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The Slice: If you’re going to take the whole tribe cross-country
Here are a few answers to some of the Frequently Asked Questions.
Wide-eyed youth: So, you couldn’t watch movies in the car?
Boomer: No, we had to make do with comic books.
Wide-eyed youth: I’ve heard you hardly ever stopped. How could that be? What about when you needed to use a restroom?
Boomer: Didn’t matter. We were told to hold it. All dad cared about was making good time.
Wide-eyed youth: Did families have SUVs back then?
Boomer: No, we had what were called station wagons.
Wide-eyed youth: Were those like Old West covered wagons?
Boomer: Sort of. But they had fake wood on the sides. The dog liked it.
Wide-eyed youth: Could you at least listen to your own music?
Boomer: Well, we had transistor radios with tiny earphones. Sometimes you could pick up a station.
Wide-eyed youth: Did you use the time to bond with siblings?
Boomer: Mostly we slugged each other in the shoulder when we saw a Volkswagen.
Wide-eyed youth: Did you learn a lot about your parents?
Boomer: Well, we learned they were adept at getting under each other’s skin.
Wide-eyed youth: Did parents interact with kids much during those road trips?
Boomer: Mostly it was threats. You know, “Don’t make me pull over!” That sort of thing.
Wide-eyed youth: Did children have much say in choosing vacation destinations?
Boomer: Ahahahahahaha. No. Oh, I suppose we kids got to express our desires. But then the family always went to visit relatives in another state.
Wide-eyed youth: What sort of motels did you stay in?
Boomer: The kind where the towels had a sandpaper rating.
Wide-eyed youth: Did you eat at fun restaurants?
Boomer: Mom made 48 baloney and deviled ham sandwiches before we left home.
Wide-eyed youth: Did you say “Are we there yet?”
Boomer: We invented that.
Today’s Slice question: Have you ever had on a piece of safety equipment that almost or did in fact wind up protecting you in an unexpected way?
(I ask because just the other day I found myself thinking about my bike helmet after a couple of low-flying ducks barely missed my head, or so it seemed in the moment, near Manito Park.)
Write The Slice at P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210; call (509) 459-5470; email pault@spokesman.com. Some people steer clear of acquaintances from their past in part because they don’t want to hear their old nickname.