1-26-11 The Green Van

The green van: I can't remember when it was replaced by the blue van, sometime in the early 80s. But the green van came first and it took us everywhere on summer vacations.

It had grayish-white paneling throughout the interior and mom made white curtains for all the windows. It hauled all the camping supplies, the big blue canvas tent that weighed a ton, the coleman stoves, coolers, boxes of food, the porta-potty, and a day bed.

Between the van and the big blue tent, this was summer vacation to me.

The big blue tent was where Mom, Dad, and I would sleep. But the green van was where Mammammy and Grandaddy bunked when they went with us.

It blended in well with the forest we drove it through each summer.

And provided shelter and a place to eat when the weather was terrible. And check out that indoor/outdoor carpet!

It took us down to Port Aransas with all the fishing gear.

And we tracked in countless pounds of sand from the beach along the way.

But the best part was always the day bed that got packed on top of the camping supplies on the days long drives to New Mexico. It was my sanctuary, long before the days of required seatbelts and booster seats. I would hole up in here with comic books and puzzle books and real books and my stuffed animals and blanket and pillow and watch the highway speed by out the curtained windows.

All it takes is looking at these pictures to get me lusting after a road trip. Maybe it's the mid-winter blues, but I'm looking forward to the drive to Brekenridge Saturday as much as I am the skiing.