My three favorite summer vacations, by Son # 1 and family

Well, summer is coming to a close, it is almost Labor Day weekend, kids are going back to school cross the nation.

Saw a challenge to genealogy bloggers a while back to write about your summer vacations. I decided to challenge my family to remember theirs. It started out, your 3 favorite summer vacations when you were young, then it morphed into your favorite 3, no matter how old you were. Some entries were accompanied by photos or drawings. During our summer campout in July, I got most of my family to sit down long enough to participate. I hope they will think it was worth it. I did a little editing, it is a Mom’s right ya know.

So, lets start with the granddaughters, L & M.




M wrote: 1.) I like going to Germany and visiting things like a castle. (Right her drawing of a castle.)



2.) Going camping in Pennsylvania where we saw Amish people wear really cool dresses, an amusement park, and a coal mine. (Left her drawing of a tent.)

3.) Going to uncle’s house and playing vedio (her spelling) games and playing with the ferrets.




L wrote: 1.) Going to uncle’s apartment and spending the night.

2.) Spending the night at gramma and gramps house for a few days.

(Right, L's drawing of spending the night, believe this was at uncle's house.)


3.) Going to an amusement park in Pennsylvania.

The girl’s mom wrote:

1.) 1983, I was about 16, Drove to Tarragona, or the French-Spanish border, in Spain, with my parents and brother. Met some cute, nice guys from the Netherlands. Hung out with them, danced and laughed a lot, never wore my glasses during those two weeks (got contacts when back home).... Had the time of my life...! But it was so so so sad when it was time to say good bye! I must have cried for 17 hours on the drive back! My poor parents.

2.) 1997 - our wedding in Germany - - not more to say about that!

3.) 2008 - Pennsylvania with hubby and L & M, great nature, wonderful weeks.
2008 - - Grand Canyon with hubby in November. Amazing how deep the canyon was, how close you walk to the edge and could fall down. How cold it was on the top and how very hot it was on the middle plateau.

The girl’s father, Son # 1 wrote and sent great photos. I have no idea the source of two of the photos, so, due to copyright issues cannot include them. For his memory number 1, I substituted a photo of the house. He had included a satellite view of the home from Googlemaps.

1.) Trip to VA & SC . Long drive, humidity, creaky wooden floor boards, musty basement, large rolling hill in backyard, skipping stones across a broad river, nice old lady with constant smile and great southern accent, ocean, hot beach with white sand, T-shirts for everyone, "Kid For Rent, Cheap"


(That is Son # 1 and Son # 2 on the front lawn of my grandmother Trumbo's home in the Shenandoah Valley of Virgina.)

2.) Mammoth Caves . Green grass, camping, humidity, caverns, stalagtites & stalagmites, slippery rock, Fat Man's squeeze, total darkness, Tom Sawyer's adventure.

3.) East Coast & Lake Placid. Driving the wrong way down Boston streets, lobster, rocky shores, winding roads, camping, beautiful lakes & trees & hills, hiking & bike rides.

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