as I face the empty nest
(cross posted at Midcentury Modern Moms)
Becca's approaching graduation from high school, and all that it represents, has put me in the mood to reminisce about when my children were little.
Summer 1996. Becca was 4 and Jen was a few months shy of 6. We took a vacation to Colonial Williamsburg and Busch Gardens, with a stop in Washington, DC on the way home. there were six of us -- me, the girls and my three sisters -- crammed into my Corolla as we drove from New York to Virginia and back again.
For the adults, it was a way to revisit a vacation we'd taken with our parents in 1974. for the children, it was something new, exciting and fun.
some of the highlights of the trip:
-- playing carnival games in Busch Gardens. especially whack-a-mole. we won several stuffed animals for the girls.
-- this was just after the Atlanta Olympics, and we got to see an Olympic-themed display of gymnastics talent at Busch Gardens
-- this was also when Disney's Pocahontas was popular, and we got to meet the "real" Pocahontas in Jamestown -- who explained why the movie was totally inaccurate.
-- we got to eat in one of the authentic taverns of Williamsburg, and were entertained by period musicians
-- the walk from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial is interminable in the heat of summer.
-- never buy new shoes for your children just before you go on a vacation where you'll be doing a lot of walking.
-- minor miracles CAN happen. there's a playground in Busch Gardens. I was sitting on a bench watching Becca play. when she disappeared from my sight, however, I got up to look for her -- leaving a tote bag on the bench. the bag had a change of clothes for the girls, some snacks, etc....nothing irreplaceable. didn't realize I'd left the bag on the bench to several hours later. my sisters searched all over the park, to no avail. we checked with Lost and found, without success. about a week after we got home, a package arrived from Busch Gardens -- the tote bag, and most of its contents!
-- and be careful about tricks you play on your kids. we were in the restaurant at our Williamsburg hotel, and the girls were getting antsy waiting for our food. My sister told Jen "close your eyes and count to ten, and when you open your eyes the food will be here." unfortunately, there was a thunderstorm in progress, and it knocked out the power while Jen had her eyes closed! it was so dark in the restaurant we could hardly see....
-- speaking of tricks...if I am not mistaken, this was the trip where....well, we did most of the long-distance driving at night, hoping the girls would sleep in the car. the girls woke up just as we were crossing from New Jersey into Staten Island, and for the next 45 minutes as we continued towards our Long Island home, the girls were very active ....even annoying. I think they were excited to be coming home. just as we approached our exit...my sister said "If you two don't settle down and behave, I'm going to have to get off the highway and wait for you to settle down before we can continue on home." of course, they didn't "settle down"...and got very nervous and teary-eyed when we exited the highway...until a few minutes later, as we drove past their day camp and they realized they were almost home....then they LAUGHED!
there are times when I truly miss those days!
Becca's approaching graduation from high school, and all that it represents, has put me in the mood to reminisce about when my children were little.
Summer 1996. Becca was 4 and Jen was a few months shy of 6. We took a vacation to Colonial Williamsburg and Busch Gardens, with a stop in Washington, DC on the way home. there were six of us -- me, the girls and my three sisters -- crammed into my Corolla as we drove from New York to Virginia and back again.
For the adults, it was a way to revisit a vacation we'd taken with our parents in 1974. for the children, it was something new, exciting and fun.
some of the highlights of the trip:
-- playing carnival games in Busch Gardens. especially whack-a-mole. we won several stuffed animals for the girls.
-- this was just after the Atlanta Olympics, and we got to see an Olympic-themed display of gymnastics talent at Busch Gardens
-- this was also when Disney's Pocahontas was popular, and we got to meet the "real" Pocahontas in Jamestown -- who explained why the movie was totally inaccurate.
-- we got to eat in one of the authentic taverns of Williamsburg, and were entertained by period musicians
-- the walk from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial is interminable in the heat of summer.
-- never buy new shoes for your children just before you go on a vacation where you'll be doing a lot of walking.
-- minor miracles CAN happen. there's a playground in Busch Gardens. I was sitting on a bench watching Becca play. when she disappeared from my sight, however, I got up to look for her -- leaving a tote bag on the bench. the bag had a change of clothes for the girls, some snacks, etc....nothing irreplaceable. didn't realize I'd left the bag on the bench to several hours later. my sisters searched all over the park, to no avail. we checked with Lost and found, without success. about a week after we got home, a package arrived from Busch Gardens -- the tote bag, and most of its contents!
-- and be careful about tricks you play on your kids. we were in the restaurant at our Williamsburg hotel, and the girls were getting antsy waiting for our food. My sister told Jen "close your eyes and count to ten, and when you open your eyes the food will be here." unfortunately, there was a thunderstorm in progress, and it knocked out the power while Jen had her eyes closed! it was so dark in the restaurant we could hardly see....
-- speaking of tricks...if I am not mistaken, this was the trip where....well, we did most of the long-distance driving at night, hoping the girls would sleep in the car. the girls woke up just as we were crossing from New Jersey into Staten Island, and for the next 45 minutes as we continued towards our Long Island home, the girls were very active ....even annoying. I think they were excited to be coming home. just as we approached our exit...my sister said "If you two don't settle down and behave, I'm going to have to get off the highway and wait for you to settle down before we can continue on home." of course, they didn't "settle down"...and got very nervous and teary-eyed when we exited the highway...until a few minutes later, as we drove past their day camp and they realized they were almost home....then they LAUGHED!
there are times when I truly miss those days!
williamsburg vacation
ReplyDeleteA trip to Williamsburg, Virginia provides the rare opportunity of literally stepping into history while still enjoying all the modern comforts of home. The area’s biggest attraction is America’s Historic Triangle, which is made up of: Historic Jamestowne, the first permanent English settlement in the New World, the Yorktown Battlefield, site of the last major battle of the American Revolutionary War and of course Colonial Williamsburg, world’s largest living history museum.