Day 4 - 2010 Christmas Escape

Yes. YESSSSS. This is camping the way we like it! Waking up to this view! Ahhhh, I love it when Daddy gets that timid smile on his face. Sure sign of a special moment.

So, what’s up for today? Really, what’s up for today??? Not sure? No? Maybe just a little bit of family vacation? Like, you know, a full plate of family vacation. I’m ready. This is Luc.

We are marking Day 4 of our 2010 Christmas Escape! Our voyage to Key West in a 30 foot rental. A 30 foot trailer. With wheels. Our new home! This is just so exciting. I can’t stop falling over my own words.

Today the weather is breaking even more for us! Nothing but sunshine!! And warmer temperatures!!! Yeah!!!! We are in Florida. And we are not stopping here. But there is so much to do. Me and my sis and my little bro jump out of the trailer! IT’S PLAYTIME! What do you wanna do? Don’t know. Let’s climb that tree. Ok, let’s climb that tree….

This place is so neat. All this stuff on the ground, in the bushes, in the trees. Hey Lya! Do you wanna help me build a bird’s nest?

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Sure!

My sis and me easily spent an hour collecting branches, grass, and as much of this hanging stuff as we can get our hands on to build a wonderful bird’s nest. I truly hope that a bird has come by now and settled down in the nest that we built so carefully.

When I turn around I see Mommy disappearing in the distance heading off on her run. A small cloud of sand dust dancing behind her, desperately trying to catch up. She is so right! It’s time for some morning exercise. Anyone up for a bike ride? Daddy?!!!

Lya decides its time to break in her bike. Forget that silly hook-up bike from yesterday. Today I ride!!! Daddy gets to take Mommy’s bike, and Len is just as happy in his bike seat as always.

We make it past the fishing dock and halfway down the campground, and what do we find?

A PLAYGROUND! YESSSS! A P L A Y G R O U N D!!! Man, if this place doesn’t have it all! Len keeps on his helmet for good measure as Daddy starts chasing us around the structures, slides, benches and swings. Who can swing the highest??? We take off our jackets as the sun starts warming us more and more. Daddy even gets a moment here and there to kick back on a bench and just let life be life.

When we make it back to our camper Mommy’s back from her run with such joy and happiness in her smile. She can’t stop telling Daddy about this trail that she just ran on. About how it looped back and forth, left and right, through a maze of bushes and small trees. How it was a trail that was creating itself in front of her, step after step. Sand under her shoes, sun shining through the branches, little critters rushing away here and there. A bird or two flies up into the sky, circling around, checking out this running creature floating by on borrowed time. The sound of the waves crushing onto the beach lingering on. Never fading, always penetrating. And then one more turn. The bushes and trees disappear completely, the path straightens out, and the beach stretches ahead endlessly – inviting the runner to keep going indefinitely. Apparently the run of a lifetime!

Fortunately for us Mommy didn’t get caught in an endless loop, but made her way back to the trailer. She’s asking, practically begging Daddy to go run it, too – but there will have to be another time, we still need to bake cookies and get ready for the continuation of our travels! And yes, there is never a wrong time for a quick game of soccer. For a moment we contemplate our friends back home, and decide to film a short movie for my sister’s best friend Katie. Here you go Katie: This one is for you. We love you and miss you:

Now before we leave this here campground and make our way further down south, the moment has finally arrived that Daddy has been mentally preparing himself for over the last 4 days. It has become time to? Time to? Yes! You have guessed it! It has become time to D U M P. Ahh, the joys of driving your own house around! Where does all that poop end up going? Well? Of course, there is a tank! A septic tank so to speak. And since it is not unlimited in size, the time has now come to connect hoses and open valves and stand there and watch – and listen. Daddy? Did everything come out yet??? Yup, A-A is draussen!!! Puhhh weeeee, time to open the gray water tank and give everything a good and final flush.

Ok, now – how do I get these latex gloves off, and where to put them? Ahh, trash can. Good! Let’s go Daddy, let’s leave this here dumping station behind us and get rolling….

Off we are….windows rolled down….Daddy is driving in a T-Shirt, sunglasses, the warm wind blowing in his face. This is December the way we like it.

As we drive through little towns and harbors, over small bridges and past boats and fishermen the vacation feeling begins to settle in more clearly. Yup – I think we are all successfully broken in! Into our little adventure. Ready to press onward!

