Musings on Summers Past: Days From Another Era

“School is over for the year.” Such joyous words to hear when I was young. I knew the coming weeks of summer would be filled with a break from routine, with weekend picnics along the side of a country road, the thrill of watching the hometown 4th of July parade, and freedom to spend time day dreaming.

As a elementary-aged child, I would spend many days walking independently to a park, lunchpail and thermos in hand, and spending much of the day joining friends as we played on the slides, monkey bars, teeter-totters, hopped on swings and went high into the sky, tried out our skills in various arts and crafts that were set up, ate lunch at picnic tables located in the cool shade of large, leafy trees, took part in board games, various contests, ballgames, or just found a spot under a weeping willow tree and read a book. Many an hour was spent laying on the ground gazing at the sky and finding pictures in the cloud formations. Such a wonderful carefree time to use one’s imagination!

Even for adults, everyday life in summer slowed down and were much quieter than today. Lawns were mowed with manual mowers, shrubs trimmed with handheld shears, leaves and other debris cleared with rakes. Evenings were spent out on the front porch, sitting in rocking chairs or on the glider, and neighbors ,taking a walk, would pause for a chat and sometimes enjoy a glass of freshly made lemonade. Nothing was better than a Sunday stroll to the local confectionary store for a hand dipped ice cream cone. We kids would collect “lightning bugs” in a mason jar with a perforated lid, play hide and seek in the yards with flashlights as we got older, and go to bed, with windows open, listening to the trains in the distance, wondering who were the passengers and where were they going. The 20th Century Limited was a famous express train that left New York City in the early evening and arrived in Chicago in the morning. It was the flagship of the New York Central Railroad, noted for it’s first-class service and sleeping compartments. It passed thru’ my hometown in the later evening and I would wonder what it must have been like to travel in such luxury. It was the grandest of all trains, geared for the affluent— one walked up to the train on a dark crimson runner, leading to the slogan of “the red carpet treatment”— still seen today at many galas and fashion shows. Male passengers were provided a carnation boutonniere, while the women were given perfume and flowers. Famous people of the day were regular users and I would see photos of the popular movie stars as they boarded, followed by porters carrying multiple pieces of luggage which they placed into the baggage car. I never did get to experience that kind of train travel first hand, as air travel quickly took over by the time my adult traveling days came along. (I do have a written account of a train trip my husband and I took with our four children from NoVa. to Disney World in the 70’s —an adventure—yes—a luxurious experience—definitely not—but that’s a story for another time.)

The second week in August was my Dad’s preferred summer vacation week and so, during the WW2 years, when so many things including food and gasoline were rationed, we packed every square inch of his 1937 Plymouth sedan (which had running boards and a huge interior) for our camping week at a state owned camping ground, located on a pristine lake in the New York Adirondack mountains. Once we had found the perfect site, up went the elaborate system of tents, canvass overhead coverings, cots, sleeping bags, and lantern. Under it all, flashlights, supplies, a portable three burner stove, orange crates lined with oil paper, dishes, pots and pans, stove- top coffeemaker, etc all were put in place. When I think back, it was like a mini fully- furnished apartment! Even a mirror was hung! Blocks of ice were purchased at a nearby icehouse, and placed into lined, predug holes in the ground with a metal top, to preserve perishables. While my parents were setting up everything, my sister and I gathered and stacked kindling wood for the outdoor grill. (Dad took care of getting the logs.) Water jugs were filled, and a nailed-on shelf on a tree held a basin and dipper. I had the freedom to walk about the campground, meet new playmates, and go down to the beach. My favorite memory was when the Perseid Meteor showers would occur. Dad would awaken us and we would go down to the lake, lay on our blanket and enjoy them with unlimited views of the night sky. Days were filled with swimming, taking hikes through the heavily forested area, picking berries, reading, exchanging comic books with other kids, playing cards and eating, eating, eating. Don’t know how my mother ever survived as she was so not a camper—she rarely wore a bathing suit but would put on a sundress and sit on the beach holding her “sunbrella” as she called it—nor was she a cook. (My Nana did all the cooking in our home but did not come with us on vacation.) I suspect we ate a lot of hot dogs, hamburgers, sausages, and anything else grillable from our food rations that Dad could do and relied on canned Spam, Dinty Moore canned stew, a variety of sandwiches and eggs the rest of the time. Yet everything always tasted so much better in that outdoor environment—I even enjoyed breakfast in those days, especially the rather charred toast! We would occasionally drive down to a nearby village store for treats and take in a Movie if it rained. Most years, we lucked out weather-wise. The one very negative aspect of those times, was the lack of indoor bathrooms and flushing toilets—they were non existent on the campgrounds. One had to trudge to a more remote part of the camp grounds where a series of large glorified outhouses were located, proving to me at an early age, that I would never have survived as a Pioneer!

Post war, everything changed. Camping days were replaced by “motor trips” to places in New England, Canada and the western part of NY State. Tiny overnight cabins disappeared as motels sprang up and chain food restaurants became plentiful and convenient— tho’ not necessarily tasty. Visits to historical places, museums, natural wonders of nature, and amusement parks replaced those lazy days of idleness and simplicity. Our country became more accessible due to the interstate high-way system and more places could be reached easily as air travel became more affordable. Life became more hurried and time conscious, society became a little more dangerous, and many new opportunities arose, so that one had to become more structured and organized. I have many happy memories of those later summer vacation years, filled with new sights and experiences— not to mention creature comforts, all of which were much more suited to my liking as I got older!

But still, those early years of having simple, lazy, hazy days of summer were priceless. Happy summer, however you choose to spend it, to all!