Not a Disney World commercial airs that I don’t think of our Daytona Beach Trips. I remember the 1972 convoy to Florida. Wait, maybe it was 1976 (the year that I would not hang my feet over the raft while body surfing because I had just seen the movie JAWS.) Aunt Patsy drove Memaw’s car and Uncle Richard drove his truck with the cover with a mattress set up in the back. We kids were in the truck "bed" playing cards. I’m sure it was some form of the game "War" or memory concentration with a double deck because we had more than 12 hours to kill. Somehow it was more fun to play in the back of the truck. Gary, Ricky, Carl and I figured out pretty early that there was not a lot of room for wrestling. Gary was listening to Jesus Christ Superstar, Three Dog Night, and the Beatles. He had about three cassettes for the whole trip with really cool earphones, too. I know at one point we had some singing/screaming contest of "One is the Loneliest Number" and "Jeremiah was a Bullfrog".
Uncle Bill’s car was out in front with Pam, Bitsy, Ruth Ann, and maybe Chichi but she could have been driving another car with Aunt Lila. Those were the girls that I looked up to… They were in high school and I was either in grade school or junior high. They were beautiful glorious teenagers and I just wasn’t there. I wanted to be a tom boy forever. I hung with the boys and played with the babies. I remember the Riley’s and Creighton’s had many small children.
Uncle Bill would scout out Kings Inns and hamburger joints since that was the teenagers’ favorite food. We used the CB’s to coordinate stops. We had handles "names" but I don’t remember what they were. I do remember the truckers would comment when Aunt Patsy passed them in a blur.
So then we arrived at orange El Caribe Hotel and also took up some rooms in the blue green hotel one door up. The welcome donuts in the reception area lasted only about one minute with Ricky, Carl, and Gary checking in. The manicured grass was thick and piled high and the pools were clean. Each family unit moved into a kitchenette apartment and then the card playing began. When I need to think of a happy place I teleport back to the wooden chaise lounge, laying on my stomach, with straight coconut oil (no PABA or sun block then) with the Florida sun burning freckles into my back and Aunt Ann, Aunt Lila, Uncle Bill and Memaw playing cards and making smart remarks on a round table with an umbrella tilted just right.
We hit the beach and rented blue and yellow square floats for the week of body surfing. I actually got to go shopping with the big girls one day and bought a tie dye t-shirt with my name air painted on it. I think Pam had passed me some cut offs but they were too small for my tush. I loved it when Pam and Aunt Ruth would pass along clothes. The items were blessed with high style and good teenage vibes.
The Disney world trip day had to have started before dawn so that we could get every hour of park time. There were these coupon books that you had to rip off for each ride. Was "Space Mountain" an A coupon or E coupon? I’m not sure but those roller coaster type ride coupons were of extreme value. I really liked Small World and Pirates of the Caribbean which were only C or D coupons so I think Gary or Ricky and I traded some. I also got separated from the pack and spent a little time in the Kiddy Lost and Found. Now so bad since there were cartoons and air conditioning. Aunt Patsy did finally come to claim me, Thank God. The Dumbo ride was a favorite of mine, too.
There was a day when only the "MEN" went deep sea fishing and the "WOMEN" went souvenir shopping. I was as jealous as a preteen feminist. But, when I saw how green around the gills Gary and Ricky were upon return from the adventure, then I knew fate was on my side. They said that it was "a really long day on the ocean" and somehow I knew that was code for how possibly sick and tired they were. It took at least an hour to unload the boat and take that picture where all the guys stood in front of the catch hanging from nails. Then, there was a giant feast from the fish that were filleted on the dock. That was the best melt in your mouth seafood ever.
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