My parents worked six days a week until I was about 12 so we did not take more than a day or two away when we would visit relatives.
One year, we went to Paris (Parish, Alabama) to visit my Aunt Ruth. She had several boys. Aunt Ruth was really my first cousin, but Pa & Ma Sanderson raised her after her mother died. She was close in age to Mother (Myrtle) & she was ‘my aunt’.
I’m not certain if it was the same year, but we also went to Kansas (it was Kansas, Alabama), not the state of. Other than that, we went to Ma & Pa Davis’ house. We did not go as a family, I spent time with them alone. It was wonderful. I went to Zion Church back then in a horse drawn wagon. Recently I visited Zion with my aunt & her family. I saw one of the friends that I made when I was probably 9 or 10 years old. Irene & I go so far back, I’m not certain. Her sister-in-law is also a friend, but she moved from Hatley, Mississippi when she married Irene’s brother. I did not know her when we lived at Amory or Hatley. I saw her again at the church when I went recently. Sue is a wonderful friend from a long time ago. The other’s with whom I played at Zion are gone.
Other ‘vacations’ were spent with my first cousin, Jean Sanderson. She has been mentioned in previous stories of our life at Hamilton before we became nomads. Uncle Vick & Aunt Exar lived in several houses around Hamilton. The two I remember were a ‘shotgun’ house (three rooms & a lean to room) one room wide with the three rooms lined up. We had so much fun. Jean & I would go to bed with gum in our mouths & when we were ready to go to sleep (quit talking), we stuck the gum behind the headboard of the bed. I’ve often wondered if Aunt Exar was able to get all of that hardened gum off the headboard. We played with Jimmy Wayne Sanderson, another first cousin. Incidentally, Jim passed away Friday and was buried (11-23-22). That leaves me the last surviving cousin of the four musketeers. Of course, when Robert Hugh Mays was in Hamilton from Birmingham, we became five. He, too, is gone. Anyway, I always had a wonderful visit with Jean & Jim as often as I could get back to Hamilton. Of course, Jean spent the night with me before we moved.
There was one ‘vacation’ I took with Aunt Exar, Uncle Victor, Jean & her husband, Tommy. The day following my 16th birthday, Jean & Tommy came to Gordo & picked me up to go to Zion, Illinois with them for a month’s visit. I would spend every other night with them (newly weds) & the other with Aunt Exar & Uncle Vick. They all worked either in Zion or across the state line in Wisconsin. Both couples had one room. Jean & Tommie did have a place for me to put my pallet when I was with them. I’d roll up my ‘bed’ & take it to the other place the next night. Having been raised with folks sleeping on pallets, that was fine with me. With all the kids I knew from Hamilton living in Zion, I really enjoyed that month. I dated Gary Lindsey a good bit. For someone who had never had a vacation, it was great! I kept house for both couples & cooked supper at whichever place I was spending the night. Jean’s stove was small, gas, & set too close to the wall. One day, I had a pan of corn boiling & the flames got to the wall & set it on fire. I tried to distinguish the flames without success.The owner of the building had a business downstairs & I ran down & got him to put out the fire. During the day, I had Jean’s car & would do whatever I wanted. There was a fabulous bakery close-by & I got a big sweet roll every morning for breakfast & a large (BIG) coca cola for all day. We went swimming in Lake Michigan & it was not even luke warm. IT WAS COLD!!! So, you now know that for the first 18 years of my life, I took one real vacation.
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