Since the weather has changed from blazing hot to much cooler, I decided to use one last vacation story before bathing suits are put away for the winter.
Several years ago when our children, Robin and Robert, Jr. were small, and our budget was even smaller, we drove a Volkswagen. We called it a “doodlebug” – a little green doodlebug.
Doodlebugs are nice cars, but you can outgrow one in a hurry. When we were able, I traded this green one in on a bigger car – a big blue super doodlebug. It was a full inch wider and a half-inch higher. We came up gradually in car sizes, no need to rush into something too big all at once.
Anyway, this particular summer we decided to spend our two-week vacation at Smith Lake. Smith Lake was new, and Daddy had purchased a cabin there. We thought the children would enjoy swimming, fishing and boat riding there. Rudene and I just wanted to relax and not travel.
We filled our little doodlebug up with groceries and didn’t have enough room for any clothes. We took the groceries out and started loading the car again and put the clothes in first. This way, we filled the doodlebug with clothes and didn’t have room for the groceries.
This is when I should have rented a U-Haul trailer.
We finally had to make two trips to the lake to carry all the items that Rudene insisted we would need. She said that she was not going to interrupt her vacation by having to drive 8 or 10 miles home to get something we might need.
I’m sure we must have carried two changes of clothes for each day we planned to be gone.
As it turned out, I think we wore our bathing suits every day we were there. But Rudene has started packing lighter for a two-week vacation now. She only carries six suitcases full, where it use to take two carloads. I’m glad she has matured.
Some people may think I make these stories up, but I just tell it like it is.
If anyone would like to contact me, my email is robertntidwellsr@gmail.com.
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