Written by, Audrey Lynn  I remember our family vacations as a child. Some of the best times of my life. Our family of six, four girls (all one year apart), Mom, Dad, and Peppy (our Cocker Spaniel), would head out for parts unknown in the typical "Country Squire" station wagon. Our car had those side panels and a luggage rack overflowing with everything imaginable needed for a handful of little girls for two weeks. Our station wagon would have all the seats in the "down" position so that it was like one huge bed for all us girls and Peppy to eat, sleep, play and of course, argue. What about seatbelts you ask? Wasn't a law then, and besides, we were packed in there so tight, you had to peel us out one by one when we stopped anyway. Sleeping bags would be lain from end to end with pillows for each one, a bag of munchies, the ice chest, water dish for Peppy, leash, and of course, the "Family Pot". Traveling with four little girls would take twice as long if we had to stop every time one of us had to ummm....you know...so, Mom bought this little white porcelain pot with lid and handle for us to use on our family vacations. Which I might add, worked quite nicely until one dreaded morning. We had been traveling all night, (a hotel for four little girls and a dog?) no way, not for OUR dad. So, after one particularly looooong night, and hours of looking for the nearest Denny's, Dad pulled over and woke his sleeping little darlings up to go in and have breakfast. As Mom and Dad opened their doors to come around and start to pull us out one by one, and help us put on our shoes and comb our hair, Peppy decided he'd been cooped up too long and was more than ready to go find a tree. With his leash just being attached, he made a mad dash over the head of one of my sisters and out the door did go. Unfortunately, the leash grabbed the handle on the lid to the "Family Pot" and it followed him right out the door. Now, need I remind you it was a looooong night and this wonderful little pot was quite full. The lid being attached to the leash was now being gleefully dragged to the nearest tree half a parking lot away by Peppy, while the second half of the pot had just emptied all over my oldest sister, and proceeded to fall out of the car. Oh, I forgot to mention, Dad always parked as far away from the restaurant as he could, so as not to have Peppy bother the customers with his barking while we dined. Only one problem with this particular parking lot, It was shaped like a big bowl, and we were on the outer rim of the bowl. The pot rolled and clanged, and emptied for an eternity on it's descent to the restaurant as my mother stood there in horror at the sight and sounds it was making and the stares of the customers going in and out. My sisters and I stood in suspense as we expected to see our mom pile us all back into the wagon and be on our way, but not MY mom. She recovered quickly, washed up my sister with the handy wet rag in the baggie (my Mom was a girl scout), changed my sisters blouse, brushed our hair, put on our shoes as dad collected, pot, lid and dog and returned them to the car. She put on her brightest smile, raised her head high, had us all grab hands, and with dignity, we marched into Denny's as if nothing had ever happened out of the ordinary. I don't know what happened to that pot, but it never saw another family Vacation. |