Whew! What Stinks? Memory Monday

Once again, it’s Monday, and time to join Judy @ Retired-Not-Tired for more memories.  This week we’re continuing our travels down the road entitled More Vacation Memories… Since I didn't participate last Monday mine is just..................
                                        
                                         Vacation Memories 
We always took camping vacations or vacations to Oklahoma to see our relatives when I was young. My brother and didn't have a lot of say about where we went, but we usually enjoyed ourselves.  I had been asking my mom and dad to take us to Yellowstone, for a long time because I really wanted to see Old Faithful.

When I was in high school (maybe freshman or sophomore), my parents finally took my brother and I to Yellowstone, one fine August. We were tent campers in those days, Mom and dad slept on an interesting platform in their 1958 Plymouth station wagon storing all the camping paraphernalia under that platform. They had a mattress cut down to fit the platform perfectly.  Bro and I slept in the tent.   We had to put all the food in the car every night to discourage bears.  That worried me just a little. The food was safe, but how safe were we under canvas? Earlier we saw a bear captured in a device that was going to take him further into the forest.

There is more in Yellowstone, than bears and Old Faithful and we would spend time every few days visiting many of the bubbling mud pots, paint pots and various geysers.  What no one had told me, was how badly much of Yellowstone smelled!  After a visit or two, I wouldn't leave the car to see another sulfur smelling hole in the ground. Dad spent the rest of the trip reminding me that, "You were the one wanting to go to Yellowstone."

Dad got in some fishing in and we got to see the beautiful Yellowstone Falls and I did get out of the car to see Ol'Faithful spout, I was somewhat disappointed, as the viewing we saw, was not as spectacular as the one above. 

Our visit was coming to a close when the weather turned cold, it was late August.  That next morning I wakened to mom furiously shouting orders to dad, so I stayed quiet to sleep in a little, soon I was jerked awake when the foot of my sleeping bag fell of my air mattress and soaked up freezing water that I was floating on.  When I yelled, Dad came and got me and carried me to the camp toilet and shower.  It had rained that night and somewhere around freezing that am, it started snowing in August in Yellowstone.  Mom and dad were packing up....every thing was soaking and we made a mad dash for a Motel and laundromat in Jackson Hole. The rest of the vacation was spent in Washington State and Oregon, on the way back to California. We dried the tent out at cousins, in Oregon.

I have had other vacations that have been more fun....but this was funny and memorable.

Friday Fragments-What I Did on My Christmas Vacation

JOINING MRS 4444 FOR FRIDAY FRAGMENTS

Well we are back from our trip to California.  We left the Monday after Christmas trying to get home before New Years.  We arrived home the Friday after New Years.  Part of it had to do with not being able to leave before noon, because Mr BC had to pick up parts at Moss Motors, for the Triumph, he is restoring.  He thought as long as he was in town......This put us in Los Angeles, right in the middle of evening traffic.....really bad traffic and we it was bad all the way to Victorville.  Essentially we lost a whole day, thank you very much.

When we decided to stop early the next day, because we were beat.  The nice lady at the KOA Kampground, encouraged us to go on well past Flagstaff, as they were expecting a massive weather storm and might not get out the next day.  From then on we were out in front of winter storms the rest of the way home.  After the last trip to CA in the winter and this we have decided we are not winter campers.....Though the weather while we were in CA was fantastic.  Getting home is problematic.

As I said the weather was beautiful in Carpenteria, where we camped at the State Beach.  This was our view out our front door.

A trip down the beach takes you to the naturally occurring surface asphalt the Chumash Indians used to seal their canoes.  Petroleum seeps are still visible along the beach bluffs at Tar Pits Park on the campground beach of Carpinteria State Beach. *Wickipedia

Christmas was fun with the boys...both have grown so tall and I love that I can hold a rather grown up conversation with almost 6 year old Лука, He is as patient as he can be most of the time, with his little brother.  He got a bigger bicycle this year. 

It was the only thing that, almost 3 year old Caшa, didn't claim.....Mine, mine, mine!  

 Caшa, already has a smaller glider bike that he can maneuver quite well.  They both went out for rides, later in the day with the kids in the neighborhood.

Everyone stayed healthy while we were there so thankfully we made it home healthy.  Though, Thursday all day, Mr BC was laid low with a very upset stomach bug.  I did not know he had all that in him!  It has not progressed to anything else so maybe it was something he ate.

Chatting about Bluegrass

1.  How well do you handle change? Better than some at my age and circumstance (old and retired).  I like a little change it makes life interesting. I am not always crabbing about how it use to be better, even though some times 'it did use to be better.'   I can adapt eventually to most change. I initially had a hard time adjusting to retirement, I kept feeling at the end of the day, that there was something I didn't get done.

Chatting on the Porch-Epic Fail

• What's  the one thing you feel is the biggest waste of  your time during an average week?Playing games on the computer.  Last night, I was playing Spider Solitaire and decided I would go to bed when I won a game.  Half an hour later I finally went to bed.... a loser.