Becky Clark

My Summer Vacation Essay

How was your 4th of July?

I’m not much of a fan, to tell you the truth. As a kid, I was riddled with anxiety watching my dad light fireworks in the backyard. One time, as part of the arsenal, he bought some of those pinwheels that shoot out sparks as they twirl around. Yep. Nailed ‘em to the wooden fence. Yep. Caught on fire.

I did enjoy the professional shows, though. We’d pile into the station wagon and go to a big park with a picnic and only about half the time would have to run like maniacs back to the car while dodging lightning and hailstones. Fun, eh?

I spent yesterday filling 23 backpacks and 12 diaper bags with emergency supplies for foster kids, then shopping online for more stuff to fill more bags. (Honestly, I don’t know how Kohl’s stays in business. They practically pay me to take kids’ clothes off their hands!)

Then at 4:30 I sat down with a glass of wine to catch my breath and write this, before heading over to a neighbor’s house who has an expansive view of the entire front range allowing us to see fireworks from Colorado Springs to Fort Collins. Around here, lots of cities are producing drone shows to reduce fire risk, which I heartily endorse, even though we can’t see them as well from far away.

I just got back from a family reunion in Lake Tahoe. There were 73 of us in attendance, with only 16 not being able to make it. I can’t even begin to describe how much fun it is to have a family that enormous. (Once in high school a friend asked if I wanted to go camping with her entire family. I thought, “Oooh, that sounds like fun!” We all fit in one car. I had more siblings than she had extended family!)

We ate, drank, laughed—A LOT—made smores, saw a bear and some moose wandering around, swam, hiked, took winery and brewery and boating excursions, had a huge picnic, and played a game to see who was the Clarkiest Clark. Sadly, I lost, but only because my sister has naturally curly hair which gave her an extra point. I also got to hang out with my newest grandson, which was a hoot. He is the happiest baby on the planet! Such a doll.

I also learned to paddleboard, which I’ve wanted to try for a long time. I wasn’t sure my wonky balance would let me, but I took a lesson from my nephew and eventually got to my feet. I wobbled a couple times, but never fell off the board. I was proud my hair stayed dry the entire time. Now I can cross that off my bucket list! I swear, everyone who wasn’t in the water was up on the deck having a viewing party and heckling me!

My husband, son, and I road-tripped and saw some spectacular country across Colorado, Utah, and Nevada. A good road trip is one where we can stay off the interstate and reminds me how vast and sparsely populated much of the United States is.

I was very glad to finally get home to good coffee and my own bed, though! Having that much fun is absolutely exhausting. Now I have to rest up for a trip next month to Taos and Santa Fe, where we’re going to the opera … another item on my bucket list!

How are you spending the summer? Going anywhere fun? Seeing relatives? Did you see good July 4th fireworks?

28 thoughts on “My Summer Vacation Essay”

  1. I have, for the last several years, created a tradition that I intend to keep as long as I can. The Old Sturbridge Village, a living history museum that I volunteer at, hosts a Naturalization Ceremony for brand new citizens each 4th of July for the Court in Central Massachusetts. As one of the OSV Singers we sang the National Anthem and Closed the ceremony with America. It is so moving to see the faces of those taking the oath of citizenship. I get chills every time I witness it. Yesterday there were 154 people from 44 countries taking the oath. It was amazing. The hope and joy in their eyes filled my heart. It really brings the meaning of Independence Day to the surface. We take so much for granted. After the ceremony the Singers put on a short concert. We had family in attendance, so we had lots of laughs and pictures taken. Thankfully the temperature was in the low 80’s so it was not too terribly warm in the historical clothing, and rain held off until we got home. It was a beautiful day.

    Carol

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    1. Carol! That’s the coolest thing EVER! I’ve been to Sturbridge and it seems like a lovely setting for the ceremony. I see them on the news every so often and it always chokes me up. It would probably slay me to watch in person!

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  2. Beautiful pictures, Becky. We loafed around the Cottage all day and di absolutely nothing. Sat with our feet in one of those pink plastic kiddie pools and sipped sangria. We heard plenty of fireworks last night, but didn’t see anything.

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  3. Becky, thanks for taking us all on such a fun vacation! And those photos…spectacular. We have a family reunion coming up here in NH next month, which I’m really looking forward to. Not sure we have many activities lined up…we tend to talk a lot, so not sure we’d be organized enough to pull them off. They’re having drone fireworks in some towns here this week, but we saw real ones after a minor league ball game. A great show!

