Tackling the east coast in 2 weeks back in ’93
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Disney
Cousin Bill and Mary’s house
Rosemarie and Tom’s house
Craig and Deb’s in Valdosta
Aunt Pat and Uncle Bill’s in New Jersey
After I got divorced, vacations were a solo parent event. The first year, the four of us spent a week at Papoose Pond in Maine, camping. It was the first time I had camped as an adult and to say it was a learning experience would be an understatement.
So, the following year, buoyed by the confidence from the year before, I decided to take the kids to Florida – mainly to go to Disney. Amy had been the year Adam was born but the others had not, and she was very excited to share the experience with them.
I planned to rent a car and drive. Ellen and her husband did not agree that I should go alone like the year before. This was a two-week trek where I would be alone on the highways with the kids. I was thrilled when they offered to have Ellen come with us and the kids were too.
Starting, the first leg was down to New Jersey, a stop at our Aunt Pat and Uncle Bill’s house for a night of rest.
The second leg was to a Shoney’s in either North or South Carolina, I can’t remember which.
Then we headed to Disney. It was supposed to be a three-day visit which we ended up extending to four. We stayed at the Polynesian which is one of my all-time favorite hotels at Disney. We were lucky enough to get upgraded and the view there was magnificent. Watching my kids marvel at the Electrical Water Pageant while swimming in the pool – spectacular. We watched the Aladdin parade at MGM and yes those camels spit at us. We ate at the Prime-Time Café and I got reprimanded for not eating my green beans. We met Mickey Mouse and saw, another favorite of mine, the Electrical Light Parade. The kids even got to go to the Neverland Club (babysitting service) while Ellen and I had some adult time in Epcot.
Disney is one of my Happy Places and I will never forget seeing it through my kid’s eyes – memories that will live forever in my heart.
After a fun few days, we headed south. We had some family to visit in the Ft. Lauderdale area.
First, we spent some time at our cousin Bill and his wife Mary’s house where my kids met their cousins and got all wrinkly after hours in their pool. We had a great time catching up as adults with our cousins.
Then we headed over to our ex-sister-in-law’s house where she was kind enough to serve up a home-cooked meal as we spent some time catching up with her, our nieces and the kids got to meet and play with some more cousins.
We then headed to Georgia to see our brother Craig. Both Ellen and I cannot remember stopping between Ft Lauderdale and Valdosta, although I think we must have somewhere.
It was the first time that Ellen and I got a chance to see the life that Craig had built in Georgia. It was a fun-filled few days as they showed us around the town, driving down the clay-filled streets or just hanging around in their living room catching up face-to-face. It fed my soul to be in the company of the brother I so loved and missed terribly.
Leaving there was hard – we had a long ride home and were sad the trip would soon be over. Back in the day, we didn’t have phones or tablets to keep the kids busy in the car. But we did have cassette players and before the trip, I spent hours recording Disney movies onto audio cassettes and we “watched” them over and over during those few weeks, sometimes on the car player, sometimes on individual players with headphones.
Stopping again at Shoney’s and this time when we got to New Jersey, we spent two nights at my aunt’s before the trek back to Massachusetts. Her pool provided a welcome oasis for the kids; for Ellen and I, we basked in our aunt’s attention for the connection it provided to our Mom.
It was a trip I will never forget and am glad that I got to experience it with four of the people I love most in this world.
Some of my most pervasive memories of this trip down the coast revolve around heat. The days we were in the park were some of the hottest I had ever experienced. We would fill Ziploc baggies with ice from the hotel and wet washcloths to wipe the backs of our necks while waiting in line for a ride.
One of my most vivid recollections is looking down at Amy at one point who was pink beyond belief, and though excited to be at the ‘Happiest Place on Earth’, looked like she had seen and done enough. It was at that moment that we decided it was time to find a place to cool off.
We learned a lot about stamina, hydration, sunblock, and more – but also about the joy of having new and fun experiences together even in a time of difficulty.
They are memories I am so very lucky to have shared with the ‘kids’ and with Pam.
- 1 Did you ever do something that was daunting but you did it anyway?
- 2 Do you do road trips in your family?
- 3 What was one of your most memorable vacations?
“If there ever comes a day where we can’t be together,
keep me in your heart. I’ll stay there forever.”
From Winnie the Pooh
This section is dedicated to him and all of the laughs we enjoyed over the years.
How do you tell the difference between an alligator and a crocodile?
You will see one later and one in a while.
