I remember once they got me a rubber Buccaneers junior football.....hmmm....when the Bucs were wearing the Creamsicle Uniforms! And by the time I had a regular Nintendo, I think the N64 came out...I was the last person on earth to beat Super Mario 3...honest.
Regardless, I am thankful that my parents got me more important gifts. For Thanksgiving we went to Mexico...we visited Chichen Itza...I later learned that a great grandfather on my bio-father's side help establish those pyramids as a "educational-tourist" attraction. We visited Puerto Rico a few times...I got to follow a stream up the mountains...I felt we were explorers...little did I know "Christopher Columbus" was waiting for that water to come down so he could wash his new Toyota Celica...literally!
Let's see...and then for Christmas and New Year's, we went to my Step-Father's country...Ecuador...that was incredible! We drove through the Andes...better yet, we climbed the Andes...I played basketball 9,000 feet above sea level...and won...and then got really sick! We climbed to the base of Cotopaxi...which is 16,000 feet above sea level...the volcano reaches nearly 20,000 feet!
We also visited Costa Rica...where I got to witness an active volcano - Arenal...and then I swam on the most beautiful beach I have ever seen...super crystal clear water...palms trees everywhere...including iguanas! I also saw monkeys in the wild...and a sloth!
And one of my favorites was our annual summer trip to the Smokey's! Yes...at first I didn't want to go...I was real young...and thought wildlife...out in the country stuff wasn't cool...I wanted to go to Chicago...but when we got to the Smokey's, it was awesome! I love the place...those mountains...the serenity...it's peaceful up there...especially if you can get away from the crowds.
Unfortunately, as an adult, I haven't been given the luxury to travel as much as I did as a youth...9 years working as a Social Worker is not a good plan to get you and your family abroad...sorry life savers. Fortunately, the past 2 years, God has been nice and we've been able to do a little traveling....nothing out of the country...no volcanoes...no iguanas...but Oregon, Colorado, Chicago, North Carolina, and Puerto Rico are suffice. These trips reminded me of the excitement of travel. The unexpected. The surprises. The new landscape...the new scenery. I got to see my daughter's excitement when we saw snow in Oregon...yes, she did a snow angel. I witnessed my wife's amazement as we walked through the Redwoods in Northern California. And I got to touch the sky once again as we drove through the Rocky Mountains National Park. Even Chicago was a treat...3 visits in 4 months! I got to reconnect with my father's side of the family...and spend some good times with my old roommate from college! These trips were a blessing...a breath of fresh air...and I pray that God has more plans for us to travel!
Sorry for this long post, but I want to say that I am thankful that my parents decided to spend their hard earned $$$ on airplane tickets and hotels, rather than on video games, transformers, or leather footballs...they taught me more important things via our travels...they taught me real things!
Here's a few pics from our travels the past 2 years...visit here to view more...and even purchase if you so desire.
2 comments:
wow ez...love it, I miss traveling to. I got to do a lot myself till I had my third child and stopped my day job. My passion is for landscape photography and you have just inspired me. I love your scapes and point of view.
Thank you Jeannie...landscapes are great...very refreshing!
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