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    1. Our reunion organizer—my niece—worked for something like 2 years on this bash, so she sent out questionnaires about stuff we wanted to do. THEN she sent out an email that said, “wow, you guys want to do a lot of things, but nobody wants to organize them!” Ha! She should have seen that coming. We’re talkers too—surprise!—so the smaller events were a great way to have quality time with fewer people. Part of the reason we don’t get together very often is because there are so darn many of us it’s hard to find venues that hold us all!

      Now that I’ve got my reunion appetite whetted, I may come and crash yours!

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  4. What a fantastic trip! My family used to be like that, but we have factions now, unfortunately. Not even political! And the opera in Santa Fe!!! That will be glorious!! I hope the weather is great for you.

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    1. Santa Fe is an easy drive for us and we’ve spent some time there, once over Christmas which was stunning with all the luminarias. But I’ve never been to an opera in a renowned venue like that. We tried to go to the Venice Opera but didn’t have access to our life’s savings at the ticket window! In Santa Fe we’re seeing Don Giovanni with a pre-show dinner where they explain the plot to us so we’ll be up to snuff at curtain!

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  5. We, too, had a panoramic view of the fireworks displays–around the Monterey Bay from our friends’ home atop a hill where we take our pooch Ziggy each year to avoid the war zone of firecrackers around our house. Loud, constant booming from afar, but Ziggy (who’s going deaf) didn’t seem to mind.

    Your reunion and road trip sounds fabulous, Becky! (And I’m in awe of your ability to arrange all those photos like that in your post.)

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    1. Aw, poor Ziggy! There’s nothing more heart-wrenching than a dog trembling from fireworks or thunderstorm fear. Glad you can mitigate the turmoil!

      The photos thing is easy. Just choose “gallery” instead of “image.” then you just click the pics you want to include and—POOF—magic!

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    1. There’s something so pretty about fireworks over water. I’ve been lakeside in the mountains to see them and I bet they were spectacular in NYC! Something about the reflection, eh?

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  7. When I lived in NYC I loved the Macy’s Fireworks. I spent the fourth sending out aspirational messages and memes about independence and self-determination.

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      1. Yep. Macy’s has July 4th and Thanksgiving locked down. : D

        Making those memes and messages was fun and from the responses I’ve gotten appreciated.

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  9. Becky, those photos! That trip! I am very, very jealous. I didn’t see fireworks – it’s harder in L.A. than it was in NY – but I went to very nice parties. And I’m not doing anything this summer until I go to B’con in August. Instead my fall is packed with book-related travel.

    Also, I forgot to donate to your backpack cause! I’ll email you

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    1. Aw, you’re sweet, Ellen!

      I couldn’t believe how many fireworks we saw last night! (And all the illegal ones we heard in the ‘hood.) Funny thing is, my neighbor is only across the street and about 8-ish houses down. but if we were at our house we wouldn’t have seen a thing!

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  10. Good for you, Becky! Looks like lots and lots of fabulous memory making. No summer trips planned here, though Nancy and I are taking full advantage of summer concert season. Cheers!

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    1. I’m jealous, JC. I miss concerts in the park! We used to have a lovely summer series just down the street from us under some enormous cottonwoods on Sunday afternoons—and they gave us ice cream!—but they’ve moved them to the outdoor plaza at our library. We could still walk there, but they’re on Thursday nights now … and no shade! Hard pass.

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  11. Holy moly, Becky! GORGEOUS photos and sounds like an incredible summer so far!! ❤

    I took a nice trip with my kiddos and spent the Fourth with my bestie and her fam, along with Ian who enjoyed sporting a hilarious t-shirt with a jokey British point of view of Independence Day. (guffaw!)

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  13. I loved the reunion photo. You all looked great. Wish this would let me post photos of our reunion. Two years ago, on July 4th weekend we had a Runyon family reunion in Austin, Texas. Why Austin? My Grandfather Robert Runyon’s archives are at the Brisco Center there. He was a famous south Texas photographer and world-famous Botanist. He grew up in Kentucky and after the death of his wife migrated to Brownsville, Texas where he opened a photography studio after being the only “gringo” allowed to travel through Mexico photographing the Mexican Revolution by the Federales. He was City Manager and Mayor of Brownsville in the 1940s. Look him up in the Library of Congress and the book War Scare on the Rio Grande. Anyway, we had not gotten together since 1963 when we attended their 50th wedding anniversary (married July 3 in a civil ceremony and July 4, in a church service. So that is the where and why the date. 83 of us attended from the ages of 3 months old to 83 years old and a dog. We had everything planned and organized from hotel, restaurants, food truck service, buses to take us around, a tour of the Briscoe Center, presentations by family members of our genealogy and remembrances, to entertainment. We even published a memory book and had swag bags of the family and other giveaways. It was a great three days. So that is my reunion and my only July 4th bid event.

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