Vacations...
Back to the vacation experience...You know when you vacation as an adult, you remember the vacations you took when you were a kid? Even if they were day vacays?
Mom and Dad believed in taking a summer vacation. It pleased my Dad to take the first 2 weeks of July every year when he worked at SNET. Because he and another guy had the most years in for a long time, they always blocked July out - the other guy took the second 2 weeks. None of the other folks on the job there in that area could ever take days in July. When the guys complained, my Dad with his 5 weeks, and the other guy with his 5 weeks booked out June, July, August and a bit of September. The complaints ended right quick, and Dad and his buddy went back to the bogarting the month of July.
So each year, Dad picked a spot - sometimes Mom got a say, but all she ever wanted to do was get the freak out of town for a week. I already talked about the lake in New Hampshire. Another memorable week was spent in Memorytown, PA. We stayed in cabin like rooms, and had a meal plan. So we had to be up to eat by 8 a.m., lunch was a bag lunch that was picked up after breakfast, dinner was between 5 and 7, and featured fish. It wasn't too far from the Pocono area, but the other family we went with didn't want to leave Memorytown (the Dad said, "We paid for all this fun and all these meals, and we are staying here."). There was a pool, some swings and you could fish. Fortunately, I liked to read and swim. My sisters liked the brook and all the stuff in the brook and pond.
Mom, as I remember, was pretty miserable. After she showed us the creatures all around, she pretty much hung out at the pool. She didn't like fish - to catch or to eat. Dad, not a big sunlover, seemed a little bit lost. He probably wondered what the heck he spent all this money on!
We finally talked him into taking us out of Memorytown for a day. We tried to free the daughter from the other family, but I don't remember her coming out with us. We had a blast - went to Pizza Hut (still a weird family tradition when on vacation), had ice cream cones, walked around some little Pocono town.
Then we drove to Mt. Aery Lodge! Remember, they had the heart shaped tubs? Mom got us out of the car before Dad could object, and led us around the public areas while he followed so far behind he wasn't catching us. I remember it as a real classy place (of course, I was about 10 and had spent about 4 days at Memorytown...). We finally went back to Memorytown for our last night there.
While the other family went to HersheyPark (their daughter's reward for the cheap days at Memorytown, I guess), we met still another family at Lancaster, PA. Howard Johnsons on that main drag was the destination - great pool, and we could get whatever food we wanted, well, except for breakfast. Cereal in those little boxes was our on the road breakfast wherever we went in those days. It was good the first day when there were lots of choices, but when all that was left was raisin bran and corn flakes, there may have been some tears.
I admit to falling in love with Amish Country, and going back there plenty of times. Who doesn't love the farmlands, the buggies, the food? Family style dining at its best. Hex signs everywhere.
Dad still likes the idea of a summer vacation. He just does it at our house now.
Mom and Dad believed in taking a summer vacation. It pleased my Dad to take the first 2 weeks of July every year when he worked at SNET. Because he and another guy had the most years in for a long time, they always blocked July out - the other guy took the second 2 weeks. None of the other folks on the job there in that area could ever take days in July. When the guys complained, my Dad with his 5 weeks, and the other guy with his 5 weeks booked out June, July, August and a bit of September. The complaints ended right quick, and Dad and his buddy went back to the bogarting the month of July.
So each year, Dad picked a spot - sometimes Mom got a say, but all she ever wanted to do was get the freak out of town for a week. I already talked about the lake in New Hampshire. Another memorable week was spent in Memorytown, PA. We stayed in cabin like rooms, and had a meal plan. So we had to be up to eat by 8 a.m., lunch was a bag lunch that was picked up after breakfast, dinner was between 5 and 7, and featured fish. It wasn't too far from the Pocono area, but the other family we went with didn't want to leave Memorytown (the Dad said, "We paid for all this fun and all these meals, and we are staying here."). There was a pool, some swings and you could fish. Fortunately, I liked to read and swim. My sisters liked the brook and all the stuff in the brook and pond.
Mom, as I remember, was pretty miserable. After she showed us the creatures all around, she pretty much hung out at the pool. She didn't like fish - to catch or to eat. Dad, not a big sunlover, seemed a little bit lost. He probably wondered what the heck he spent all this money on!
We finally talked him into taking us out of Memorytown for a day. We tried to free the daughter from the other family, but I don't remember her coming out with us. We had a blast - went to Pizza Hut (still a weird family tradition when on vacation), had ice cream cones, walked around some little Pocono town.
Then we drove to Mt. Aery Lodge! Remember, they had the heart shaped tubs? Mom got us out of the car before Dad could object, and led us around the public areas while he followed so far behind he wasn't catching us. I remember it as a real classy place (of course, I was about 10 and had spent about 4 days at Memorytown...). We finally went back to Memorytown for our last night there.
While the other family went to HersheyPark (their daughter's reward for the cheap days at Memorytown, I guess), we met still another family at Lancaster, PA. Howard Johnsons on that main drag was the destination - great pool, and we could get whatever food we wanted, well, except for breakfast. Cereal in those little boxes was our on the road breakfast wherever we went in those days. It was good the first day when there were lots of choices, but when all that was left was raisin bran and corn flakes, there may have been some tears.
I admit to falling in love with Amish Country, and going back there plenty of times. Who doesn't love the farmlands, the buggies, the food? Family style dining at its best. Hex signs everywhere.
Dad still likes the idea of a summer vacation. He just does it at our house now.
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