Fair Trade

When I was little and for as long as I can remember, summer has been the time when taking a trip is absolutely mandatory. Trips taken to pass time over unimportant weekends and conventional and or obligatory holidays just weren't ventured into with the same intensity. The Summer Trip was the big one - the one that needed to be planned, required a car load of gear and mandated a certain amount of conveniences in lieu of the comforts of home.

I remember sitting with my Dad at the kitchen table where he would have all the information that he had sent away for the previous spring. There were brochures from campgrounds that listed the types of amenities each had available and the daily camping rate. Sometimes he received information from Historic Societies and Visitor's Bureaus. Envelopes of all different sizes and colors might contain maps, hand-written letters with suggestions, brochures for local attractions and all types of information. Even then I found it hard to believe that some stranger in another town so far away could care about the questions of another person on such an individual level as to motivate him or her to write a personal correspondence. It was amazing to me.

My Dad would show me all the brochures and talk about the types of choices that we had. He really didn't mean 'we' but 'he'. Which campgrounds were the cheapest, which had showers and a local store. Those that didn't - didn't last long. Those that didn't offer hiking trails were immediately disqualified - from everything.

I always wanted the ones that had playgrounds and beaches or the ones that were near cities that we might explore. My Dad's idea of a vacation was to get away from towns, away from crowds and away from spending money so places that were close to tourist attractions that cost money were not popular either - unless a relative lived nearby who we might stay with if we were lucky enough to be invited.

Part of the reason for our esoteric vacations was my Mom's influence. She never liked to do anything the 'regular way.' She always preferred (and still does to this day) the road less traveled - the off brand - the small local businessman - the sleeper. As a child I used to be so thoroughly embarrassed by her vivacious need for differentiation in everything. Wonder Bread, Holiday Inn and Theme Parks just weren't options. Those were for the masses. She deserved something less available, less ubiquitous. She was unique and so were her needs. She wouldn't be satisfied by the ordinary. She was better than that. Camping destroyed her ability to maintain oddness because it was just so time consuming. I loved camping.

When we camped we got Kool-Aid, Mini Kellogg's Cereal boxes, store bought ketchup, and Hostess Pies.
-Heaven! Even if there were spiders in your sleeping bag. It was a fair trade.