The Modern Vacation?
April 9, 2007
I mentioned that we went on vacation recently. The four of us took a road trip from Chicago to South Carolina and a handful of neighboring states. It was a twelve-hour drive there and back, and we spent an average of four hours almost every day driving to nearby cities. My poor husband — he figures he drove about three dozen hours during those six days.
But I think we’d admit we had fun (especially me since I didn’t drive). And the only way to explain it was that it was a technology vacation.
The kids sat in the back with a travel DVD player while Han and the Skywalker twins entertained them. My husband brought along a bunch of pastors’ conference MP3s to listen to, and I took the laptop.
Oh, the joys of a laptop.
So there we are, driving through the vast flatness of Indiana (sorry, but it’s true — not that Illinois is any better). Husband’s got his MP3s going, the kids are listening to Darth tell Luke he’s his father (sure hope I didn’t spoil that for anyone), and I’m typing on the laptop.
I love the twenty-first century.
We went throught the Smoky Mountains just before sunset. Not the best photo there, but you can see I was working hard (okay, not really) in between taking pictures with the digital camera. And when we got to South Carolina, I downloaded the pictures onto the laptop so I could fill up the camera’s card again.
Are we spoiled or what?
I’m not a big fan of historical fiction, but I did grow up on Laura Ingalls Wilder’s books, and I often find myself wondering what Caroline Ingalls would say if she were to ride in our car for a day. What would she think while we took oodles of pictures, sent people messages that arrived immediately, and traveled sixty miles or more in an hour?
It’s a pretty cool world we live in. And yet I wonder what my grandkids will have forty years from now. I can’t imagine what could be better than my laptop, but I’m sure some new technology we can’t live without will come along.
Think they’ll blog about how rough poor Grandma Sally had it way back in the ‘aught seven?
Comments
5 Responses to “The Modern Vacation?”
LOL. Sounds like one of my road trips. No little kids along, but the dh listens to music and Bible teaching CDs while I peck away on the laptop. Yep, technology am grand!
Here’s an answer to your questions on my blog:
Good questions, Sally. I found no information on who they think stole it. I don’t think that’s known. It was taken in 1973 in a smash and grab heist from the Clayton Art Gallery in suburban St. Louis. It must have passed through several hands in order to have been auctioned in 1989 to Spielberg through a legitimate dealership. This is fairly typical of the art theft world. Pieces disappear for decades and then are found in unlikely places. Spielberg may get to keep the painting since the Clayton Art Gallery is defunct, and he bought it legitimately.
Very cool, Jill. Thanks for sharing that.
I enjoy the long car rides, singing together as a family or playing I-Spy and 20-questions.
On our latest jaunt across the mid-west, the boys and I took turns with matching states and capitals and then it shifted to sports teams and their mascots.
Call me “out of date” but I love it!!
Honestly, the boys do have a DVD player, but we don’t use it too often.
Glad you had a good time! It’s always nice to get away and be refreshed.
Oh, you gotta love technology! Sounds like you had a fun trip, and your children are well behaved and self entertaining (great combo!) Can’t wait until mine are a bit older so I can do the same–right now I chase binkies, pass out juice, and play referee.
I guess my DH and I are the wimps of this group. Our plan usually includes driving at night so our 3 yr old DD will sleeeeeeep. Sometimes it even works.