Quoting Ruth Haffly to Nancy Backus on 08-09-19 13:48 <=-
Continuing from the Pond... :)
first year we went camping as a family.... it was the year of
their 40th anniversary... so they would have been 57 and 65
Our first family camping trip was when I was about 10 years
old, some months younger than granddaughter Sarah is now. It
was to a local state park, sort of a trial to see if we could
do it before making a longer trip the next year.
When I was growing up, we took lots of trips, but not camping
trips...
Camping was the only way we could afford a family vacation. Dad's pay
(and Mom's, once she started working) couldn't cover motels,
restaurants, etc. We saw a lot of free stuff, and his press pass let
us get into more at a reduced rate.
And we didn't take family vacations as such... it was mostly trips to
General Assembly (denomination) with stops at family, or to a Family
Bible Conference, or just to visit family... We might see free sights
along the way, but rarely ate at a restaurant (Daddy did discover 10
cent hamburgers which we ate in the car) or stopped at a motel...
I was talking about our camping at a campground as an extended
family... my parents, my siblings and I, and our assorted kids
and spouses...
Helps that most of your family is concentrated in one area. Steve and
I have been the furthest away from the rest of the family most of the time. One of Steve's brothers was in CA for a few years but came back
and settled near the rest of the family. I have a sister in AZ but she moved there in the mid 90s; we lived in NC before the rest of the
family moved anywhere else.
We aren't really all that concentrated... especially in the younger
generation now... Next year the camping will be at Virginia Beach again,
in the hopes of getting more of the southern contingent... and we've
family as far away as CA and TX etc now... most of Tait's kids aren't
close at all... We just figure that we'll try to get as many as
possible, and hope that more will make a special effort... :)
that first year, Lydia and I scouted out locations beforehand,
along with possible nearby restaurants where we could hold a
celebratory meal...
Did you find such a place?
Yes, a nice somewhat rustic place called Antlers Inn... only a few miles
from the campgrounds... reasonably priced, decent food... had a nice
buffet along with a more extensive menu... and they were happy to help
us celebrate the anniversary... :) The place burned down later, and
then was rebuilt, so I think still exists... :)
The main idea was to have a week or so in order to visit and
spend time together rather than the always madhouse that a
one-day Christmas get-together always is... :) And another
opportunity for the next generation cousins to play together
and get to know each other... ;) And now we are into the NEXT
generation cousins... ;) And Mommy and Daddy are both gone...
But the camping tradition continues. Both of our girls have taken
their kids camping.
Various of my siblings and their kids take the camping trips on their
own, too... they're the ones that have tents for the Elder camping... :)
Good to see everybody, even if it is just for a short time.
Very true... I missed my cousin & family... they showed up on
the first day as a day trip, and were only at my sister MG's
campsite... I never was told they were there until after the
fact... at the time, I was in my cabin getting settled, I
think...
Sigh! I presume they're family you don't see that often?
Actually they only live a couple of miles from Lydia, in
Bloomfield, but our paths just don't cross that much... they go
to a different church.. but they usually show up for Elder
Christmas, and also the camping...
So you do see them some, just not as often as you maybe could.
Exactly... :)
Probably more than I see of my family. (G)
Possibly... :)
ttyl neb
... Nothing is so good that somebody, somewhere, will not hate it.
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