The drive is pretty uneventful. We decide to pick West Palm Beach as our next destination. We are still hungry for some more beaches, and figured West Palm Beach would be a good place to continue this quest. It turns out to be a little complicated to locate a campground near the beach, but we finally settle on this trailer resort in Jupiter, just north of West Palm Beach. It’s about as far as we are willing to venture to travel today. We make a reservation over the phone, and everything is set up for a late arrival, in case we don’t make it before nightfall. Nothing like being prepared, because none of us really want to end up driving around desperately looking for a place to settle down for the evening, and then ending up in a Wal-Mart parking lot.

L I T T L E - D I D - WE - K N O W !

Unfortunately we don’t make it before it gets dark, but we do good finding the entrance to the trailer park. Excuse me, pardon me, the trailer resort!

But as we drive in, stop at the front office (which was closed) pick up our registration envelope and start driving towards our spot, we, inadvertently keep rubbing our eyes. Daddy?!? Is this a parking lot? Daddy, why are all these trailers so neat. Ohhh! Look Out! Someone is walking their poodle!!! As we make it closer and closer to our spot, things are becoming quite clearer! This is a parking lot. Not so much a Wal-Mart parking lot, but if Parkplace were a parking lot, we are pretty sure this is what it would look like. Daddy is in the zone as he parks the trailer first this way, then this way, then the other, then turns it around, then moves it forward, then moves it backward. OK DAD! I think everyone knows now that we are here!!!!!!! Remind me to get him a T-Shirt that reads: Don’t mind me. I’m new to THIS!!!

But boy are we glad to finally be outside of this camper. And it continues to be warm! We do endless loops around the camper. Even though we keep lapping Len, he is having just as much fun as we are. Mommy offers to prepare dinner as we all put on our headlamps and go for a stroll through Monopoly land. This place is amazing, or hysterical, startling, wondrous, neat and perfectly clean. Weird? Yup. Weird also. Just like in a regular suburban neighborhood this guy here and there tries to outdo the other with his Christmas decoration. Some need a big fat car in front of their camper, only for someone else to put an even more expensive one in front of theirs. And although most of the sites have turned their trailers and campers into permanent homes that will never see the road again, there are many many unbelievably huge motorhomes to be found, too. Wait?!!! I think I hear an alarm system going off somewhere….

Can we go back to our camper now, Daddy? But Daddy wants to spice up our little nightwalk and asks us to turn off our headlamps. We stand there in the darkness and allow our eyes to adjust for a second. And then he leads us right through the backyard of this Ueber-Motorhome in order to shortcut back to our camper. Ok. I don’t think anyone saw us. Cool.

We get to eat outside at the picnic table next to the camper. Since it is still early we decide to go for an evening walk. Perhaps there is a store in the area we can walk to, or maybe even the beach??? But since things don’t always work out the way we want them to, and since little boys also need to be little boys sometimes, well, we kind of end up in a little disagreement. Yup, I know I’m six years old. But don’t you think this burden of having to write the entire vacation report is weighing a little heavy on me???? What do you mean you are not going to chase me around this parking lot???? What do you mean you want me to come over there???? But I want to be over here!!!! What do you mean I can’t be over here???? Can’t you see that I am over here???? I’m not going over there!!! What are Daddy and Lya doing??? Where are they going??? You are chasing me around the parking lot!!! See!!! I told you!!!! Ohh? Why is Daddy coming back?

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Well – this is where the Teams split up. Me and Daddy make it back to the camper. And Mommy, Lya and Len go looking for a store and the beach by themselves. I tell you. I’m probably pretty lucky that my folks have some sense about them, because my Daddy didn’t really say much, or do much for that matter when we got back to the camper. We just kind of got ready for bed. We talked about how nice it would have been if we all could be together right now, instead of all split up and one of us really not listening at all. And you know, it made sense. Nuff said. Let’s try again tomorrow. I love you, Daddy.

But before we could fall asleep the rest of the gang made it back, and boy did they have a funny story to tell. Apparently Daddy had given Mommy some cash before we split up, in case they wanted to buy something. So, Mommy didn’t pay much attention to how much Daddy had given here, not until they were standing at the Publix Cashier – trying to check out with their assortment of goods. Let me see, what did they have: A box of cookies, a candy bar, a loaf of bread, a roll of toilet paper, diapers and a bag of chips. You sure you don’t want a six-pack with that, ma’am??? Little Len on her arm, crazy hair Lya standing on her side – everyone not really washed up from the days activities. Ok, ma’am, that’ll be $ 15.43! Ooops, but I only have, lemme see, whats all this total. $ 6.12. Mmmm, fuck it. I’ll just take the cookies and the candy bar then. Boy, can’t wait to get a hold of that husband of mine. Handing me nothing but a stack of ones. Very funny.

Good night everyone. See you again on Day 5.