As I prepare for Mother’s Celebration of Life on September 25th, I have been looking at old photographs. One of the things that my sister did years ago was the perfect gift. She had all of Daddy’s slides converted to digital form and so I found that thumb drive this week and was looking through them.
I have totes of pictures that I took after my mom moved into Memory Lane but some of these on the thumb drive are totally different ones and some of them just crack me up.
Take for example this picture of myself…
That’s me. Asleep on the back deck of the family station wagon, legs up on the thermos jug of water, crammed up next to the ice chest, packed amongst all of the luggage. I am sure we were on a vacation trip someplace and this was how I was traveling.
But my, how times have changed. Today we have the latest safety advances in our cars. Theo has a top of the line car seat that protects him. It’s what we do now. We do everything within our power to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe.
When I saw this photo it just made me wonder how on earth I made it through my childhood alive. Chris recalls a trip out west sitting with his legs on top of a duffle bag and his mom holding Carlton on her lap in the front seat the entire way.
Somehow we made it through it. I am so happy that today we have great ways to keep us safe. I am glad I don’t have to travel that way anymore but after looking at my growing pile to pack for this coming week I am thinking I may be crammed up next to a cooler again.
What memories do you have of younger days and traveling? Let me know in the comments and Comment for a Cause for UMCOR.
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Leave a commentOh yea, we called the back of the station wagon the “way back” and fought over who got to ride back there.
One trip out to western Nebraska, I think we were in the 8-10 year old range, Dad put a piece of plywood over the entire backseat so we could play and sleep. Mom padded it with old blankets. We had a different box of toys in the trunk that would get swapped out regularly. Sounds crazy now!
Mom and dad always had a big station wagon. My dad fashioned a homemade cartop carrier for some luggage. The rest was in the “way back” along with a sleeping area where we kids took turns napping! Great memories!
It’s pretty amazing to look back and see how things were done and considered totally normal. Could you even imagine the outcry if someone drove around like that with a small child?
Our family traveled once a year to the Twin Cities to visit extended family. All eight of us crammed into the Chevy Impala, along with Grandpa. I don’t know how we did it, Given I lived on a dairy farm, our long-distance travel was minimal, although seven of us once went on a vacation to the Black Hills, the one and only vacation of my youth. My oldest brother, myself and my next-in-line sister were left home to manage the farm (including milking cows) when our parents and the younger kids travelled to Washington. Ditto for a trip to New Jersey.
That is so cute. We all sat on the back of the truck with no protection at all. But, as you say, we survived.
Seeing as I’m older than you, I definitely remember traveling like you describe. Not to mention the umpteen thousand times I rode in the bed of a pick-up truck with a gaggle of teenagers!
Same as you. We had station wagon that we would take to Florida to visit my grandparents. Either Jerry or me would be in the back amongst the luggage sleeping. Or, if not in station wagon one of us would be up in the back window.
I do remember times when three people would ride on the front seat. Of course there was the time we rode in the back of Daddy’s truck (shot trips). Yes thank goodness we have better safe options today.