Recently I have asked myself – what do I really want from ”Throwback Thursday’? Back on Valentine’s Day I had my #TBT post all ready – I had the idea, the story, and even the full text written. The only thing missing was the picture – and I discovered I didn’t have a picture that represented what I wanted, which was the trip Lisa and I took to the Captain Daniel Stone Inn in Brunswick Maine for our 6 month anniversary.
So as I was contemplating whether or not I would do one this week, I drove home from work on Tuesday just as a super-long train was passing the back of our facility. The rail weaves around Rte 64 that I take home as well as the maine highway Rte 86. So as I was driving I saw portions of the train on the other side of the brook alongside the road, then it passed under me as I went over a bridge and we split off in different directions.
As I headed home from there I knew what pictures I wanted – the four of us on the Cape Cod Railroad on vacation when the kids were young.
All I had to do now was find it.
Fortunately I hit the right shoe box and had the envelope in hand in no time; I scanned these pictures and was done.
When the kids were little we would take vacations in June (well, we did Disney in May) in order to get ‘warm enough’ temperatures, fewer crowds, and better prices. We loved going to Cape Cod – beaches, ocean, and plenty to do for all of us. It always acted as the perfect intersection between busy and relaxing – definitely never ‘Disney busy’.
In 2002 we had a ‘mixed bag’ year, it was a bit cooler and damper on a few days than in other years. We used that as an opportunity to hit places on ‘scenic Route 6’ such as the fireman museum, the old general store, Cuffy’s and the Cape Cod Railroad … fortunately we also had some warm and sunny days for Nauset beach, Chatham, and more.
The Cape Cod Railroad was perfect for one cool and damp morning. If you look at us, everyone but me has layers on to keep warm. The route is from Hyannis to the Cape Cod Canal and back, and it is very scenic and relaxing. There was some snoozing, and plenty of books were read.
There is so much about the boys that comes through in these pictures – Danny loved Spiderman (I think he was Spidey for 5 Halloweens!), Chris loved cool glasses, both loved reading, and so on. It is also interesting framing Chris next to Lisa and I separately – because each boy constantly hears ‘you look just like mom/dad/ depending on which they are with … and here you can see those elements, though I think Chris looks more like Lisa, and Danny more like me.
It is interesting to me seeing myself in just a t-shirt and shorts. Until my thyroid died I was always very warm, and so it is not surprising that I wasn’t layered. If we took the same picture now, I would definitely have a sweatshirt on, but still shorts … and the boys would likely be less covered. Funny how these things change.
I love looking back at things like this – especially as my kids are racing through high school and seemingly getting older and more mature by the day. I don’t wish for those years to come back, but I do enjoy revisiting them through these pictures.
What are some of your best ‘non-event’ vacation memories?
Running Around the Bend 
Love these pictures and the story! I think it’s so important to do things like this with your kids when they are young (and continue to do them, of course) but also to remember them like this. It is shared memories that make a family stronger, and I love how you do this for yours!
Thanks so much – I think it is like gifts, sometimes the ‘big’ things are just stuff and it is the quirky little items that stay with you forever. There are so many small moments through the years, ‘side trips’ that remain important and special.
This is such a wonderful time with your family! I love the idea and hopefully one day when we have children we can do something like this. I remember one time my parents took us on a vacation to the grand canyon but instead of that we went all over the place seeing different places along the way. It was really special and I will always remember it. You and Lisa are awesome parents!
Thanks Sara for all of the kind words š It is really great to remember all of the ‘side trips’ that make up our lives, the whole thing about the journey being the important thing … and I know from what you have written that the challenges of time, snow and money have forced you guys to adapt to whatever you could manage.
I always love your TBTs! They have actually inspired me to go back through a lot of my old photos. I’ve moved so much that some of them were buried away in the bottoms of very old boxes and they are so much fun to look at again.
This reminds me of how my mom used to take me on the Amtrak up to New York or down to DC for the day. I hope to do things like that with B when she gets older. She already loves trains.
I think you and B have a load of great times ahead if the birthday pics from yesterday are an indication! I also love going through our old pictures, and it also motivates me to take more pictures now!
For me it’s bittersweet to look at old pictures, to know those days won’t ever come back. It’s not that I’d want them to, but still.
That is a very good point – I know my younger son just turning 16 had some very similar thoughts, and looking at pictures of myself in high school and college I wonder how life would be different had I started running for real much earlier in life, and so on.