| Biographical Non-Fiction posted October 13, 2020 | Chapters: |
...67 68 -69- 70... 
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Our family takes another vacation
A chapter in the book Remembering Yesterday
Rocky Mountain High
by BethShelby
| Background As our family grew and we realized they would leave the nest all too soon. We tried to do as many things together as a family that would make memories they would carry with them throughout life. |
During her second half of her eighth grade year, Carol had the rhinoplasty surgery to give her a straighter nose. She did it during the break at school. so she could be home while she was breathing through her mouth and allowing her nose to heal. When she went back to class, most of the bruising was gone. but some of the swelling was still there. No one mentioned the fact that the shape of her nose had changed, but instead of the nickname “Nose” for a while, she had a new name. They called her “Puffy Face.” It didn’t appear to bother her at all.
However, now both Don and Christi wanted to have the surgery as well. Don had inherited the prominent bridge, so you told him that if he wasn’t happy with his nose to wait until he was a little older, and we would let him have the surgery as well. Christi’s nose was much smaller and nothing to be concerned about, but it was apparent that she was becoming self-conscious about her own nose. You couldn’t handle having passed on a trait that made your children feel uncomfortable with their appearance. We knew that, at some point, she would probably insist on having her nose done as well.
School was out in May and the eighth grade graduation program was the highlight of the year. Carol wore a red cap and gown. Christi sang a solo from the ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ and my three children said farewell to the academy they had attended for the last five years.
******
My first months of working at my latest job were enjoyable. I decided I liked the idea of changing jobs often. This way there were always new things to learn and new people to get to know. I didn’t have the problem of getting burned out with the same routine day after day. I admired you for sticking with the same company for years, but I decided it wasn’t for me.
The old adage of ‘a rolling stone gathers no moss’ fit me more than it did you. I realized I would never be promoted to a better position in any company by moving around so much, but it wasn’t a priority for me. I considered myself fortunate to have you as the main wage earner. This way I had the opportunity to focus on family and my other interests. I liked knowing any job would likely be a temporary juncture in my life. I wasn’t worried because I’d never had trouble finding a job.
I was thankful that as long as I had you, I didn’t need to consider any job as a permanent necessity. You had always given me the option of staying home if that was my choice. I liked working and liked to believe my salary made things easier for all of us by contributing to the family support and also allowed both of us to have money to do with as we chose.
******
When I took the job with William’s Printing Company, I’d taken it with the understanding that you had vacation time coming, and that I would be able to take off a week without pay in order to take another family vacation.
In spite of vows you’d made concerning no more family vacations when we’d gone to Niagara Falls the year before, in the summer of 1976, we were about to embark on another vacation trip. Again we drove to my parents' home in Mississippi. This time we’d decided that rather than stay at motels, we would make it a camping vacation and wouldn’t spend a lot of money on anything other than gas. The kids had gotten used to camping out in Pathfinders. You decided you wanted to take the van, and you and I could sleep in that. No matter where we went, we should be able to find parks designed for camping. We packed some food and planned to stop at grocery stores along the way to add as needed.
Last year when we made plans, it hadn’t worked out so well. This time, we decided not to be locked into specific plans and see how that would work. We talked about where we might want to go. There were three places mentioned. The beach was favored by the twins. You didn’t seem to have a preference. Carol, who was still in the middle of her John Denver phase, wanted to go West toward Colorado, and I thought maybe the Southwest would be a good choice, since we'd never seen the Grand Canyon.
You drove as far as Meridian, Mississippi and stopped the car. “We need to know where we are heading,” you said. “From here we can go in any direction, but we have to decide.”
You pulled out four matches and broke one. You held them in a way we couldn’t tell which one was the shortest. “Here’s the deal,” you said. “Whoever gets the shortest one gets to choose. Carol, Christi, Don and I each drew a match. Connie was still too young for a choice. Carol got the broken match. “We’re going to Colorado," she told us. There was a collective sigh from the twins. But you turned West. Those bathing suits we’d packed weren’t going to be used.
The twins began to chant a sing-song refrain they made up, which we had to listen to for many miles, “We don’t care what that woman says….We want hotels, motels, res-tu-rants…..” To this day they all remember that silly chant.
In spite of a long ride ahead, we had plenty of room in the van for everyone to move around, play games and get exercise. I looked at the road maps and laid out a route toward Colorado. We swapped driving positions often and made rest stops as they were needed. Later that day we decided to find a camping site at a State park in Missouri. It was a nice site near a lake. You helped the kids pitch our tent which the four of them would share. We spread our meal on the picnic table after we used the bathhouse. The area was lighted enough to feel safe at night, but not too bright to keep us from sleeping. You and I were comfortable in the back of the van. Since we were near Six Flags Over Mid America, the kids were excited when we agreed to go there the following day.
We spent several hours at Six Flags and all of the children enjoyed the rides. We spent another night at an excellent park a bit farther along our way, before arriving at our main destination. You and I were both blown away with the beauty of the countryside as we drove into Estes Park, Colorado. However, it didn’t take us long to realize that the clothes we had packed would never work in the Rockies in May. We went shopping and everyone got new long sleeve sweatshirts.
That night, we camped at a park high in the mountains. The next morning when we awakened, the sunrise view was amazing. You put Connie on your shoulders and we all took a hike over the mountain ridges. It was a magical experience. It is a happy memory I’ll never forget. Later that day, we drove up even higher and there was soft, partially-melted snow everywhere. The children all enjoyed playing in the snow and all the while not being the least bit cold.
The rest of the trip was pleasant. We found nice parks every night where we could camp in safety. There were swings and other playground equipment for the children and interesting places to hike and convenient bathhouses. It turned out to be one of best vacation trips we’d ever taken.
