Traveling with my Father
(continued)
(continued)
As with most journeys, the companions who share it
contribute to all aspects, especially the pleasure; therefore, some background
information follows.
My father, Edwin, was the epitome of a good man. Mother
frequently would say, “Your daddy is the best man God ever made!” He was an
alliteration of virtues – reliable, reasonable, responsible, respectful and
reserved. He was also both smart and wise, very witty, a good storyteller and
conversationalist. He took care of everything that was his – family, home, car,
bayhouse, himself – everything. He had experienced the death of a beloved
father at fourteen, lost a good job as a cotton classer in the Depression,
settled for and was grateful for a dull job as a postal clerk and enriched his
life with reading, gardening, painting and traveling.
My mother, Marie, was a gentlewoman, kind, good, patient,
thoughtful, quiet and somewhat shy. She saw God in everyone, often saying that
no one was responsible for the situation of their birth. She treated everyone
with respect. Content in her world, she was a wife and a mother and was good at
both. She tried to teach us modesty in behavior and dress, often reminding us,
“Pretty is as pretty does.” Her great affection for her sisters was a role
model for her daughters.
Norma, my sister, was
nearly three years older than I and had been the first grandchild in both our
parents’ families. Not only did we share parents and ancestors, we shared a
bedroom, bed, clothes, toys, books, time – our lives. Mother said that we complemented
each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Norma led the way in many of the stages
of my life, supporting my every effort and applauding every success. Every day
was better and more fun when she was there.
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| 1951 - Visiting the Boardwalk in Atlantic City, New Jersey Grandma Josie, Rose Marie and Norma |
Grandma Josie, Daddy’s mother, joined us after our initial
trip. She was in her early 60’s, small, her once bright red hair faded and
tinged with white. Widowed at 33 with three sons to support, she became a
lunchroom cook at the school across the street from her home. She was very
frugal and eventually owned three rent houses in her neighborhood. She was
capable and very independent, but Daddy was always there when needed, making a
short visit to her house every day. She was a pleasant lady with a good sense
of humor. We loved hearing her stories.
(After Norma married, Aunts Agatha and Louise joined me in
the car’s back seat for the remainder of my trips.)
Aunt Agatha was our everything aunt. She was beautiful,
intelligent, classy, cheerful, energetic, generous and fiercely loyal to her
family. She was a doer and a go-getter. I loved being with her. Never married,
she worked as office manager for the Circulation Department of The Houston Post
and was given tickets to plays, movies, horse shows, etc. Norma and I
accompanied her whenever asked. She took us to her Nature Club outings and to
the summer outdoor symphony concerts. She taught us etiquette and party
planning for holiday dinners and social club gatherings. Mother tried to make
us good, and Aunt Agatha tried to make us polished.
Aunt Louise was our cooking aunt. She had taken care of
Grandmother Basilia and the old home place whose lovely, large yard connected
to the backyard of our home. Norma and I welcomed an interruption in our
playtime when Aunt Louise would offer treats of fruit preserves on buttered
bread, cookies, candies, donuts, creampuffs, etc. Being an accomplished cook
and baker, she made every holiday special. She also kept in touch with our
extended family by calling and remembering everyone’s birthday with cards,
letters or flowers.
***********************
The first trip [covered in Part 1] was such a success that Daddy immediately began
planning a trip to Florida. New Orleans was the first stop; then we drove along
the beautiful Gulf Coast reaching Florida with its white sand beaches, palm
trees and pastel colored houses. We made all the tourist stops including a
water skiing show in Silver Springs and the long drive to Key West. After
Florida, we headed up the Atlantic coast with memorable stops in Savannah and
Charleston with all their charming old houses.
Trip three was to Mexico, not just over the border, but to
Monterrey, Mexico City, Xochimilco, Cuernavaca, Taxco, Puebla, Veracruz,
Tampico, etc. Besides the natural beauty of the country, we saw the remarkable
fresco paintings of Diego Rivera, Our Lady of the Guadalupe Cathedral where
people were making the long aisle to the altar on their knees, the Chapultepec
Castle and Park, a bull fight where we left early since it was too difficult
for us to watch and the beautiful Floating Gardens and the Pyramid to the Sun
where Daddy bought me a black jade and silver ring. Norma remembers being
serenaded at our charming Spanish style motel.
The destination of trip four was Yellowstone National Park.
We drove to Colorado and loved it. The air was cool. We drove to Pikes Peak
where snowflakes fell on Daddy’s new camera; saw the state capitol in Denver;
were charmed by Central City, Leadville
and Estes Park.
At last, wonderful Wyoming and the awesome Yellowstone
National Park where it snowed on us on the the 4th of July. We loved staying in
the park cabins, seeing all the natural wonders and the bears. We enjoyed the
beautiful Grand Teton National Park and Jackson Hole.
