When I was in grade school, we were always asked to write a composition during our first or second week after returning to school titled, “what I did on my summer vacation.” Man, back in those days, I really did have summer vacations! Not this year….

Recalling my younger years when life was carefree and full of fun, our summer family vacations focused mostly on seeing the United States. My father worked in Europe for six months each year. He was home (in America) during the summers. He wanted his children to see the country of their birth — so that’s what we did.

My parents would pack a dozen or so of my siblings into two cars and take off. One year we went north, another year we went south, and another year we went from the middle. We always progressed west. Over about six weeks, we would visit many states. We always had to visit the state capital, plus many cities, towns, and sights along the way. Over six years, we went to every state in the contiguous (lower 48) states. I went to Alaska and Hawaii when I became an adult.

I learned that I live in a lovely country, filled with many good people, and that has many wonderful sights to see. I learned how to love my siblings, which when crammed together in an un-air-conditioned car was sometimes challenging. And that also was back in the day when “on-board entertainment” involved playing cards in the back seat, picking on your sisters, and reading. Yes, books. My Mom loved books and encouraged us to read. Every afternoon on our car trips, we had mandatory silent reading time. At least an hour, sometimes two. (I’m sure my parents enjoyed the quiet, ’cause we were not the quietest bunch by any means!)

We would stop many times each day to see sights, have meals, and stretch. When we continued our journey, our parents mixed us up as to who was riding with Dad and who was riding with Mom, to separate who was fighting with whom the most. I can honestly say that I didn’t ride with the same “combination” of siblings on any day of these travels.

One of my favorite memories was stopping at a gas station somewhere in Illinois and leaving my little sister there. Well, not on purpose. When my parents loaded us into the cars to continue our travels, each parent thought my sister was with the other. We didn’t learn that she was left behind until we arrived at our hotel that night — four hours later. Dad had to drive back to that gas station and bring her back. (Why he didn’t leave her there is still a family joke! After all, the gas station owner and his wife had taken her in, fed her, and she was happy. Gosh, how things have changed from the days of no cell phones!)

I loved seeing the oceans, lakes, mountains, wide grassy plains, caverns, rivers, and history. We hiked the trails of the Old West. I found a dinosaur bone in Montana, and a huge geode in Arkansas. We dug potatoes in Idaho. We went mining for Gold in California. We spelunked, rappelled, floated on rafts in rivers, and enjoyed many side-trips to extremely interesting places.

These car trips ended in Southeast Oklahoma, where my Dad would leave us to return to Maryland and then to Europe. Our Mom and “us kids” would stay with my aunt and grandmother on my Mom’s family horse ranch. We would stay there (and go to school in a one-room schoolhouse) until December when Dad would return and take us back, by car, to Maryland, where we lived (and went to school) through Winter and Spring… then repeat the adventures come summer.

Unfortunately, these cross-country adventures ended when I was 10 years old, when my Dad got a promotion and a permanent “stateside” appointment at his work. Then he died when I was 12. But I’ll never forget, and always cherish, our summer vacations with Mom, Dad, and my siblings. (Mom took us on summer vacations after Dad died, but they were more typical of what my friends did — we went to the nearby Atlantic Ocean beaches for a week or two, and every other year, we flew to Oklahoma to visit our family there.)

Now, to the present. What did I do on my summer vacation? Well, I didn’t have one. I haven’t had a vacation — true time off for adventure travel — since 2003. Sure, I have done some travel in the meantime, but those trips always were for work.

This past summer was consumed with caring for my partner, whose health condition remains fragile. I managed to go on some nearby motorcycle rides with my club, and enjoy a visit by the bestest twin brother a guy could ever have. I worked — a lot — on renovating the kitchen in our home, doing minor repairs in the homes of senior pals, and visiting siblings, their children, and their children’s children.

Do I regret how my life has changed from carefree fun to responsibilities that confine me? Not really. I have a wonderful life. A man I love more than anyone — ever! A nice home, a great family, financial security, and a community that is warm and compassionate. I am content and happy. As it should be.

Summer vacations are enjoyable, and hopefully some day things will change so I can take some time to travel again. But for now, here I am, and all is good.

Life is short: smile at the memories.