Beach Trips in Granny’s Oldsmobile: No Summer Vacation Will Ever Be the Same! by Terri Kendrick

Family Vacations
5 years ago

Beach Trips in Granny’s Oldsmobile: No Summer Vacation Will Ever Be the Same!

Although I’ve vacationed in many far-flung places as an adult, the words “summer vacation” always bring to mind horse flies, sand crabs and a wide swath of beach on Assateague Island, Va., in the ‘60s. Nearly every weekend, my grandmother would load up my little sister, my two cousins and me along with chairs, umbrella, blankets, bug spray and plenty of ice-cold fried chicken and tater salad, and head to the beach. 

Granny was a veteran fisherwoman. While she sat in the surf in her shorts and broad-brimmed hat hooking a cooler full of fish, her four tow-headed granddaughters would jump the waves, bury each other’s legs in the sand and chug Dr. Pepper under the beach umbrella.

What I remember most about those Saturdays more than 50 years ago are the little things like the burning-hot sand on my bare toes and the scream of the seagulls, interrupted only by our childish screams of excitement. And etched in my brain is a memory of Granny draping blankets over the umbrella, creating a makeshift dressing area so we could change out of our wet, sandy suits before getting back into her pristine Oldsmobile.

While I still love the beach, no summer vacation will ever be the same!

Photo: Salt marsh along Assateague Island in Virgina.

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Donna John
You brought back a lot of great memories for me. My grandparents used to do the same thing with me and my cousins. We'd pack up and go crabbing either on the pier or on the jetties. I'd give anything to be able to relive just one of those days. Good times. Welcome to the tribe, Terri Jones !
Elisa Schmitz
Oh, the memories! I love this, Terri Jones . I remember being in the back of my grandparents' Jeep, heading to their lake house in the Ozarks. It was heaven for me. Thank you for sharing this special memory, and bringing up the "good old days" of my youth as well. Welcome to our community of writers - so excited to read more from you!
Terri Kendrick
Thank you! I don't often get to do this type of writing (I write marketing for a living), so really loving it.
Ann Marie Patitucci
What a lovely memory, Terri Jones ! It makes me think of my own memories at Strawberry Hill on Sacandaga Lake with my family and cousins and aunts and uncles. I loved it so much that I made Strawberry Hill (Summer Camp) the setting of my picture book! Thanks for sharing this with us, and welcome to our community!
MomThoughts
Beautiful imagery! I felt like I was there.
Terri Kendrick
What a wonderful compliment!
Sheri B Doyle
What beautiful memories you have. Thank you for sharing them with us. It was so easy to visualize your family there, very special.

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