Summertime, And the Living Is Easy

Welcome to Tuesday 4. 
Here is this weeks meme in honor and memory of our blogging friend Toni Taddeo...

When I saw this particular list of questions my mind went back in time to the good old summertime, when the "living was easy"... so I thought I should join in the fun and share some of my favorite summer pastimes from my past...

Summertime..

1. What activities did you enjoy as a kid in the summer?

Primarily I loved being out of school for the summer.  I could play all day and not have to worry about dressing up and wearing shoes.  Our local school sponsored a Summer Recreation Program where we could go to the school each day and go on special field trips to the area swimming places, like Alexander Springs, Sanlando Springs, the area pools, or stay at the school and play ping pong and other games in the old gymnasium.  It was a lot of fun and a great way to stay active instead of doing nothing at home.  

2. Did you go on vacations? Where did you go?

Oh yes, we went on vacations. Every summer we would pack up the car with the car carrier on top of the car with our tent, air mattresses, luggage, cooler, Coleman Grill, food..  My mother would bake cookies before we left so we had snacks for on the road. There were no McDonald's or other fast food places along the roads back then. There were little roadside picnic areas, oftentimes alongside a mountain stream, and we would stop and Mom would fix our lunch /sandwiches, while my sister and I would explore the stream to find some good rocks to take home for souvenirs.  There were six of us packed into a rather small car, and no AC...we had the windows wide open and our feet sticking out the windows. (and no seatbelts!) Yes, actually my dad sometimes pulled a little cargo trailer along on the back of the car to hold all our camping stuff.  He would choose a different route north through the Smokey Mountains every summer, and we would stay at whatever State Parks or other cheap camping locations he could find for us to stop for the night.  

Some times we got to stop at some tourist attractions. This was "Ghost Mountain in the Sky" in Maggie Valley, NC.  It is truly a Ghost Mountain now as I hear it is no longer up there. There was a Six Guns Territory on the top of the mountain with shootouts and all kinds of old western themed activities and stores.  Here we are going up the side of the mountain on a chair lift.  That was kind of scary, but fun. That is my sister and her girlfriend Mary Jane in front of me. That summer my oldest brother Russell was working, so he didn't get to go with us, so we took Mary Jane instead, along with my brother Cliff, sister Doris, and my parents. 

Here is my brother Clifford, Mary Jane, Doris, and Me, all on the back of that poor old horse! Of course he was made out of cement. This was somewhere in S.C., and we used to stop there every year and have our pictures taken on that horse.  Notice my sister and her friend had their hair in curlers with a scarf over it. My hair was a mess, because we had to ride with the car windows open...but I was only 12 in this picture, so I really wasn't that concerned with my looks yet...LOL.

I had to have my picture taken alone..."Ride Em Cowboy!"

The reason for the trips north each summer were so that we could visit our relatives in Ohio and Pennsylvania. I always looked forward to spending some time with my cousins and Grandparents.

My Grandpa Tedlie is on the far right, holding "Monkey, the Cat".  I believe my grandmother was in the house as she was not well and unable to join us outside. I must have taken this picture as I am not in it. My sister Doris is on the far left, my cousin Cheryl, My Mother, My Aunt Belle, cousin Robbie, my Dad, and Grandpa Tedlie. 

Another favorite activity for me was going to our youth camp each summer. I loved it so much that I was a counselor at that same camp the summer after I graduated from high school. It was there that I truly committed my life to Christ, and began the journey of faith that would later lead me to my husband and eventually the ministry with my hubby and family.

But in the meantime, I just enjoyed making new friends at camp and meeting cute boys. LOL. I wasn't too concerned with spiritual things at this stage of life. Thankfully, God was watching over me all the time! 

3.Do you have a favorite summer time dinner? Share it with us please?

Favorite summertime dinner, well, that would be on the 4th of July when we always make home-made ice-cream...that's an old family tradition. We usually use the hand crank churn, but lately us old folks have started using the electric one instead.  We love hamburgers/hot dogs/chicken cooked on the grill. I love baked beans, potato salad, coleslaw, corn on the cob.  Not sure if we will have such a picnic this year or not...depends on who is brave enough to come!

4.How often do you sit outside and enjoy an iced tea or coffee?

Most every day I like to sit out on my garden bench in the shade and sip some iced tea or water, or eat a popsickle, and watch the birds...and take pictures.

Male Wood Duck in Still Waters Pond

Great Blue Heron fishing for his dinner.

Although I wouldn't say that summer is my favorite season due to the heat and humidity, I must say that I have some of my best childhood memories from summertime. Those trips with my family through the mountains and up to visit our relatives were filled with many memories of fun games played in the car to help the time pass..."The Alphabet Game", "The Horse Game", and many other fun things. Seeing such beauty as we'd drive through the mountains, although my worst memory is always getting carsick.  But the excitement of packing up and getting ready to go and finally getting on the road was so exciting to me as a little girl. I always marvel at how my Dad and Mother were able to put it all together to make it into a wonderful vacation that we'd never forget.  We didn't have much money, hence the reason for camping and cooking our own food. My sister and I always had saved a little bit of "allowance money" for souvenirs...we had to bring home some special thing from our trips, even if it was just a rock. I still have one such rock in my bedroom that I have saved all these years.

I have used that rock through the years as a doorstop, but lately we've decided that we have stubbed our toes on it too many times, so it usually is sitting somewhere out of the way.  Gee, that rock is well over 50 years old in my possession. No telling how old it really is!

Thank you, Ann at Cottage By The Sea, for setting up these weekly Tuesday Meme's for us in memory of our friend Toni.  I know she is smiling down at us each week as we remember her in this way.

Have a blessed day everyone! Go out and make some Summertime Memories!