I’ve been on many vacations in my life – some fabulous ones, in fact. When I go on vacation, I always have a grand time. Spending days with my hubby is a joy for me, so that’s a plus. Typically we see people we love and enjoy new experiences, so again, more positives.
That said, I’m not a fan, in general, of traveling. While I’m mostly a homebody, our trips have always involved memorable times – some good, some bad, and some hilarious. Recently, we returned from a week-long sprint across four states to share time with good friends and to visit special places.
This trip is why I haven’t posted in a while, but it also provides a lot of fodder for this blog. Highlights – and lowlights – of our trip made for some amazing memories. For example:
On the first day, we stopped at a reputable hotel chain after 8 hours in the car. We were both exhausted and my arthritis was not pleased with my marathon of sitting. The first clue we had that the hotel might be a “lemon,” was the clerk asking us if we wanted the second or fourth floor. When we asked for the second floor, she handed us keys to room 414.
Room 414 was sparse. And by “sparse” I mean that there was no bolt lock for the door. One had been there, but had been snapped off. There were also no drapes on the window. We called down to tell the clerk, but the phone had no dial tone.
We finally got a room on the second floor with drapes and a lock and day 1 was considered a success. I won’t describe the elevator, though. That’s a story for another day!
The second day found us in the car for another four hours, finally reaching our destination at an Atlantic beach. The beach is beautiful this time of year, and the ocean astounding. We were a bit distracted from the view by news that my husband’s sister was in the hospital and that the water line to our cistern had a leak. But hey, what a vacation without a little stress from home?
The third day was just about perfect. We walked on the beach, shopped for groceries, played games, ate and drank, and enjoyed good friends. We had lunch at a wonderful little bistro that gave me my only “twinge” of the day. It was the sign on the porch outside that said, “don’t feed the alligator.” And that wasn’t a joke!
Day #4 was our annual Friendsgiving celebration which was, as always, both delightful and delicious. A moment of hilarity ensued in the hot tub, when the jets gave us an unexpected shower!
The fifth day found us back in the car, trekking 8 hours toward home. It was another pain-filled day, with some breaks for fun and food. In a small southern town, I approached a couple at the gas station for advice on where to get a meal. They directed us to a local spot that turned out to have amazing food, great service, and huge portions.
On the sixth day, we drove through southern Ohio to get to Cincinnati. Of all the scenery we had enjoyed, this was by far the most amazing -gorgeous Midwestern hills and foliage. It made the driving totally worthwhile. In Cincinnati, we enjoyed more good times with friends, dining, drinking, and watching Hocus Pocus 2.
Day 7 should have been a day of rest, but not for vacationers! We ate some more, went shopping, watched football, and wandered around Blink in Cincinnati for a while. While doing so, I was introduced to Buzz Bull – a place that will mix the liquor of your choice into the ice cream of your choice and blend it. The Angel’s Envy Butter Pecan was a highlight of my week!
We were supposed to stay one more night, but in realizing that we were only 90 minutes from home and very homesick, we left, saying goodbye to the trip of many memories and hello to our own bed.
Vacations. I’m always glad I went and even happier when we get home.
That sign is for those who think swimming is never a problem!! Keep writing – always enjoy your blog – it gives my mind something to dream on and forget MY troubles for a time – thinking about a possible trip over Christmas – will depend on the weather for my decision!!
Food, fun and fellowship – three things I live for!!
Nothing better than food, fun and fellowship! Hope you are blessed with a wonderful trip and good health!
Here I was all worried about Susie, and you were just out gallivanting across multiple states in pursuit of pleasure, entertainment, new experiences and memorable times – good, bad and hilarious! You discovered it all! And that is usually what our vacations included. One of our most memorable was when we flew to Palm Springs, CA and our daughter and son-in-law were on the same flight with their 15 month-old son, Trevor. They were seated near the front of the plane and we were in the back. Before take-off Steve (son-in-law) carried the baby back for us to enjoy while flying. Oh, my! To say that people around us took on a somber, fallen countenance would be a total understatement! You would have thought he was carrying a rattlesnake! We knew our grandson. He was a happy baby and could be easily entertained. He never even made a whimper all the way into Ontario. There we returned him to his parents, rented a car and drove on to Palm Springs.