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| 1950 - Pile of antlers, Norma and Rose Marie Jackson Hole, Wyoming |
In Utah, we floated in the great Salt Lake where the salty
water stung my windburned face; visited the Mormon Temple and Tabernacle in
Salt Lake City; drove through more beautiful national parks, Zion and Bryce. We
stopped at the marker where the four states of Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and
Colorado meet and drive through Mesa Verde National Park to see the cliff
dwellings in Colorado on our way back home.
Our fifth trip was in Daddy’s new two-toned Chevrolet. Norma
and I were exhilarated to be going to California and Hollywood in our stylish
new car. We sewed ourselves a matching outfit of green blouse and striped
skirts, adding a billed white cap to wear.
What a fascinating trip it was! There were so many
interesting things to see and experience along the route: Carlsbad Caverns with
a Park Ranger guide in New Mexico, a frightening dust storm outside of
Albuquerque, Petrified Forest, Painted Desert and truly awesome Grand Canyon in
Arizona; then on to beautiful California.
Traveling up the Pacific coast from San Diego, we took a
wonderful boatride to Avalon on Catalina Island; visited the mission of San
Juan Capistrano where doves surrounded us; Los Angeles and Hollywood seeing the
movie stars’ homes and going to another radio show, “The Lux Theater Hour". We
saw the Redwood forest, rode the trolley in San Francisco, visited Chinatown
with its fascinating shops, visited two great national parks – Sequoia and
Yosemite.
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| 1950 - Rose Marie and Norma at Mariposa Grove, Yosemite National Park, California [Ed. note: The bottom of the sign reads "C C Thomson" which is coincidentally the initials and surname of my oldest boy.] |
Onto Nevada, we visited Las Vegas with its abundance of
night lights and the massive Hoover Dam. Back into Arizona where Daddy wanted
to see the sunrise on the north rim of the Grand Canyon. It was worth the
effort!
Trip six was to the East. We drove through Memphis,
Gatlinburg, and the Great Smokey Mountains National park seeing small black
bears and beautiful rhododendrons in bloom. We saw the major attractions in
Virginia – Monticello, which was copied for our neighborhood Carnegie Branch Library
building; Mount Vernon, Williamsburg, etc.
We toured the impressive monuments in Washington, D.C. and
spent hours in the Smithsonian Institute. New York City was overwhelming with
so many people walking so fast and so much traffic on the streets. We went to
an automat for lunch then tried to do all the things tourists do in that great
city. On to Boston with its history and Cape Cod; Maine with so many trees,
lakes and wonderful lobster rolls.
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| 1950 - The General Grant, Sequoia National Park, California |
Crossing into Canada, we went first to historical Quebec;
then on to the Bay of Fundy since Daddy had read about the remarkable variance
in the tides; Niagara Falls, both Canadian and U.S. views where Mother and
Daddy had spent their honeymoon in 1928. This was our last trip with Norma and
Grandma Josie.
Trips seven to eleven included Aunt Agatha and Louis. Since
they and Mother had a brother living in Sheridan, Wyoming, two of our next
trips went through that city and beyond. On trip seven after seeing a rodeo in
Cody, we drove to Glacier National Park in Montana on the border between the
U.S. and Canada. We crossed the Continental Divide that runs through the
park’s center. Trip eight was to beautiful Lake Louis in Canada where we walked
on a glacier; Vancouver and my first taste of gingerbeer; Victoria with all the
lovely flowers in British Columbia; in Washington, we enjoyed Seattle and Mount
Rainier National Park; we saw beautiful roses in Oregon; Sun Valley in Idaho.
Trip nine made a very important stop in Manhattan, Kansas to
see new bride, Norma, and her husband, Don, who was serving his two years stint
in the army following both of their college graduations. We chatted in the
small kitchen of their apartment over coffee and warm cinnamon rolls. Then, we
traveled to the beautiful Dells of Wisconsin.
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| 1950 - Rose Marie, Norma and Grandma Josie with the famous swallows of Mission San Juan Capistrano, California |
Trip ten was planned when Daddy wanted to drive from Galveston to Winnipeg, Canada all on the same highway from its start to its finish. Trip eleven was a short one to our beautiful neighbor state of Arkansas to see Lake Catherine, Eureka Springs and Hot Springs. Returning home by way of a stop in one of Daddy’s favorite cities, New Orleans.
In May [1956], just before trip eleven, I had graduated from
college and was ready to start working. By the next summer, I married and my
trips with Mother and Daddy were over; but they and the aunts kept traveling
for as long as Daddy could drive.
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| Rose Marie's beautiful handwritten story |
This post is part of "Travel Photo Thursday" on Budget Travelers Sandbox, "Oh the Places I've Been" on The Tablescaper and on the weekly linkup on Pret-a-Vivre. Check them out for more around-the-world travel inspiration.
