Summer vacations were something we always looked forward to when we were children, they were spent at my grandparents every year. It sounds like such a simple vacation compared to the elaborate vacations many take these days, but we loved it and I don’t have a single regret. My grandparents were wonderful, as I’ve probably shared in other posts.
They lived on property surrounded by woods, with what I thought was a HUGE hill in the yard. Everything seems bigger when you look back on it from the perspective of an adult. At the top of the hill was a metal shed that always smelled like gardening…manure probably, but it was a good, clean smell.
In the shed was a box that contained fun in the form of rolled up yellow plastic. We’d take it out, unroll it down the hill, and then attach a hose to the top so there was a steady flow of water, and we’d slide down the hill on the Slip ‘n Slide to our hearts content. Oh yes, there were times when the water wasn’t flowing as nicely as it could, and you’d get a nice “belly burn” on the plastic, but it was fun as can be and among the treasured vacation memories stored away in my mind.
Slip ‘n Slides have come a long way, now there are Slip ‘N Slide Mega Sharks, can you imagine? Now you can feel like you are escaping the jaws of a shark when you slide down the hill, but for us, just a plain piece of yellow plastic was enough.
In our town it was the last day of school for the young ones, and a flood of memories came to mind as a result, I’ll have more for you. When my husband and I went to my Grandparents house after Grandad passed, about 10 years after Gram, we took a look in that shed, and sure enough, the box was still there. Now the house and property have been completely redone, but pictures and happy memories remain.
Father’s Day has come and gone, but my thoughts about Dad haven’t. I have had him on my mind a lot in the days proceeding Father’s Day and since. The picture is one of my daddy holding me when I was a baby, I had the honor of making him a “daddy” for the first time.
Before Dad became disabled due to strokes, Father’s Day was usually celebrated here at my home on our deck overlooking the lake. The last Father’s Day that stands out most clearly in my mind was when Dad was well, and my Grandfather was still alive and visiting my parents from Massachusetts. It was a beautiful, sunny day, perfect for barbecuing on the deck. The whole family was there, including my sister with her then boyfriend. He took advantage of the day to borrow our rowboat, take my sister out on the lake, and propose to her.
This year we took a ride to the cemetery to visit Dad’s grave and thank the Lord that he is now in heaven with Him. I talked more about that on my New Jersey Baby Boomer blog.
Last week my husband and I packed a few days worth of cloths, hopped in the car, and went away for a few days to use some of his vacation time and get away. We had no real destination, just knew it would be somewhere down on the jersey shore. We decided to start at the northern-most part of the shore destinations, Sandy Hook, and work our way down, and never got beyond our favorite spot, Long Beach Island. You’ll find a lot more about the history and spots we stopped at as I post them to New Jersey Baby Boomer, but for this post, LBI is the focus.
We have great memories of taking our children there for a weekend. We spent time on the beach, my favorite being early morning or very late afternoon, as the sun is going down. Especially nice if there is a full moon. We enjoyed our just-the-two-of-us time very much, but also missed the good old days with the added excitement of having our children with us. When you’re raising your children, you love being with them, but dream of days when it can be just the two of you, then when it IS just the two of you, you realize how much life and vitality children add to your life…no, we’re not sad or depressed because they are grown, but treasure and hold tight to those special memories.
I took LOADS of pictures, and again, will be putting some up on New Jersey Baby Boomer where I share more history, but for now, here’s Barnegat Light, the lighthouse in Barnegat Bay, fondly called “Old Barney” - what a great history it has. We had been here years back with our children, and this trip my husband took on the challenge of climbing the 200+ winding steps to the top.
And what is a trip to the shore without seagulls? This one posed for me on the rocks that are on the other side of a railing along a cement trail at Barnegat Light on the bay.
Wishing those of you that are able a happy and safe vacation. There are, and will be more, tips on saving when you vacation this summer at Baby Boomer Penny Pincher, stop by if you like.
