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Favorite Vacation Memory
I am taking off for a few days. I am crazy excited, and I am sure that once all the frantic packing is finished and I’m on the plane, I’ll be able to have that ahhhhh moment. But not yet. Not yet.
So today’s questions is:
What is the best family summer vacation that you have ever taken, either as a child or an adult? Location and a favorite memory, please.
(And remember “favorite memory” doesn’t necessarily mean everything was perfect at the time. Memory can grow and morph and suddenly, a kinda-lame trip can be into a favorite story as the years go by. When I get home, somebody remind me to tell you about the Nepa Hut.)
We didn’t take a lot of summer vacations growing up. But I do remember one year going to The Cape and loving it. For me, summer was all about overnight camp.Those are my fondest memories. Pure magic looking back. I know so many parents who are horrified at thought of sending their kids away for a month or more, but I say, “Thank you mom and dad!” Best experience! I wish my girls would go.
Every summer we would drive to Pittsburgh and stay with my grandparents. My cousins would all come over and it was a two week sleepover and pool party. The best summers!
When I was growing up, we never took a family vacation (we didn’t have a lot of money). My parents saved all year so they could send us kids to camp. My family vacations were at camp with my “summer” family. I truly believe it’s a gift they gave me and now a gift we are giving our children.
My fondest memories growing up are of camp and my experiences there. It’s impossible for me to name one favorite memory. Instead, I can tell you I learned valuable skills such as: macrame, water-skiing, water ballet, archery, how to write a jeer, cheer, skit and song, kickball, softball, various swim strokes, challah making, table setting, bathroom cleaning (yuck!), canoeing, life saving skills in the pool, how to make a bed, how to be a counselor, and so much more. I learned to be independent and responsible for myself. I learned so much during my summer “vacations” at camp with my summer family. I wish the same for my kids!
Camp Seneca Lake all the way…I wish I could still spend my summers there with my “summer family”.
Camp Seneca Lake…most profound memory was the Sr camper trip to Racquet lake…canoeing on the Racquet river….running joke for the trip was that everything became “OTR” ….’On the Racquet’, ‘On the River’, ‘On the rock’.
Alaska had to be the best vacation of my life.
Pleasant Lake, north of Utica as one heads towards the Adirondacks. A small, quaint pond sized lake w/ an old fashioned country store on one end and a golf course on the other. For 3 consecutive summers my family rented what were then, newly built summer camps. A long white sand covered hill lead down to the waters edge where a small fishing/swimming barge was anchored down only a few feet from shore.
As a small child I believe that’s where I began my own personal summer tradition of spending most of my time wearing only shorts or a bathing suit (nothing else). No shirt and as barefoot and fancy free as a child could ever imagine. I would fish in the lake, repeatedly catching the same sunfish I had just released. Not a care in the world and only the daily trail walk to the country store to stock up on 10 cent candy kept any semblance of a schedule. How simple life was back then.
So many great times on family holidays with me as the child or the parent – generally visiting relations.
You really got me thinking. Too many to name. So two holidays – one location. Galway – in the west of Ireland.
Take one: Staying with relations in the Gaeltacht (Irish speaking) area. Met a lovely girl (and that was pre-Fr Ted – for those who know). Apparently we’d known each other as toddlers – so our mothers chuckled. We renewed our acquaintance in an innocent romantic teenagerish way.
Take two: Back to Galway with my one-ish year old daughter to visit another relation. The streets and pubs are filled with friendly people. I am happy to play a supporting role as she investigates new smells, accents and attitudes. (The Guinness was also very good.)
Favorite family vacation was when I was about 12. My mother and father drove my brother and me North from Illinois into Canada for a fishing trip. Unless I am remembering incorrectly, we could jump into the lake directly from one of the cabin’s doors! The lake a kind of freaky cold I can’t forget. We played cards. My mother, out of boredom, dyed my hair blond. She was like that. Mother had to put a funny rinse on it every morning for some months later to get looking normal brown. I loved the woods, the solitude and being so close with my mother and father.
Every summer we went to the beach on Long Island with another family. One year we rented an incredible big house right on the beach. The traditional vacations – the ones repeated year after year – are the ones kids seem to love. So many sayings and events from those summers on long island became part of our family lore.
Camping, hands down. My folks and I would go to this music fest and camp for a week. I loved it. I was exposed to so much good music and it got to where loads of my folks friends and mine would meet us there.
I know I am late in posting this comment, but I was on vacation this past weekend! (Although it was fun, it didn’t qualify as my “Best Vacation Memory”.) My best vacation was the summer of ’93 when I took a road trip from DC to PEI Canada by way of Pennsylvania, NJ, New Hampshire and Maine – visiting friends along the way. The trip home involved a stop in Boston and NY. It was not only fun to see all those friends and relatives, I experienced a life-changing transformation along the way – I came home much more at peace with myself than when I left. Traveling alone was scary but empowering, and my stop in Boston opened my eyes to the truth about myself. One of these days, I will blog about that trip – there is just too much to include here!
http://gumballgirl.wordpress.com
Hello Renée-Ann:
This is Renee-Ann reading your blog… (and for those out there who are wondering Renée-Ann is not leaving a comment on her own blog, I just happen to have the same name (or does she have mine???)
My favourite vacation was when hubby and I, with our two boys, Ages 6 and 9 at the time, traveled across Canada in July 1988, from Regina Saskatchewan to Miramichi, New Brunswick.
It was the most memorable time. We were moving to NB so we didn’t really have a time limit. We just drove, stopped to eat, to sleep, and then drove again.
Most of our stops were the trading posts where we purchased collectibles for the kids (and for me!!!). It was an experience i would love to do again.