If I tried to write about all of our family vacations as a kid, I would have a VERY long post and probably not do justice to all of our trips. Two memories stand out in my mind when I think about childhood vacations. The first memory is simply our trips to visit our grandparents. I think the most frequent trip was to visit Granddad & Grandma Hurt and “Jonesy” (Grandma Hurt’s mother, Great-Grandma Jones who died not long before her 101st or 102nd birthday). On the way to Salisbury, MO there was a red light in a small town at the top of a hill. Dad would try to judge his speed correctly, put the car in neutral coast up the hill trying to stop right at the red light without using the brake. I don’t remember how many times we did that or if he ever made it, but it is a fond memory. Once we arrived, I remember dad watching us and letting us climb up their TV antenna, going to visit Grandma at Dr. Harms’ office (she was his nurse), going to Granddad’s barber shop, walking to the dime store and walking to the park. I also remember going to Grandma’s church and the hymns we sang. I remember a nasty lettuce, mayo and olive salad Grandma fixed too frequently and Mom always made us eat, Jonesy eating green onions with every meal and my sister and I hiding in the back room/porch and meowing like a cat, laughing when Jonesy came to the back door looking for a cat to let inside.
JONESEY…I THINK SHE WAS 98 IN THIS PICTURE
I remember visiting Grandma Yates/Robinette (Mom’s mom). I remember going to visit her work (the Unity Village), her sending me stuff from there including some sort of monthly magazine as well as the Little Green Dragon book and cassette tape recording that I LOVED. I remember visiting her house, playing outside, catching fireflies in her front yard and I think I remember no air conditioning.
WE ARE SITTING ON THE PORCH AT GRANDMA ROBINETTE’S HOUSE ON OUR WAY HOME FROM VISITING HORN CREEK. THE TANK TOPS WE WERE ALL WEARING WERE “STRETCH-N-SEW” MADE BY MOM.
I remember visiting Grandpa Sleighter and Gram Mert (Mom’s dad and his wife) on their farm I am not sure how many times (not very many). I remember getting to help milk a cow (it was hard work and not much fun as a little kid) and having to walk down to the basement naked (in front of everybody…I was a little kid) to take a shower with the shower head in the corner of their basement and a drain in the floor. And I remember when their cow had calves. One of the calves was standing too close behind the mother and Gram Mert said to the cow, “Well, you done sh*t on your baby’s face!” I knew that was a really bad word, but it was funny that the cow pooped on her baby!
My fondest vacation memories were our multiple trips to Horn Creek Family Camp in Westcliff, Colorado. I am not sure how many trips we made, but I remember some as a younger child and one I think as a teen. Each family had a hotel-type room in a lodge with a meeting room and dining hall in the middle. There was breakfast together with other families, a morning devotional, family time during the day, dinner together at night and then a nighttime meeting with Bible teaching all with other families. Some random things I remember:
- Dad climbed the 13,450 mountain a couple times. One year he took me with him. I cannot imagine the patience it took to coax/drag me up the mountain, but we made it together and it is a memory I will cherish for a lifetime.
- Horseback riding was always fun. I don’t really remember it much, but as a young child I was thrown off a horse at Horn Creek and I guess it hurt my back for a while. The Lord healed me as a child at a prayer meeting.
- There was family skit night one year that was a LOT of fun. Our family did a corny skit. It was Dad’s idea, and it was REALLY corny.
PICTURES OF DAD AND ME ON TOP OF HORN PEAK, 13,450 FEET. I LOOK OLDER IN THIS PICTURE, BUT THE PICTURE ABOVE OF US ON THE PORCH OF GRANDMA ROBINETTE’S PORCH WAS TAKEN ON THE WAY HOME FROM THIS TRIP. THE “MEDAL” I WAS WEARING ON MY CHEST AND THE PATCH I WAS HOLDING IN THE PORCH PICTURE WERE FOR MAKING IT TO THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN.
I do not remember all the details, but I also remember an enjoyable vacation to Mout Rushmore (I think this is the same trip we saw the Corn Palace and a few other tourist attractions). This may have been the trip where I have my funniest vacation memory. We stayed at a budget motel and during the night, a bunch of people (I want to say bikers, but not sure on that) came in late and drunk after partying. They were loud and carried on for quite a while. One drunk lady kept yelling, “I’m so ugly he doesn’t love me anymore. I’m so ugly. I’m so ugly.” When morning came, we headed out early and TOTALLY out of character for him, Dad rolled down the window and yelled, “I’M UGLY. YOU’RE UGLY, WE’RE ALL UGLY” as we drove out of the parking lot!
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