V is for Vacations

We have had some fun vacations over the years.  I would say we actually had two kinds of vacations.  Most often, when we left the house, it would be to head for Arkansas to visit Daryl’s family.  We would go to Heber Springs, Arkansas, and play in the “Swimming Hole” at the lake and eat watermelon and enjoy time with siblings and cousins.  We’d stay up late, and at night, the cousins would sleep in the living room floor, spread out side by side in sleeping bags.  Oldest cousin got the couch, youngers were on the floor.  Granddaddy had a Ben Franklin stove in the garage, and during winter months, he’d have a fire going and would roast peanuts.  He had a huge garage, and about half of it was dedicated to pool.  This huge pool table came with the house, and generation after generation of kids grew up playing pool.  There were lots of times, when there were young ones, that the men and older boys would be playing pool, and the younger ones would be pulling a red wagon around the pool players.  There was a playground out back where the kids could play on swings and a spinning Jenny.

The other kind of vacation was when my folks came to see us.  My folks lived a 2-day trip away, which meant that by the time we spent 4 days on the road, our vacation time was spent, so my folks came to see us, usually for 2 weeks at a time.  I wasn’t working at the time, so I was home, and able to entertain and play with them.  They generally came at Spring Break or summertime, when the kids were off.  What fun we had!  No matter what city we lived in, we’d do the touristy things that our family seldom did without company.  In San Antonio, we’d do the River Walk and River boat rides.  We took picnics to the playground.  Mom would read to the kids, or do crafts.  In Bedford, we’d often find our way to things we had never done alone.  Once, we went to the Mesquite Rodeo.  Dub had such a good time!   I remember once, Mom went to the kids’ schools and told stories to their classes.

So, I’d say we have a history of some very fine vacation times.  We made lots of memories with lots of family members.