The morning is again delightful. It is 74°, and a slight breeze is blowing. I can hear only the birds. I think they are castigating me as the feeders are empty. The dogs are napping. They are exhausted from going out and then coming back inside for their treats. My father always said he wanted to come back as a pet in any of our houses.

This is a slow week. I have only four uke events including two concerts. The rest of my dance card is empty. I see books and deck time in my near future.

When I was growing up, I never realized my family didn’t have much money. Even living in the project gave no hint of it as the project was surrounded by places filled with wonder. We had the field, wild blueberries, the woods and best of all, we had the swamp. I had friends who also lived in the project. We walked to school together every day and played together in the afternoons. I wore a uniform to school so I didn’t need a wardrobe filled with clothes. I had my play clothes, my cozy clothes and a skirt or two to wear to church. That was more than I really needed. We went to the drive-in almost every Saturday. My grandfather had a pass, and we brought our own treats, candy, popcorn and Zarex in the jug. What I remember most was I never got to see the end of the second movie. My father, a hater of crowds and lines, always left early. During his vacation we mostly did day trips and jaunts to the beach. Thanks to him I am a lover of museums.

I remember the BIG vacation. We went to Niagara Falls. We stayed in motels and even ate at a few restaurants. We went to Madam Tussaud’s wax museum near the falls. I’ve told this dad story before, but it is worth another telling. In the wax museum, my father told the lady in the booth 4 adults and 2 children. She ignored him. He repeated a bit louder than the first time then repeated one more time, quite loud this time. On a bench near the counter were a few old ladies laughing. I think they were waiting for my father. He didn’t realize that the ticket teller was wax. That still makes me laugh. We walked under the falls. We saw the Eisenhower Locks. We slept in a house on the shore of Lake Ontario. My father drove home through the Mohawk Trail. I don’t know how my parents were able to afford that vacation. I just know they made it spectacular.

This entry was posted on July 14, 2025 at 11:40 am and is filed under Musings. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments. Both comments and pings are currently closed.