We were blessed to keep Trevor at our Hotel much of the time. One night we went to this fancy, five-star restaurant which was highly recommended. I can’t remember the name of it, but it was well known for great food. The place was so crowded they put us in the smaller sports bar. It was 1995 and the World Series was on the big screen television. Atlantic Braves vs Cleveland Indians. We followed the waitress, carrying this child to our table, and asked for a booster seat. Oh, my goodness! Same rattlesnake reaction! We ordered, I believe it was walleye, with sides of carrots and green beans, and asked for a small dish for the Rattlesnake. We put a bib on Trevor, food on his plate, and gave him a fork. He sat there, stabbed his vegetables and small pieces of fish with the fork and ate. Happy as a lark. He watched the people and the game. Sadly the Cleveland Indians lost.
During a break in the game, three different tables of people, one after the other, came to ask about this amazing child. Questions kept coming: This small child eats with a fork? Vegetables!? Doesn’t throw his food on the floor? Scream, yell or cry? Trevor was small for his age. Being a preemie, he weighed in at a whopping four pounds at birth, then lost some of that weight. Looking back, I wish I had told them, “We’re taking him for Chinese food tomorrow night because he really loves using chopsticks.” But you know… that would have been a lie. Later when we told his parents about it, they started laughing. Becky, his mother said, “Wow! That’s the first time he has ever used a fork!”
Speaking of Chinese food reminds me of our vacation in Hawaii. We were on Kauai Island, known as the Garden State. After shopping for clothes, we asked the sales clerk if she knew of a good Chinese restaurant in the area. Oh, yes! She gave us two choices, but said the best one would be Ho’s. I won’t give all of the name, because I don’t want to get in trouble. Anyway, we went there and were seated at a table for four. Our daughter went with us because she was getting married in a few months and we knew that would probably be our last vacation with her. I ordered a dish that included chicken. We got our meals and started eating. It seemed the longer I chewed on the chicken, it just kept growing larger and tougher. I tried to discretely put it in my napkin.
As we ate a rat came running across the floor out of the kitchen. A waitress and the person at the register choked back screams. The rodent was headed our way. Seeing the rat, Becky stood up on her chair trying to muffle her voice. There was a big wooden post that went up to a beam. This big beam crossed right over our table and to a window. That rat ran up the post, across the beam and right over our table its hind legs slipped off and it dangled there! Now Becky squatted down on her chair, anxiously looking up at the animal. That rat was pregnant– huge! It finally managed to get its fat body back up on the beam and ran out the window! Halfway finished with our meals, we promptly paid the bill and left the establishment! No, we did not ask for take-out boxes! It’s still hard for me to believe that my husband left a generous tip. I often wonder what that meat was that I was trying to chew. Hopefully not! I know this sounds farfetched, but it is absolutely true with no exaggeration. That was a new and very bad experience! We laugh about it now.
In the late 70’s we were returning home from Florida, and kept seeing billboards advertising three big burritos for a dollar. They looked delicious! Once again Becky is with us. Three people, right? “Hey, dad, let’s stop and get the three burritos. That will hold us till dinner time and you can drive into the next state.” Good idea. We did find the restaurant which was closer to Ohio. Part of the place had T-shirts, souvenirs and miscellaneous for sale. Naturally, we women wandered into that area while hubby ordered the food. Shortly we saw him coming, paper bag in hand, and he’s trying to stifle a laugh. When he reached us, he opened the bag and pulled out three burritos no bigger than his middle finger. Appetizers! Needless to say, before we could exit the place, the laughing from all of us was no longer stifled! Each one of us had boisterous guffaws! I mean, really. What can you expect for a dollar! That experience was hilarious! Yes, we spent another night on the road.
We had many other hilarious times; too many to mention. One memorable vacation was on a camping trip in southern Ohio—Lake White State Park. Our two daughters were very young. We had this big military tent made of canvas that slept four. It was very heavy and not easy to set up. Why my hubby placed it on a hillside, I will never know. I complained the first two nights that I was slipping down into my sleeping bag and it kept me awake. I think my main squeeze was becoming increasingly exasperated when he said in an unpleasant tone of voice, “Okay, Okay! I will move it!” I could be wrong. He finally got it set up again. During the night there was a storm. Early next morning before arising, we heard these voices near our tent. “Boy, it’s a good thing those people didn’t put their tent there!” When they left, we looked out and there was a huge limb as big as a small tree laying smack dab in the place where our tent had been the night before. See, Susie, it pays for wives to nag and complain. After all, it could save a life or two.
Camping is for the young. I would need a Resort Hotel now. However, I’m also a homebody and was always happy to return to my own dwelling and the comfort food–cornbread and beans!
I’m glad you included the sign, Do Not Feed the Alligators. John and I would have needed proof of that! Keep writing, Susie! You’re a joy! Love, love your Snippets!