Around Robin Hood's Barn

Wow - here I am, blogging some stories that were lost in our recent house fire. These are stories that I had hoped to share with my kids and grand kids some day. Thanks to encouragement from Amy - I can now do it - right here on my new blogspot. I hope whoever reads these are inspired to write their own. Maybe we'll share laughs or tears -whatever the case, this blog will be a great therapy tool for me.

I chose the title of this blog because it reflects part of my life as a child. My parents loved to take car rides. Remember the saying, "Sunday drivers"? Well, that was my mom and dad. Only though, sometimes, we took rides on other days. We wouldn't go anywhere special. Dad would just say, "Hey, let's take a ride around Robin Hood's barn." So that meant - just a ride in the country to see the sites. Maybe it was some nice farm houses and barns with cows and horses. Sometimes that meant going through a covered bridge or driving along a rippling creek. With the windows down - I would put my hand out of the window to feel the wind against it.

My parents loved to look for hawks and eagles. I love to do it now and my kids are the same way. They'll notice the hawks along the highway - perched in a tree waiting for roadkill. Lately, we've been able to spot some eagles along French Creek or at by Woodcock Lake.

On longer road trips (back before portable DVD players were made), we knew how to entertain ourselves in the car. We'd play word games - like finding the letters of the alphabet on road signs or license plates. We would race against each other. My dad had the advantage - he not only saw the cars in front of us first, but he had the ability to read signs from the rear view mirror or side view mirrors and get letters behind us before we could turn around. We would keep track of all the license plates - from the United States and Canada. It was always cool when we saw a car from Alaska or Hawaii. They were rare.

One time we took a trip to Washington, D.C. People come from all over to this city - so I think we ended up with over 40 different plates.

Our longest road trip as a child, was a trip to Colorado. My oldest brother Dave decided to go to college at the Univ. at Boulder. So we all took a ride (must have been part of dad's vacation). It took us a couple of days to get out there. I was only 10 but have some vivid memories. I think we got to see the St. Louis arch. I remember the road through Nebraska was straight and endless - before coming to Colorado and seeing the Rockies in the background. We took a side trip up into the mountains - went through Loveland Pass and up to a lake that had some snow around it. (We were there in August). We had a picnic. Our station wagon had seats all the way in the back that opened up and when you sat in them - you got to see where you came from (instead of where you were going.) I remember my brother Tim getting sick (or feeling that way) - so he got to move up to the middle seat and sit with Dave and our sister Anne. After dropping him off at school - we took a detour home by driving down to New Mexico. We had a great Aunt Gertrude that lived there. She had a swimming pool in the backyard that had one of those pool cleaners (the hose and vacuum that moved around on its own). Our parents wanted us to try some genuine Mexican food - so we went to a Mexican restaurant. Tim and Anne and I were excited to recognize burgers and fries on the menu, but Mom and Dad said we had to eat something from Mexcio - so we opted for the chili. When the waitress came over and asked us if we wanted red or green, we thought they meant beans, so we said red (cause that's how mom makes it at home.) Well - they meant sauce, and I guess we picked the milder kind - but you couldn't tell - it was really hot. Someone ate all of theirs, but I'm sure it wasn't me. I remember getting lots of pitchers of water for the table. We drank a lot that time. Our trip back home to PA was pretty much uneventful. I remember driving through Texas and Missouri. Not sure where else we went. I must have slept most of it away.

Our other trips we took as kids were to Wells, Maine for our family vacation. My mom's family has two cabins there - so it's free lodging - just have to pay for food and entertainment. One of the other activities we did in the car was sing songs. Dad would teach us some Navy songs and also some songs from his childhood. Some of our favorites included "My Grandfather's Clock", "K,k,k k Katie", "Old Lady Leary", "You are my Sunshine", "I'm forever blowing bubbles", "In the Cor", "When I was a lad", and songs from Mary Poppins or the Sound of Music. Some of my mom's favorites include "Shoe fly pie and apple pan dowdy" and "I'm looking over a four leaf clover". And we can't forget the song, "Take me out to the ballgame". We didn't even have CD's back then or cassettes. I remember having some 8 track tapes when I was in high school. Wow - times have certainly changed over the years.

Well - that's just a few stories to help us get started. My brother Tim said that I remember a whole lot more things than he does. I don't know if that's a good thing or not - but so far, so good.

Enjoy the stories - go write your own, too. Take care,
Sue