The Ice Cream Truck
Some of the most memorable summer vacations I had, where the ones I spent at home.
There is something about the little things that made vacations memorable. My grandparents would always come down from New York City in the summer. Usually my days where spent playing chess with my grandpa, reading books in the shade, playing with legos and on our broken down communal laptop. I rarely would have friends over, but the constant noise of the cicadas, lawn mowers and the ice cream truck would mean I rarely felt alone.
The ice cream truck always held a special place in my heart. Whenever me and my parents would go down to the ocean front, it was always a great time. I remember one of our favorite ocean spots had a museum inside a lighthouse. It featured these interactive displays where they played the sounds of sailors saying "heave" and "ho" as they set up a pulley to save oncoming ships stuck in a storm. The displays themselves where painted on sand and felt with little figurines. I always found myself getting lost in my own head thinking up all sorts of stories about sunken ships and pirates. We would always mark the end of our beach visit with some ice cream from the ice cream truck as we went home, the sun starting to set. It was never that good, but it didn't have to be.
On other days we would jam ourselves, grandparents and all, into our car and drive down to a lake 30-40 minutes away. But before it we would always visit a rare but favorite treat: Spicy Chicken. It was a local fried chicken joint, which has always held a special place in my heart. Sometimes we would take it to go and eat it in front of a lake, other times we would sit by a river that ran through long island and watch the ducks swim by. The lake itself was always a good way to spent an afternoon, the water was always warm like a bathtub, unlike the Islands sounds often ice cold frigidity.
But the most often way we spent our day was down at a beach not 15 minutes away. It was always great to come in super early in the morning and to see a vast expanse of sky, where there was once sand. The sole permanents where these gray stone circles whose purpose I still don't know. Often we would go picking berries from the local farms, eating ourselves full for free and than buy more boxes for later. And sometimes we would go visit a special farm called Briermere farms from which we would buy up all of the misshapen pies because they where discounted heavily. Than later in the evening we would sit drinking tea, listening to cicadas, and watching a Russian game show called что где когда with friends. The show itself is about teams who are put on the spot with a question or a riddle and they have to try and solve it.
I think what makes a good summer vacation is not some big trip, but the little moments you experience from day to day.
There is something about the little things that made vacations memorable. My grandparents would always come down from New York City in the summer. Usually my days where spent playing chess with my grandpa, reading books in the shade, playing with legos and on our broken down communal laptop. I rarely would have friends over, but the constant noise of the cicadas, lawn mowers and the ice cream truck would mean I rarely felt alone.
The ice cream truck always held a special place in my heart. Whenever me and my parents would go down to the ocean front, it was always a great time. I remember one of our favorite ocean spots had a museum inside a lighthouse. It featured these interactive displays where they played the sounds of sailors saying "heave" and "ho" as they set up a pulley to save oncoming ships stuck in a storm. The displays themselves where painted on sand and felt with little figurines. I always found myself getting lost in my own head thinking up all sorts of stories about sunken ships and pirates. We would always mark the end of our beach visit with some ice cream from the ice cream truck as we went home, the sun starting to set. It was never that good, but it didn't have to be.
On other days we would jam ourselves, grandparents and all, into our car and drive down to a lake 30-40 minutes away. But before it we would always visit a rare but favorite treat: Spicy Chicken. It was a local fried chicken joint, which has always held a special place in my heart. Sometimes we would take it to go and eat it in front of a lake, other times we would sit by a river that ran through long island and watch the ducks swim by. The lake itself was always a good way to spent an afternoon, the water was always warm like a bathtub, unlike the Islands sounds often ice cold frigidity.
But the most often way we spent our day was down at a beach not 15 minutes away. It was always great to come in super early in the morning and to see a vast expanse of sky, where there was once sand. The sole permanents where these gray stone circles whose purpose I still don't know. Often we would go picking berries from the local farms, eating ourselves full for free and than buy more boxes for later. And sometimes we would go visit a special farm called Briermere farms from which we would buy up all of the misshapen pies because they where discounted heavily. Than later in the evening we would sit drinking tea, listening to cicadas, and watching a Russian game show called что где когда with friends. The show itself is about teams who are put on the spot with a question or a riddle and they have to try and solve it.
I think what makes a good summer vacation is not some big trip, but the little moments you experience from day to day.
This sounds like an ideal summer! I love the way you focus on small, memorable moments to show how you still remember them now. The ice cream truck embodies this view -- it might not have been the most excellent ice cream, but going there represents a place that is significant to you. The memory seems more about your family and the whole summer feeling, and the ice cream truck represents a tangible reminder.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with you with what makes summer special. It's the little things that help build your view on what makes it memorable. I don't have anywhere near the same experience as you do, but you paint this really pleasant and idyllic portrait of what summer is like, with the food and the beaches all blending together into a fun summer. It reminds me a lot of what an actual dream vacation would be for some people. You use these symbols summer fun like the ice cream truck and berry picking to create that vivid picture.
ReplyDeleteThe summer you're describing sounds wonderful, like out of a TV show. Summer definitely isn't my favorite season, but the freedom it provides, and you describe, are amazing. I always wanted to order ice cream from a truck, nice post
ReplyDeleteI think I starting to understand your obsession with homemade fried-chicken from your story. I agree with the fact that you don't have to travel anywhere to have a great memory of a summer vacation. I honestly found more enjoyment through trying to cook something new or invest in a new project during the summer than running through the blunders that you would get if you were trying to travel.
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