Summer Vacation While Still In School

911

911

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Location
USA
Just the other day while relaxing on my patio after having mowed the lawn, I was thinking about my summer vacations while I was still in school. Oh, man, they were the best days of my life. Even though I enjoyed going to school, I looked forward to my vacation time. Not just the family get-away, but all the stuff we did with friends for the better part of 3 months.

The bike trips we took, the games we played (basketball, baseball, softball, tennis), then we also had a thing called "Playground Time." Two (young) school teachers would instruct us kids that joined Playground Time how to do certain crafts, including making bracelets and necklaces out of a material called gimp. We also did drawings and played outside games like softball and blindman's tag and other games. The Playground Time was Monday through Friday from 10:00-3:00, but only during the month of July, about 4 weeks. When I left the house in the morning, my parents were lucky to see me before dark. There was always something to do and someone to do it with. Kids today have no idea what they have missed out on. This is one reason why so many kids today have no social skills. My one grandson is one of them. Good kid, but no incentive to do anything, except play computer games.

Everyday the snowball truck would come by and we would buy our snowballs, which was a ball of ice with syrup poured over it. I forget the price, maybe a dime or a quarter. Of course, when we got older, like 15-16, some of us got a job. I worked on a farm through the week and at a gas station on weekends. Never had a problem finding a job back then. Today, a lot of kids don't even look for a job.

Yup, summertime was the best. Oh, to be able to relive those days, even just one of those days.
 

There was a large stream well hidden from everyone in back of an old deserted furniture factory near my hometown. After winding its way through several farms, it would come to the top of a drop off and become a waterfall and from there would continue on. The pond where the water would fall into was maybe 5 feet deep. Us boys would hike back through the overgrown fields and finally come to the old furniture factory to swim in the pool at the waterfall. All of us guys would go skinny dipping there.

One day, my sister heard me on the phone talking to a buddy about meeting him at the dam, as we called it. (It was anything, but a dam.) Her and her friend decided they were going to sneak back to the dam and catch us skinny dipping. There was 4 or 5 of us in the water when they showed up and yelled at us just to let us know that they were there.

One of the other guys yelled, “Let’s get them.” Wow! I never knew my sister could run so fast.
 

Summertime was great! It was the time to get away from the house as much as possible which I did. Luckily where we lived there were plenty of kids and we all hung around each other and got along well. We’d play all kinds of games and go lots of places including a conservation area with a lake to swim.

We even played in the giant manholes that were built underground. We also got into trouble once in a while but I didn’t usually get caught cause my parents didn’t care enough to know where I was. There definitely were perks. They were just happy that I wasn’t there. ☺

We’d go biking, kiting, swimming, skipping, roller skating, played baseball, red rover , red light/ green light, hide & seek, hop scotch, Nicky, Nicky Nine Doors. There was always something to do. Sometimes the neighbours invited me to go on a picnic with them.

Then mid summer our family would go on our annual camping trip right by the lake. It usually was a great time. My parents were relaxed since they were on vacation which was a nice change. They were usually in better spirits while we were camping. We even got .25 cents a day to spend on candy which we did.

The beach store was a few miles away but we’d walk along the beach, stop off to swim in the river that ran into the lake. This was our usual hang out. We could jump about 12 feet into the river and then swim out and do it all over again.

The beach store had penny candy. We’d get a little paper bag and could purchase a large variety of candy. Most were 3 for a penny. There black balls, jelly beans, virgin gummy bears 🐻 ( no THC )😏, chewy strawberries, candied peanuts, sour babies, black babies, sour wafers, sweet tarts , gum balls and ice cream. We’d usually get a bag full of candy, an ice cream and a pop all for a quarter. Let the good times roll. 🥳We’d usually be too full for dinner . Lol.

Summer vacations as a kid really were awesome. I have many fond memories of my family and friends which I will treasure forever and a day.
 
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Summer vacations while still a kid in school seemed endless, and were a time for a child to adopt an alternative lifestyle. I can remember walking or riding my bike everywhere, and why not? The world was a safer place then, with no fears of sickos abducting you, or gun nuts shooting you. At least once a week, I'd ride my bike to the public library to pick up books to read. Kids didn't have their own phones, TV's, and computers back then. I might go over to my best friend's house or he to mine, and we'd listen to FM radio, or 45 rpm records while sharing our views on the latest kid-things like the current issue of Mad magazine...

For the highlight of summer, my father got two weeks of paid vacation time, so we'd likely rent a cabin in the woods or at the beach that had no air conditioning, no TV, and a kitchen with mismatched dishes. We'd visit the local tourist attractions, fight mosquitos, sand flies, and boredom, and maybe fly a kite. It was the heaven of a simpler day! 😺
 
Growing up I lived in the City. Summer time was the best days. We played outside all day and even at night. Some parents were always outside sitting on their steps and watching over all the kids like they were their own. I have to admit though we did find ways to be naughty without the parents noticing it. I really do miss those days and I wish the kids today had the same kind of safe days and nights like I did then.
 
Yes sassy, those were the days. We never went in the house until it
got dark...I would here my Mom yelling out on the porch...time to come in or the Bad man will get you....We never had a bad man in our
neighborhood...But I listened and went in the house....
Sometimes she would let our friends stay in the back yard when it got
dark, Mom would put the back lights on....We had a little pool and
we would cool off on the hot night....But I would get bit by
Mosquito's .

Those were the Days....I do talk to my cousin every so often on the phone, she lives 2 hours away from me....We reminisce..
 

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