Yes...after a summer of rehearsals/shows/babysitting/computer classes/waitressing or a combination of on most days...I took a vacation!!! My family went up to the beach...Crystal Beach...a place where I spent a good deal of my childhood.
I have wonderful memories of this beach town. I remember spending what seemed like endless days with my sister and my cousins, days of catching what I'm sure were disease ridden toads, swinging on the weeping willow swing, throwing stones at passing cars (my cousin's idea) sneaking popsicles in the morning (again, my cousin) and playing crazy 8's with my beloved little cigar smoking "Papa", who gave me my first nickname "Little One", which was funny because I don't think he was even 5 foot himself.
Every once in a while we would go to the amusement park. Anyone who grew up in this area has the same Crystal Beach Park flashbacks of the following: The Magic Carpet (where you actually got electric shock...fun or what), Yellow Roller Coaster, The Comet ( that I was finally tall enough to go on just before they tore the park down)The Jungle Ride with that disgusting "water" and Laugh in the Dark ( although I think it was spelled Laff... oh Canada) There was the unmistakable laugh of that poorly dressed woman in the front of the ride (sometimes I think I see incarnations of "Laughing Sal" in the oddest places) and of course those Crystal Beach suckers...mmmmm peanut suckers...I think I still have some caught in my back molars.
But I don't remember going to the beach much now that I think about it. I know we did because of lovely/horrifying home movies of my sister and I in matching red bathing suits, but I don't remember. I also don't remember the adults at the time really enjoying themselves. That is a shame ...especially now that I am the so called adult this time around. I mean I cooked and cleaned our cottage like a good adult but I also spent hours at the beach...reading, wading...but mostly just sitting....if that sounds boring to you, re-read my first sentence.
But my favorite part of the vacation was spending priceless time together with my equally busy family. Also the fact that not only am I the "adult"now..I am now the grandma!!!!
These were picture postcard days that I spent with my grandson, my lovey, my little brown eyed boy....little bits of time that I will never forget or ever have to embellish because they. were. perfect. If I'm going to be a grandma...this is the grandma I want to be. We chased seagulls on the beach, we splashed barefoot in puddles in the road after the one welcomed rainy day. We had candy for lunch!!!! I don't remember things like that with my grandma. I'm sure we did stuff...I remember her cooking. She was a great cook! But I guess I really wasn't her favorite ..Legend has it I broke a bowl of hers when I was three or something like that....That must have been some bowl because I heard about it most of my life.
My family was big on favoritism when it came to firstborns which, by no fault of my own, took me out of the game years before I was born. Oh well. So maybe there was candy for lunch at one time...just not for me.
But I do have some fond memories of my grandmother before she passed away at almost 90...she must have forgiven me about the bowl or forgotten (probably the latter...dementia). She was very, very sweet and funny at the end....But I want to be sweet and funny with my grandchildren now. So hopefully as our family grows and my grandchildren (no matter the birth order) spend summers with their "Ga" ( who also never made it to 5 foot)...there will be sweet and funny memories for them and they will think fondly of summers the same way I did and still do. Even if it is only a week...I bet we can squeeze a lot of memories in...like candy for lunch and oh yeah, did I mention he may have tasted pop for the first time....just saying
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