Vacations provide families with fond memories, photo album pictures, and souvenirs. My friends' parents would take them skiing at resorts in Colorado, or swimming along the sandy beaches of Florida, or even sight seeing across Europe. Their vacations always involved powdery snow in the mountains, or palm trees and hammocks by the ocean, or world famous museums and landmarks. My vacations were just as thrilling since my parents took me to a relative's house where I didn't have to do gardening chores for an entire week.My parents did not believe in hotels. Ever. Which is why our vacations always involved a close relative. Or a distant relative. Or close friend of the family. Or a not-so-close friend of the family. Or friend of a friend of the family.
Since hotels were out of the question, instead of stopping to rest along the way, my parents would drive 30 hours straight across the United States until they reached our destination. One parent slept while the other drove. Every four to six hours they would trade off. In this manner we left Iowa to drive across Nebraska, then Wyoming, then Utah, then Nevada...
In order to pass the monotonous stretch, my sisters and I sat in the back of the station wagon singing songs. After countless hours of singing every song we knew numerous times, we would eventually make up songs. One such original ditty went as follows (complete with actions):
Oh, I'm broken up to here, (put your hand on your forehead)
I fell apart last year, (droop your head and shoulders)
I'm so mad, (look angry)
The people are so glad, (smile broadly)
'cause I'm broken up to here, (put your hand on your forehead)
I fell apart last year, (droop your head and shoulders)
I'm so mad, (look angry)
The people are so glad, (smile broadly)
'cause I'm broken up to here... (put your hand on your forehead)
And so it continued. For eternity. Or at least until we reached Grandma and Grandpa's house in California.
Posts
Count yourself lucky girl - my parents didn't even own a CAR!!
ReplyDeleteHaving said all that, I do sometimes worry that I raise my kids to have expetations that most from my generation did not grow up with.
You see, you have family memories stored of real interaction, conversation, and yes, that daft song you all made up.. the only real time I get my family to sit in the same room together, is over dinner ( and not always too willingly,at that ).
Looks as though your parents didn't do too a bad job, as it turned out!
Shrink Wrapped,
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry, but I feel the need to clarify something. Did you just call my lovingly, skillfully written song daft?
OOPS.
ReplyDeleteShrink Wrapped,
ReplyDeleteApology accepted. (*wink*)
If i sing a song,
ReplyDeletewill you sing along,
If i sing a song,
will you sing along,
If i sing a song,
will you sing along,
or should I just keep singing right here by myself?
I just dropped some BMG on you. :D
Hi Deborah, Carol and Bart,
ReplyDeleteYou're so right. I don't think I stayed in a hotel as a child. Probably the first time was when I started travelling as a sportswriter.
That said, it was the best fun to stay with family and friends.
Our house is still like that. We're happiest when we have visitors.
Deborah, herewith your Grammy nomination. Please sign acceptance form and return forthwith, for our records.
Take care, all
David
Bart,
ReplyDeleteI'll join you in singing when my song is over, "I'm broken up to here, I fell apart last year...." You better start without me.
David,
ReplyDeleteFirst Aussie Blog award, then Thinker Blog, now a Grammy, where will I keep all the trophies?
This made me wonder what my kids would write about... will they complain that one time we stayed in a hotel that was a dive... will they write about how the only thing to keep them entertained was the DVDs and Nintendo DS games they had... Will they write that sometimes Mom insisted we were going through the Wendy's drive through instead of McDonalds for once on a road trip... hmmm... it will be iteresting to find out!
ReplyDelete~ youngest sister Kim
Kim,
ReplyDeleteYour kids will write about how road trips with Aunt Debbie were the BEST!
Deb, did ya ever get fixed? Or are ya still briken? ;)
ReplyDeleteHi Deborah,
ReplyDeleteSummer project for the boys. Build big (and I mean B I G) trophy cabinet for Mum.
You write a great blog. You deserve the accolades.
Keep smiling
David
Ahh, that would be "broken"...hahaha!
ReplyDeleteEve,
ReplyDeleteI am no longer broken, but maybe somedays still a bit bricken.
David,
ReplyDeleteBoys would love that sumemr project. Of course, it would enver get done. but it would keep them busy for several days before they lost interest.