It is summer time so that means family summer vacations. One family vacation I remember well as a child was our road trip to Colorado. There were five of us in a Ford F-250 pickup truck. The bed of the truck had a cap and a make shift bench and table that we could convert into a bed.
Of course, back then we did not have air conditioning in the truck, a fact I cannot even comprehend today. For most of the trip, two or three of us kids rode in the bed of the truck with a cap covering us with really small windows that we could partially open as our only source of relief from the heat.
Somehow, back then, it did not seem odd, unsafe, or even uncomfortable. Nowadays, the thought of traveling over 1,200 miles in those conditions seems like cruel and unusual punishment.
Each night we would stay at a campground. My brother slept on the front bench seat of the truck. I got the floor in the back seat of the truck. At the time I thought it was a great adventure. But, looking back, I am questioning how fair it was that my brother got the comfortable front bench seat and I slept on steel with a very thin fabric on top of it. I think I will have to have a conversation with him about this.
There was one night I had to use the restroom. My brother locked the door after I got out of the cab of the truck and then went back to sleep. (He alleges that it was an accident, but the jury is still out on that one.) So, I was over a thousand miles from home in a campground with my family sleeping in the cab and in the capped bed of the truck. Somehow, no matter how much I rocked the truck or knocked on it, nobody woke up. Eventually, after what seemed like hours, but was probably minutes, my parents heard me and got me back to bed on the steel floor of the truck.
Anyway, we not only survived these family vacations, we have many great memories of these trips. I will always remember Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse Mountain, the Badlands and even the Corn Palace. The memories are even more precious now that mom and dad have passed away.
This year, we did several days up at Lake Erie and Cedar Point. We drove in an air-conditioned van with our daughter enjoying movies, a computer tablet and electronic games. She does not realize how good she has it.
Last year, we went to Cedar Point and our daughter loved all of the kiddie rides. I knew this year she would love to spend a bunch of time riding rides. But, as my daughter loves to tell me whenever she can, “Daddy’s wrong”. (I am sure it is just a short phase she is going through and she will stop enjoying telling me I am wrong very soon.)
Our daughter rode her fair share of rides; however, she thinks she is too big for the kiddie rides and the big roller coasters are a little too much for her. Although, she did ride the Mine Ride and loved it. She also rode the Gemini but said she will not ride it again as it was too “tall, low and fast”. Thank you to my wife for riding all of the rides with her.
This year she loved hanging out at the beach and swimming and playing in Lake Erie. I love that she likes to play on the beach and in the water, searching for tiny shells and building sand castles, more than riding rides.
We were at a beach with shallow water that went a long way out from the beach. She and I would go on great adventures and splash and play for hours. We made up new games and would try to make each other laugh. It was amazing and I am so thankful I had the opportunity to build these wonderful memories with her.
This summer has felt like it has gone by so very fast. We are getting close to the end of summer vacation and school will be starting in a few short weeks.
I hope everyone has been able to spend time with family and loved ones this summer. I also hope all of the children, teachers and school staff have a great start to a new school year.
Randall D. Fuller is judge of the Domestic Relations Division of the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas. Judge Fuller is a lifelong resident of Delaware County.
