Vacationing in Des Plaines
Vacationing in Des Plaines,
Illinois
This was written for the 60th Anniversary Celebration of Aunt Mary and Uncle John
October 16, 2011
During
the summer, Mom and Dad would pack up Kathy and me for our summer vacation to
our cousins’ houses in Des Plaines, Illinois, which, then, seemed forever-miles
away from the west side of Chicago. We stayed at Aunt Mary’s and Uncle John’s
and had some very different experiences in this new suburban world. First of
all, we not only packed our clothes but our water. At the time, Des Plaines had
well water-- or something that tasted awful-- and a week or two without Lake
Michigan water would have been torturous, so…we carried our jugs of water. Once
there, however, it seemed like country living.
It was there that we went fishing for the first time at the Lake Park, and Uncle John always made a big deal when we brought home our catches in a bucket (even though I think we ended up throwing them back). It was there that we learned that girls could be on a softball teams, because our cousins played for the park district-girls softball leagues were not something we had by our house. It was there that we had big family dinners but also had to survive two things, Uncle John’s long blessings and waiting for our cousin Karen, by far the slowest eater on the planet, to finish eating so we could play again. It was there that we experienced having a pet because there was always a cat or two around. It was there that we saw our first fireworks display over a lake. Yes, the Gatsis resort was a vacation haven for Kathy and me who had never been on vacations until Des Plaines came to be.
Who would have ever thought I would now live in that very town, only blocks away from the very home my sister and I vacationed in over several summers.
It was there that we went fishing for the first time at the Lake Park, and Uncle John always made a big deal when we brought home our catches in a bucket (even though I think we ended up throwing them back). It was there that we learned that girls could be on a softball teams, because our cousins played for the park district-girls softball leagues were not something we had by our house. It was there that we had big family dinners but also had to survive two things, Uncle John’s long blessings and waiting for our cousin Karen, by far the slowest eater on the planet, to finish eating so we could play again. It was there that we experienced having a pet because there was always a cat or two around. It was there that we saw our first fireworks display over a lake. Yes, the Gatsis resort was a vacation haven for Kathy and me who had never been on vacations until Des Plaines came to be.
Who would have ever thought I would now live in that very town, only blocks away from the very home my sister and I vacationed in over several summers.
Happy
60th Anniversary Aunt Mary and Uncle John.
Blessings
and Love,
Joanne
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