1. a wistful desire to return in thought or in fact to a former time in one's life, to one's home or homeland, or to one's family and friends; a sentimental yearning for the happiness of a former place or time: a nostalgia for his college days.
2. something that elicits or displays nostalgia.
(thank you Dictionary.com)
As of late, I have been nostalgic for my favorite childhood vacation destinations. I don't know if this comes because summer is finally among us, if it's because it has been months and months since seeing family, or if it is because I want to wistfully escape to a simpler time. A time where sunshine was everywhere. Where most meals were enjoyed on the back deck. Where band concerts, summer movies, 'backyard camping', ice cream runs, swimming lessons and bike riding sprinkled the days. A time where I couldn't see past the last few straggling summer days to the inevitable time when summer vacation would end.
These days, spring runs into summer, summer into fall, fall into winter, winter into summer, all without much notice, save the changing weather. It is amazing how nostalgic I can get over times past. Holidays, school vacations, running careless through the neighborhood. But this desire to return to place past, places that are part of my heart, my head, my being, places that were temporary in my life, but which contain some of the fondest memories from my childhood years. Places where I must say, I inadvertently left part of myself. Yes, this is powerful.
Some of my favorite places, places that I crave right now include; a trip to the Black Hills in South Dakota...I was in jr high...we went to Mount Rushmore, Bear Country USA, and stayed in Hill City, SD and ate a meal I am 100% my brother and I complained about before eating, but that I still tell people about now because it was so memorably great food at Alpine Inn. We also rode the Black Hills Steam Train and I loved the Needles Highway (when I wasn't sleeping, as I used to get horribly car sick)!
I crave Independence Rock, Fort Caspar and its Living History Days...both barely a stones throw from home. I yearn for parades, fairs and rodeos. Trips to the lake, to the mountain. Foggy morning walks through the woods, sunburns, lazy Thursday evenings at the City Band concert, running through the sprinkler on the hotest of days.
I crave Steamboat Springs, Golden, CO, Horsetooth Resevoir. I crave ice cream at Little America-Cheyenne (before the recent remodel)and the Denver Botanic Garden, Colorado National Speedway- dubbed in our time there as the fastest 3/8 mile paved oval this side of the Mississippi. I crave Water World and intertubes, the wave pool, lazy river, laughter.
I crave walking along the beach with my Mom, Uncle Ron, Josh-first on the West Coast at Carmel by the Sea, Pebble Beach, Montery, San Fran back in 2000 and then most recently on the East Coast in North Carolina, both at Christmas.
I crave eating ice cream as a meal in between places, because you are on vacation and that is what you do on vacation.
It is funny how some of my favorite memories, vacation or not, were the little things. Eating tacos on the front porch mid-way through a day of hard yardwork with Mom, going crawdad fishing with Josh and exploring all places wild with Dad. It isn't those "big" vacations to the Bahamas, Disney World that stand out first and foremost in my mind, grand and glorious as they were. I hope that I remember this when I have kids. I want to remember so I can give them the opportunities to have those fond memories of the little things. Simple things. Profound things. I want them to remember like I remember. I want them to be sentimental and sappy and nostalgic when they find themselves a half a country, a whole country away from those who they share those ties and those memories with.
I am feeling nostalgic. Sentimental. Ready to escape to my childhood.
What was your favorite vacation destination in childhood or not?!
These days, spring runs into summer, summer into fall, fall into winter, winter into summer, all without much notice, save the changing weather. It is amazing how nostalgic I can get over times past. Holidays, school vacations, running careless through the neighborhood. But this desire to return to place past, places that are part of my heart, my head, my being, places that were temporary in my life, but which contain some of the fondest memories from my childhood years. Places where I must say, I inadvertently left part of myself. Yes, this is powerful.
Some of my favorite places, places that I crave right now include; a trip to the Black Hills in South Dakota...I was in jr high...we went to Mount Rushmore, Bear Country USA, and stayed in Hill City, SD and ate a meal I am 100% my brother and I complained about before eating, but that I still tell people about now because it was so memorably great food at Alpine Inn. We also rode the Black Hills Steam Train and I loved the Needles Highway (when I wasn't sleeping, as I used to get horribly car sick)!
I crave Independence Rock, Fort Caspar and its Living History Days...both barely a stones throw from home. I yearn for parades, fairs and rodeos. Trips to the lake, to the mountain. Foggy morning walks through the woods, sunburns, lazy Thursday evenings at the City Band concert, running through the sprinkler on the hotest of days.
I crave Steamboat Springs, Golden, CO, Horsetooth Resevoir. I crave ice cream at Little America-Cheyenne (before the recent remodel)and the Denver Botanic Garden, Colorado National Speedway- dubbed in our time there as the fastest 3/8 mile paved oval this side of the Mississippi. I crave Water World and intertubes, the wave pool, lazy river, laughter.
I crave walking along the beach with my Mom, Uncle Ron, Josh-first on the West Coast at Carmel by the Sea, Pebble Beach, Montery, San Fran back in 2000 and then most recently on the East Coast in North Carolina, both at Christmas.
I crave eating ice cream as a meal in between places, because you are on vacation and that is what you do on vacation.
It is funny how some of my favorite memories, vacation or not, were the little things. Eating tacos on the front porch mid-way through a day of hard yardwork with Mom, going crawdad fishing with Josh and exploring all places wild with Dad. It isn't those "big" vacations to the Bahamas, Disney World that stand out first and foremost in my mind, grand and glorious as they were. I hope that I remember this when I have kids. I want to remember so I can give them the opportunities to have those fond memories of the little things. Simple things. Profound things. I want them to remember like I remember. I want them to be sentimental and sappy and nostalgic when they find themselves a half a country, a whole country away from those who they share those ties and those memories with.
I am feeling nostalgic. Sentimental. Ready to escape to my childhood.
What was your favorite vacation destination in childhood or not?!
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