“Between the optimist and the pessimist, the difference is droll. The optimist sees the doughnut; the pessimist the hole!”
The trip to Boston was uneventful. Bridge work slowed me down a bit as did work on Route 3, but it was still a quick trip. When I got home, I realized this one trip had mileage equal to four weeks of local travel. I have to get out more. While driving, I did notice the shadows of birds as they crossed over the road; I watched two hawks riding the thermals over the tops of trees and I saw a sign with the name Ichabod on the back. That one gave me pause so I drove along and pondered. Is there a person named Ichabod who wants a transient piece of immortality? Is a reader enamored with Washington Irving’s character and wants us to remember him too? How about that new TV show called Sleepy Hollow? Was this a free ad? After a while I forgot to think about it and just kept driving.
When we went on family drives, I always had the window behind my mother. The highways then were far more interesting than the interstates are now, and we liked the ride for the views on each side of the car. We could choose from all sorts of restaurant as MacDonald’s had not yet staked its claim on American highways. Small motels and cabins dotted the sides of the roads. I remember their signs boasted air-conditioning and TV’s in every room. The cabins looked so small I wondered what more than a bed could be fit inside, and they were built close together side by side sometimes in a half circle connected by a dirt road in front of the cabins. We never stopped in one. There were too many of us. We did stay in a cottage once on the shore of Lake Ontario. The cottage was huge and we could see the lake from the porch. Lake Ontario went into my memory banks as my first Great Lake. I remember being surprised by small waves hitting against the shore. I thought only the ocean did that.
I was hungry driving home today, but my choices were limited and all off the highway. I almost talked myself into a coffee and donut at Dunkin’ Donut’s but decided I could wait. When I got home, I made a sandwich. It was okay, but I decided I should have had that donut.
Explore posts in the same categories: MusingsTags: Boston, cabins, cottage, driving in the car, Dunkin' Donut, family rides, hungry, Hwks, Ichabod, Lake Ontario, small motels
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January 13, 2014 at 4:31 pm
Old and Exhausted
The Prince rocked the house this weekend. I have a list of indulgences to celebrate 2014 being the arrival of my 60th year, and very high is to take our 7 year old Grandson to see the Big Rodent in Orlando. Twas agreed that Grandma and Pumpa would travel to the land of King Louie for three days in April with the aforementioned Prince in tow.
And in to the house he bounced, what would you like to bring home I asked, a Mickey Mouse said he, sometimes you forget how little he really is.
Disney reservations, food packages, restaurants, wrist bands, transportation, fast tracks, it requires a Masters Degree in Computer studies and Logistics. I managed to make a dinner reservation for last night at the Magic Kingdom with a $40 cancellation fee – some nice lady at Disney bailed me out and got us VIP passes for a Mickey Show.
I drove The Prince home last night, we were both tired, we listened to Electric Warrior, he told me he wants the window seat. I wont see him for two weeks.
January 13, 2014 at 6:36 pm
My Dear Hedley,
I figure The Prince has much to look forward to in this his eighth year. He has only a couple of months to wait and waiting is not easy when you’re almost eight.
Maybe he’s thinking a smaller version of the big guy or maybe a pair of his own ears to commemorate the event. I had a pair when I was young and never felt silly wearing them.
I figured it wouldn’t be easy going to Orlando. The flight was probably the easiest part of them all. My almost 8 year old grand nephew went to Disneyland last year because his parents had to go to California for a family event. He loved it. What he doesn’t know is he is having a sibling in July which may or may not be better than Mickey Mouse.
January 13, 2014 at 5:39 pm
When I was a kid we would drive in my dad’s Buick from Dallas to New York to vist the relatives. These were the days before the Interstate highway system had been built. Most of the trip which took almost three days was on two lane US highways such as Route 66 and Route 30. I always sat in the back behind my dad and my sister sat behind my mother. The rad went through many cities such as St. Louis, Indianapolis and Columbus Ohio. The Pennsylvania Turnpile had rest stops that were run by Howard Johnson’s where you could eat a fried clam plate and a nice cream cone.
Now the interstate highways byass all the small twns with their local resturants, motels and souvenir shops. We would pass attractions such as the Merimac caverns in Missouri. My father never wanted to stop because he was cheap and called them tourist traps. One of thesis days I would love to go west on what’s left of the old Route 66 before what little is left completely disappears.
January 13, 2014 at 6:40 pm
Bob,
That is such a long ride. I think we might have killed each other being stuck together in the car that long. Maybe, though, sitting and having something to see out the window would have kept our attention a long time. My brother did the same. I remember those HJ’s. There was one on the expressway out of Boston when I was a kid.
We couldn’t have afforded to stop. With 4 kids in tow, the trips were expensive enough. Our one huge trip was to the falls, Lake Ontario and the Eisenhower locks. We stayed in motels for the only time I remember and ate other than breakfast at restaurants. We even went to the wax museum. It was a wonderful trip.
I have the same idea about Route 66.
January 13, 2014 at 6:54 pm
Hi Kat,
You should always listen to a craving for donut and coffee. Nothing else will do in their stead. 🙂
I always had the window seat behind my father. In hindsight I think this was because my brothers were usually the troublemakers and he wanted them where he could reach them from the driver’s seat. If my mother was driving, I rode shot gun because I was The Navigator. She had absolutely no sense of direction. At the age of 8, I could have driven to Lake Winnipesaukee, The Kankamagus Highway or several other of our vacation spots without a map.
Driving around to no place in particular is one of the methods I use to relax. Sounds strange given the tenor of traffic nowadays but I do find it relaxing as long as I have no destination and no timetable. I can drive and observe with no pressure.
Enjoy the rest of the evening.
January 13, 2014 at 7:05 pm
Hi Caryn,
You are so right. I am still craving that donut and may have to do a quick road trip.
My mother and I had the windows with my sister in between and my other sister was in the front. We could scoot away from my father’s waving arm as he tried to whack us. That arm just swung and found no targets.
My mother had no sense of direction either. My sister inherited that gene. Luckily I did not. Their favorite idea was some time to tie me up and take me with them as they tried to find where they were going.
I also like taking a long ride when I need to relax. I remember once I ended up in New Bedford, parked and decided to sightsee.
You also have a great evening!