******
The next weekend was Connie’s third birthday and we were able to spend it at our place in the country. One of Connie’s favorite presents was a plastic swimming pool which we filled with water, and all the children enjoyed playing in it.
The older children had the rest of the summer to worry about the fact that in a couple of months they would be starting a new phase in their lives as they attended a public school, where everyone would be a stranger.
However, now both Don and Christi wanted to have the surgery as well. Don had inherited the prominent bridge, so you told him that if he wasn’t happy with his nose to wait until he was a little older, and we would let him have the surgery as well. Christi’s nose was much smaller and nothing to be concerned about, but it was apparent that she was becoming self-conscious about her own nose. You couldn’t handle having passed on a trait that made your children feel uncomfortable with their appearance. We knew that, at some point, she would probably insist on having her nose done as well.
School was out in May and the eighth grade graduation program was the highlight of the year. Carol wore a red cap and gown. Christi sang a solo from the ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ and my three children said farewell to the academy they had attended for the last five years.
******
My first months of working at my latest job were enjoyable. I decided I liked the idea of changing jobs often. This way there were always new things to learn and new people to get to know. I didn’t have the problem of getting burned out with the same routine day after day. I admired you for sticking with the same company for years, but I decided it wasn’t for me.
The old adage of ‘a rolling stone gathers no moss’ fit me more than it did you. I realized I would never be promoted to a better position in any company by moving around so much, but it wasn’t a priority for me. I considered myself fortunate to have you as the main wage earner. This way I had the opportunity to focus on family and my other interests. I liked knowing any job would likely be a temporary juncture in my life. I wasn’t worried because I’d never had trouble finding a job.
I was thankful that as long as I had you, I didn’t need to consider any job as a permanent necessity. You had always given me the option of staying home if that was my choice. I liked working and liked to believe my salary made things easier for all of us by contributing to the family support and also allowed both of us to have money to do with as we chose.
******
When I took the job with William’s Printing Company, I’d taken it with the understanding that you had vacation time coming, and that I would be able to take off a week without pay in order to take another family vacation.
In spite of vows you’d made concerning no more family vacations when we’d gone to Niagara Falls the year before, in the summer of 1976, we were about to embark on another vacation trip. Again we drove to my parents' home in Mississippi. This time we’d decided that rather than stay at motels, we would make it a camping vacation and wouldn’t spend a lot of money on anything other than gas. The kids had gotten used to camping out in Pathfinders. You decided you wanted to take the van, and you and I could sleep in that. No matter where we went, we should be able to find parks designed for camping. We packed some food and planned to stop at grocery stores along the way to add as needed.
Last year when we made plans, it hadn’t worked out so well. This time, we decided not to be locked into specific plans and see how that would work. We talked about where we might want to go. There were three places mentioned. The beach was favored by the twins. You didn’t seem to have a preference. Carol, who was still in the middle of her John Denver phase, wanted to go West toward Colorado, and I thought maybe the Southwest would be a good choice, since we'd never seen the Grand Canyon.
You drove as far as Meridian, Mississippi and stopped the car. “We need to know where we are heading,” you said. “From here we can go in any direction, but we have to decide.”
You pulled out four matches and broke one. You held them in a way we couldn’t tell which one was the shortest. “Here’s the deal,” you said. “Whoever gets the shortest one gets to choose. Carol, Christi, Don and I each drew a match. Connie was still too young for a choice. Carol got the broken match. “We’re going to Colorado," she told us. There was a collective sigh from the twins. But you turned West. Those bathing suits we’d packed weren’t going to be used.
The twins began to chant a sing-song refrain they made up, which we had to listen to for many miles, “We don’t care what that woman says….We want hotels, motels, res-tu-rants…..” To this day they all remember that silly chant.
In spite of a long ride ahead, we had plenty of room in the van for everyone to move around, play games and get exercise. I looked at the road maps and laid out a route toward Colorado. We swapped driving positions often and made rest stops as they were needed. Later that day we decided to find a camping site at a State park in Missouri. It was a nice site near a lake. You helped the kids pitch our tent which the four of them would share. We spread our meal on the picnic table after we used the bathhouse. The area was lighted enough to feel safe at night, but not too bright to keep us from sleeping. You and I were comfortable in the back of the van. Since we were near Six Flags Over Mid America, the kids were excited when we agreed to go there the following day.
We spent several hours at Six Flags and all of the children enjoyed the rides. We spent another night at an excellent park a bit farther along our way, before arriving at our main destination. You and I were both blown away with the beauty of the countryside as we drove into Estes Park, Colorado. However, it didn’t take us long to realize that the clothes we had packed would never work in the Rockies in May. We went shopping and everyone got new long sleeve sweatshirts.
That night, we camped at a park high in the mountains. The next morning when we awakened, the sunrise view was amazing. You put Connie on your shoulders and we all took a hike over the mountain ridges. It was a magical experience. It is a happy memory I’ll never forget. Later that day, we drove up even higher and there was soft, partially-melted snow everywhere. The children all enjoyed playing in the snow and all the while not being the least bit cold.
The rest of the trip was pleasant. We found nice parks every night where we could camp in safety. There were swings and other playground equipment for the children and interesting places to hike and convenient bathhouses. It turned out to be one of best vacation trips we’d ever taken.
******
The next weekend was Connie’s third birthday and we were able to spend it at our place in the country. One of Connie’s favorite presents was a plastic swimming pool which we filled with water, and all the children enjoyed playing in it.
The older children had the rest of the summer to worry about the fact that in a couple of months they would be starting a new phase in their lives as they attended a public school, where everyone would be a stranger.
 Recognized |
I'm continuing to recall memories of life with my deceased husband as if I am talking aloud to him. I'm doing this because I want my children to know us as we knew each other and not just as their parents.
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