My grandparents were young adults in the depression. This had an impact upon the rest of their ENTIRE life. They thought and did things much differently than my and my parent's generation. For example they chose to ride in a Greyhound bus all the way from Pullman, Washington to Washington DC, 2083 miles according to the internet. While my parents, aunts and uncles choose to fly. Don't get me wrong my grandparents could have well afforded flying but ... lets just say the depression just did a number on them.
They decided that this would be the perfect opportunity to bond with their 6 year old granddaughter. I kind of wonder if Grandpa just did not want to have to be the one that had to listen to grandma all that 2083 miles and Grandma just wanted someone that would listen to her. Grandma liked to talk, it is a bit of an understatement.
I remember bits of this "Ultimate Road Trip." I remember grandma helping me do my classwork that I was missing, playing with other children in the narrow isle on the bus, and enjoying this new adventure.
One of the most memorable moments of this adventure was grandma's ingenious ways to save money. For those of you who have not experienced traveling almost the entire width of the country via Greyhound bus, which I am guessing is mostly all of you, you get to see every greyhound depot bathrooms en route. The nice bathrooms had not only your free toilets, that were what you would see in an everyday public bathroom, but also the toilets that they charged for.
30 years ago it may have been a dime or a quarter. Today it might be fifty cents or a dollar (pure guess I should go to the local depot just to see-old times sake!). I was surprised by the fee, a new concept for a 6 year old mind.
We stood in one bathroom that had these luxurious fee potties and just waited. Then when the coast was clear grandma told me to crawl under the bathroom stall and open the door for her. I obeyed.
SCORE! We figured out how to get the nice potties without having to pay the fee. Heaven forbid we pay for it. I do remember they were considerably nicer with their personal sink, cleaner, and well worth the risk of Hepatitis ? to crawl under for.
I still laugh at the thought of sending your granddaughter under a bathroom stall door so that you can have the nice potty. You know those Relief Society lessons on honesty and integrity. Inevitably someone will share a story of one of their ancestor's integrity and honestly that had a profound influence upon every one of their descendants, in fact they inevitably are ALL active in the church today.
I just smile and think to myself, Grandma you were a one in a million.
They decided that this would be the perfect opportunity to bond with their 6 year old granddaughter. I kind of wonder if Grandpa just did not want to have to be the one that had to listen to grandma all that 2083 miles and Grandma just wanted someone that would listen to her. Grandma liked to talk, it is a bit of an understatement.
I remember bits of this "Ultimate Road Trip." I remember grandma helping me do my classwork that I was missing, playing with other children in the narrow isle on the bus, and enjoying this new adventure.
One of the most memorable moments of this adventure was grandma's ingenious ways to save money. For those of you who have not experienced traveling almost the entire width of the country via Greyhound bus, which I am guessing is mostly all of you, you get to see every greyhound depot bathrooms en route. The nice bathrooms had not only your free toilets, that were what you would see in an everyday public bathroom, but also the toilets that they charged for.
30 years ago it may have been a dime or a quarter. Today it might be fifty cents or a dollar (pure guess I should go to the local depot just to see-old times sake!). I was surprised by the fee, a new concept for a 6 year old mind.
We stood in one bathroom that had these luxurious fee potties and just waited. Then when the coast was clear grandma told me to crawl under the bathroom stall and open the door for her. I obeyed.
SCORE! We figured out how to get the nice potties without having to pay the fee. Heaven forbid we pay for it. I do remember they were considerably nicer with their personal sink, cleaner, and well worth the risk of Hepatitis ? to crawl under for.
I still laugh at the thought of sending your granddaughter under a bathroom stall door so that you can have the nice potty. You know those Relief Society lessons on honesty and integrity. Inevitably someone will share a story of one of their ancestor's integrity and honestly that had a profound influence upon every one of their descendants, in fact they inevitably are ALL active in the church today.
I just smile and think to myself, Grandma you were a one in a million.
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