Dont Make Me Stop This Car

I was born into a family whose relatives lived hundreds (and in some cases, thousands) of miles away. No shared backyard gates with Grandma or favorite aunt just across town. Nope. Every summer we piled into our trusty station wagon with a brother manning the front passenger seat with a map spread out across his lap. Every now and then he'd switch places with another brother who sat in the middle.

Mama sat in the back seat opposite me, with a baby or toddler nearby and I had the position directly behind my brave father, the driver. In the back where they had room to spread out were younger siblings. This was before the days of seatbelts and car seats.

Our trip took us to Uncle John's house, where we whispered things like, "How do they STAND this muggy weather?" or "Do I really have to say 'Ma'am and 'Sir" every time I speak to them?"

We were from California. They lived in Arkansas. We had a family that included six kids ranging in ages from baby to teen. They had two sons.
But in spite of our differences and lifestyles, every other summer they expected we'd make that trip over hill, over dale to their little white house with the wraparound porch.

I grew up loving road trips and whoaboy...the memories they made!

If you've ever handed out snacks to kids in the car (horrors!) and found out too late that the chocolate chips had melted into gooey, oozy messes, you'll want to plan future snacks that travel well. Here's a favorite that disappears entirely too fast.

MARGARET'S BROWN SUGAR BROWNIES


1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup walnuts

Lightly beat egg & add to other ingredients. Stir until blended. Add nuts, and that's it!

Bake at 350 degrees (F) for 12-18 minutes. (Note: brownies will look soft when you take them out of the oven, but a few minutes' cooling "sets" them.) Store in airtight container away from snoopy kids until trip. Suggestion: DOUBLE the recipe or maybe even TRIPLE it.

My poor mother.

Two weeks before our infamous road trips, she would lay out the luggage. After every laundry load, the vacation clothing piles grew taller. The most exciting day, though, was when our summer clothes arrived. Before the days of picky dressers, she would sit down with each of us and let us choose a few outfits. In about three weeks, our brand-new shorts and tops arrived. Into the suitcases they went, ready for those early mornings at the motel when we hurriedly dressed for another day's travel.

Mama never forgot anything important, except for one year when she forgot a stack of underwear. Hmmm. Now that was an interesting discovery. Thankfully, it was only my father's underwear. His expression said it all, but he pretended like he had budgeted for such mistakes and made the best of it.