A time gone by

So, a hardy thank you for the freedom we enjoyed as kids. As I watch my kids play outside, one realization comes home fast. I must watch them. Our society has changed greatly from the freedom we enjoyed as kids. I am sure this was also true of the generation before us. Dad, did you guys start working at 8 and smoking by 10?

We would wake up, and head outside. Playing hard until we couldn't play anymore (or more accurately, until the yellow light came on). Think of the imagination this freedom created. I struggle as a parent to make sure my kids are able to explore, and learn without having a pre-scripted life. It's hard though. I work in an emergency room and have developed a cynical edge. Every person I cross on the street is an oxycotin abuser or pedophile.

Thank you mom and dad for that freedom. I am sure there was 'give and take' and outside of a random toad-fueled run to the carnival, we didn't abuse it. We had our own world in the "forest". We created elaborate forts and trails. We were explorers. Baseball started every afternoon, immediately after lunch. Currently, I need to stand in line for an hour to sign up for the hope of my kids playing baseball. We played (and ultimately loved) baseball with absolute freedom. Rivalaries were born among the streets. Take that Meadowside!

Is this age dead? I'd say no, but its vastly different. Multimedia has scared the average parent. I'm sure random things happened to some kid in Topeka in 1983 but we didn't hear about it. Now if a kid escapes to the local carnival at age 7 with his trusty toad, he is no longer the character in a Pixar film, his parents are arrested. I'm only 4yrs deep in it, but I've found there is no need in dwelling on this fact. Just adjust and move on. I will fight to find exploration for my kids. I don't want them to be drones.

I am constantly looking for outlets for the kids, and would welcome suggestions. This post corresponds with the doldrums of winter. I need ideas. Send them out if you have them.

P.S. Mom and Dad, the yellow light is on, on our deck. You know what that means, come on home.

Rocking in the Fiat

I am attempting to cement my early childhood. The cavalcade of cars we had was varied and probably a good indication of the times. Please fill in the years and other details I leave out. There is no order.

1. Red Fiat - Dad would stop at a stop sign and make the whole car shake up and down. It was the greatest thing in the world. 1980?
2. Powder Blue Mini-van -Ahhh, who could forget this one. You couldn't go into a drive-thru for fear of offing pimply Mcworker. The tires got so bald that Dan and I hydroplaned into a great southern yarn. I believe it was sold last month. 1997-2009
3. Grey Cavalier - This is the one I remember driving the most. It had the standard mom upgrades (AM radio, no power windows). Sadly, us kids beat the hell out of it. 1990?
4. Some sort of Volkwagon? I believe it was a yellow beetle. 1978?
5. Grandpa's old brown Oldsmabuick. I believe it was 140ft long and 25ft wide, and went down off the coast of England in 1647.

The rest is where you take over. I remember little of other cars, as the majority of my time was spent memorizing oldies in either the PBMV or the Cavalier. A severe damper on my high school dating life. So was my hair.

Updated calendar

Here is an updated calendar. Feel free to throw in more 4's if you need to. I am open to many more weekends than the three I listed but stuck with our format.

Virginia Beach

Dad and I went to Virginia Beach last weekend. We went to celebrate our birthdays and to "scout out" the location for our upcoming family vacation since none of us had ever been there before. It reminds me very much of Myrtle Beach. There are 3 beaches in Virginia Beach. In the center is the Resort Beach. There is a 3 mile boardwalk along the beach fronted by hotels and businesses and the beach/ocean on the other side. This is the very commercialized portion of Virginia Beach-just like Myrtle Beach-all stores, hotels, resturants, etc making the area very difficult to navigate in the summer!
To the north is the Chesapeake Bay Beach. This area is more residential. We scoped out one house we saw online - houses here are not accessible directly from the beach-there are sand dunes directly in front of the house. You have to go out the back of the house and go around - not a big deal. The view is definately there. The main drag there is Shore Drive and off Shore Drive are streets that dead end into beach access for everyone that lives on that street (maybe 10-12 houses).
To the south of the Resort area is Sandbridge Beach. It is a good 30 minutes away from the Resort main drag. It is all residential and pretty remote. Here there are homes directly on the beach like we had at Topsail Beach. There are also homes directly across from these on the beach homes that front a bay area with views of the ocean also. This Sandbridge area is a penisula with water on both sides. Right at the tip of this area is False Cape State Park that is accessible via tram. There is also Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge - a woodland and marsh refuge for a wide variety of migratory birds, endangered species and other wildlife - including snow geese, red foxes, loggerhead turtles and American bald eagle. Again accessible by tram. Both sound neat. Also nearby is the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge.
Also located in Virginia Beach is the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center-more than 300 hands on exhibits, a nature trail, aviary, etc. They also have and ocean excursion to search for bottlenose dolphins. The tour is 90 minutes long and they say it is appropriate for all ages.
Needless to say, there are the usual vacation things to do: minature gold, historical sites :), fishing, boating, jet skis, scuba diving golfing, etc etc etc. many many resturants (we will NOT go to the one Dad and I went to...)
Dad and I went a little north to Norfolk, Virginia which is where the Chesapeake Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean. We stopped at the Nauticus - lots of stuff about the ocean-many hands on things for kids too. Also - the USS Wisconsin is there (that is the main reason we went there).
There are many things to do and see in this area - we will not be bored!
Let me know what you all think. If we decide this a go - I think we need to seriously look for housing.
By the way, all the beaches are very nice.