by Terry McPherson on December 28, 2021

Well not sure what would qualify as a vacation when I was a child. And not sure what time frame you would call when I was a child. Not sure I have grown up yet. When I was very small in the 50’s with dad in the military we did not really do vacations. When we moved from one base to another we usually stopped by some relatives on the way. Not sure I would call that a vacation. Then while in Massachusetts, dad like to hunt and we went camping and him hunting. Not sure I would call that a vacation either. Then in the 60’s we moved to England and we did tourist stuff all the time, but it was not really a vacation either. Going around country side for the day or to London for a musical. When we came back from England in 1963, we flew into NYC I think and we bought a car, a nice 57 Chrysler Imperial. That was a nice car. We went up to our old house in Massachusetts and got it ready to sell, then drove cross country to go to dad’s new assignment at Tomales again. We again when thru places with relatives to visit. So still not sure any of this qualifies as a vacation. When in Northern California, dad and I went on hunting trips, 2-3 days maybe 5 days. But can you call a few days to look for Bambi to shoot a vacation.

Then one summer there was a family reunion, moms side of family in Oregon and relatives from Arizona came up and we all went up there for the reunion. Again, do you really count any of these a vacation.

I do remember one trip we did that I would call a vacation, maybe. We pulled our boat to LA and then cruised it across to Catalina Island and spent a few days camping and diving and skiing until we found I was apparently the bait on a string, as we saw some sharks hanging around in the water. But for me I would say, that was the real first vacation, but I was not really a child. I was in high school and I talked the folks in to letting my girlfriend go with us.

Again not sure if it counts, but after graduating from High School, I drove aimlessly from Northern California till I ended up in Missouri at Grandpa Warburton’s. Then he and I drove back visiting Carlsbad Caverns, Painted Desert, Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and back to Tomales California.

Though thru the years I guess I had a few actual vacations, joining the military really got me going and while in Germany, took some great vacations to learn to ski, see Spain, the French Riviera and international car show in Switzerland. Then I really started to take vacations the 90’s. Went on cruises and to Disney land and other places. Gave up visiting relatives for trips I was making.

Since then I have made vacations an art form. I have traveled to Alaska, Mexican Riviera, Caribbean, Panama, Columbia, Great Britain, Spain, Italy, Russia, Ukraine and much more.

So again, not sure what is a vacation and when I quit being a child, have I ? I guess I thought life was a vacation, having traveled in almost all of the states in the US and lived in 10 of them.

Then do you count weekends at the lake, or traveling in a motorhome to races. Of course being retired not, not sure what is a vacation for me is now.

But I have enjoyed it all. Have passport, will travel….