Vacationing

Most of our vacations till we moved from Colorado were spent visiting Grandparents in Idaho or Illinois. Dad took you boys fishing and squirrel shooting where he grew up; I remember mostly cooking and doing dishes when we were up there, however. And the time I asked Grandma to show me how to clean fish. Eeewwww. Guess the guys were the ones who really did that though, so it was Dad who showed me. Never again. Never ever again.

About the time Treesje was born, I would convince Dad to take you older ones up there by himself and I would stay home with the babies. So I'm not sure what always went on, but I'm betting you have a few Bear Lake memories. How about playing cards till all hours with Grandma & Grandpa? Maybe that led to your love of board games, huh?

We went to Illinois about half as often because it was twice as far, but I remember taking you down the Fox River on like a ferry/steamboat one time. Somehow we joined a group on a day trip from the Nursing Home, and they sang their favorite old songs with such childlike enthusiasm, I couldn't stop crying. So I probably cured you of wanting to end up in a Nursing Home or on a boat. Another day, when you were probably 5, we drove up to Lake Geneva in Wisconsin to go swimming. A storm came up and it got cold and overcast, but I wouldn't let you out of the water because, darn it, we paid a whole $10 to go there, and come hell or high water, we were going to swim! GET BACK IN THAT WATER AND I MEAN NOW!! So that probably cured you of wanting to swim much ever again.... I'm sure I wiped out whole categories of entertainment for you with my good intentions. You probably did quite a bit better when you flew back there for a week or two by yourself when you were 8 or 9. At least I was out of your way, and your Grandparents and Aunts & Uncles could give you lots of individual attention and spoil you. Kind of a rare phenomenon for someone in our family.

In 1980 just a few weeks after Jordan was born, we went to a timeshare tour outside of Vail, CO, and realized while there that we weren't seeing enough of the country by only going to two states to visit Grandparents. So, we bought in, and in October of that year we were on our way to Ruidoso, New Mexico. Remember the huge tarantulas, the size of a man's hand, that would cross the highway as we tried to dodge them? Ughhhh. Once there, it was terrific to see the beauty all around. Dad took you to visit Smokey the Bear and to see Billy The Kid's old hangout. And we checked out the stunning Inn of the Mountain Gods, and took you to White Sands, the gorgeous dunes where you got your first chance to drive the car because no one else was around. But my favorite thing of all was the day we took you all horseback riding in the mountains with two Mescalero Apaches. We were the whole show that day (there are perks to going places off season), and these wild Indians were really into their roles. Dad had Treesje on her horse, I had baby Jordan on mine, and one of the Apaches had Willow on his, but the rest of you tykes were on your own, and we chased around with the wind that day. And not a broken bone in the crowd! My dream come true, if only for a day.

Keep goin'! So true, isn't it, that there are "miles to go before you sleep", and so much to see, to do, if you're lucky?