When I think of my childhood vacations, I always come back to the visual of camping with our family and another family. When we would arrive at the campsite, the parents would throw the kids their swimsuits and then we would disappear while they set everything up. When we came back a few hours later – nirvana in the form of a campsite was arranged.
We had a huge 14-man canvas tent with an orange and green striped top. The other family we were with had a camper. Everything had a particular place and was always organized the same from year to year.
The days consisted of swimming and running around on our bikes. It was amazing. We came back to the campsite for meals, but other than that – we weren’t there very often.
Nighttime consisted of dinner and a campfire where we would all sit around and sing songs. The best part was always when the dads would join in and sing with each other in harmony.
As I got older, we didn’t camp anymore, but instead, we went with the same family and stayed in cabins. It didn’t have quite the same feel as the camping experience, but it was still nice.
Fast forward a few more years and we started camping again, but by this point, I now had my first kid. My family was in a tent again, but it was nowhere near the quality of the original 14 man canvas tent. This tent leaked and developed sagging ceiling boobs of water! Not great to deal with in the middle of the night with a young child in tow!
Continuing the pattern, we are now back to the cabin lifestyle. I do miss the camping days, but being the adult having to set things up, I have an appreciation for how much work the moms and dads did when I was a kid!!
#sidetrackedsisters #sidetrackedchelle #surroundings #camping #vacation #family
