Saturday, April 25, 2015

V is for Vacation Disasters

R.a.n.t. of day 04/25/15
Once in a while we all need to get away. Sometimes we need to get away from a stressful job. Other times we may need to get away from the city we are living in. But have you ever had the need to get away from the vacation you are currently on? Growing up, we had one such vacation. My father had just remarried and funds were at a minimum. He did the best he could manage to take us somewhere that Summer. I didn't appreciate it at the time, none of us kids did. At the time we all complained. Following are two shameful excerpts from the journal I was keeping at the time.

K.A.T.Y. Entry: 07-24-02-08-34-89 04
'...here we have the family, a murky lake, a generator that can only be run for several hours at night, a row boat with a slow leak in it, and hardly any gas left to make it around to the nearest town. So far, the best time here is at night when the generator goes out and all the stars are visible. It looks truly awesome. And last night we had a jolly campfire, well a campfire.'

K.A.T.Y. Entry: 07-28-06-08-25-89 05
'And so this is the last day our family is suppose to be up at this "fun" vacation. Actually everyone wants to leave and are happy we are leaving a day early. I - well I like it here except I hate this drinking water, fun is limited, to many bugs and not any friends here. I was greatly pleased the other day when it began to rain. Also the day before my father took me to a most excellent fishing spot.'

It's interesting to note, though I was complaining in each entry, I also found something positive to talk about. I read those entries now and regret what I wrote. My dad was doing the best he could. The description doesn't even sound that bad. I love star gazing, camp fires, appreciating the wilderness and time alone to read (I was reading the Diary of Anne Frank at the time). So what was I complaining about? Maybe it wasn't so bad after all. Maybe I should have told my father I appreciated the vacation instead of complaining about it. But I never did.

Yes, the vacation was bad. However, the family and I, we still talk about them. We laugh now, more than anything else. Teasing my brother about losing his glasses in the lake from swatting at flies. Or one of the twins sisters stepping into a pile of mud and screaming, thinking she was going to be sucked under. Of course she only lost a shoe. Then the youngest, (age nine at the time), was terrified and screaming because I told him the frog sounds he heard was 'Banjo Joe'. Apparently he thought Banjo Joe was a deranged, axe wielding maniac who was going to kill us in our sleep. Such funny memories. But isn't that what happens years after a bad experience? You laugh it off.  Sometimes that's all you can do to keep from crying.

Some questions for discussion:
Have you ever had a vacation disaster?
What would be your ideal vacation?
Ever laugh at things now that years ago seemed traumatic?
Ever playfully scare a sibling or friend into believing something that wasn't true?

14 comments:

  1. We usually don't appreciate it at the time. Although we camped a lot when I was a kid, with our own trailer, and I don't like it now any more than I liked it then. Bugs and dirt and stuff. I usually hid in the camper and read.
    Funny about Banjo Joe.

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    1. For years my step-mother kept thinking it was I who was the scared one. Finally, I reminded her I was 19 at the time.

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  2. I don't go on vacations. Sadly. For money reasons...but I remember one family vacation I went on with my family to Fort Lauderdale. I was grumpy in the beginning for stupid reasons but enjoyed the vacation tremendously.

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    1. My brother hated this trip from the get-go and refused to have fun.

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  3. Banjo Joe! Hilarious stuff Jeremy keep it rolling. Star spotting is fun, constellations and merging galaxies. Spotting the difference between certain stars and satelites without a telescope now theres a challenge. I remember my dad rounding us up to leave on holidays. Some of us wanted to stay behind. Dad used to joke about Nelly living in the actic, It worked, we sped out to the car, LOL. Fun times.

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  4. Hi Jeffrey - yes we can get grumpy and miserable as kids ... I know I was definitely not the most helpful child ... but I can't remember any real disasters ... we usually went to grandparents or nearby ... and had a holiday in Italy - that must have been amazing ... however I do remember bits of it .. but not all as I wasn't the most civilised and my younger brothers were younger! Certainly brought back thoughts of those days .. cheers Hilary

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    1. I guess we never appreciate what we have a kids.

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  5. I've found that if your kids are complaining about things, chances are they live a pretty good life! When you're well taken care of and have parents who love you, you often see even little inconveniences as a big thing.

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  6. I think anyone who has vacationed more then five times has had a vacation disaster. We got stuck in our RV without A/C in the dessert. It was 119 degrees. So hot even the cat was panting,My ideal vacation is any kind of cruise. I will love them FOREVER.

    Scribbles From Jenn - Visiting from the A to Z Challenge

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    1. Wow! That would be a disaster, stuck in the dessert. As for cruises, they always frighten me because I always hear about those disaster stories.

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  7. Hello there.
    I think we've all been there and done that. As much as I love to sit by the ocean watching the water go and come and listen to the waves crash up against the rocks, cruising does not appeal to me. I like to go to quiet places where I can be on my own with hubby enjoying God's beautiful creations. That book, "Diary Of Anne Frank" was one of my favourite reads.

    Entrepreneurial Goddess

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    1. Yes, I loved reading it. One day I shall read it again.

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