Vacation Week. That’s what we called the week of the Fourth where I grew up in Alabama. West Point Manufacturing Co., later WestPoint Pepperell, would close all the textile mills that week, and everyone took their paid vacation, including my father. If the family went out of town, we’d visit relatives. It was the only travel I knew at that time, and it was high adventure. I loved it. Some years, Daddy would elect to stay home and tackle some huge house-related maintenance project. Those were bad years. A lot of lucky kids got to go with their parents to Panama City, Florida, the “Redneck Riviera.” The local joke was, they’d have to clean the beaches of lint after “vacation week.”
36 responses to “Vacation Week”
Trucker Ron: I loved the animation link. And I was surprised to learn that the artist is the son of Bil Keane. Art is art – no matter the form.
Jimmy:
You had the Redneck Riviera.
We went to Hillbilly Hatteras – aka Myrtle Beach.
Ahh summer! Thoughts of vacations at the beach, hamburgers sizzling on the grille, and the smell on another 10,000 acres of forest going up in flames.
It looks like the southwest monsoons are going to arrive about a week to late to save one of the last pristine stretches of forest in the mountains I live in from burning. At least this one shouldn’t force evacuations in my town as it’s about 16 miles away with two recent burn scars between us and the flames.
On to a better subject, my childhood vacations usually involved jeeping to 9000+ elevation and hiking or fishing crystal-clear mountain lakes.
I first heard the term “Redneck Riviera” applied to the Lower Alabama area. That was back in the halcyon days of Kenny Stabler, the Pink Pony Pub and the Flora-Bama, etc. With the mega development of condos, the influx of snowbirds from the North, and other civilizing influences, perhaps that term doesn’t apply so much there anymore. Nor at Panama City, either, for that matter.
The Pink Pony and the Flora-Bama are still there; haven’t seen Snake lately, though. The last time I did, he was about 60 and looked about 80. Too many nights spent closing down too many dive bars, I suppose.
A couple of days ago, a phone book from Fair Point was left on my back steps; it’s much reduced from its glory days but does have the Yellow Pages. I was really touched that someone went to the trouble of going around the house; it’s ALWAYS been left out front before, often under the bushes or even right on the sidewalk. And we don’t see it’s out there, because we always come and go through the back door.
Mindy/Indy, here’s hoping the current batch of storms doesn’t affect anyone adversely, and that includes you. We had the same couple of batches several hours ago; no damage as far as I know.
It is common in a lot of industries to close the first week in July or the first 2 weeks in July for vacation. I know that car manufacturers used to close for vacation and to retool.
I am an accountant (basically I do bookkeeping and tax returns, not audits) and I therefore know that that the jewelry industry closes the first 2 weeks in July, including the manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers and the jewelry display box companies. Fabric swatch card co’s close the first week. Lighting fixture manufacturers close the first 2 weeks also. My husband’s special ed agency/school would close for a week between the end of school (which is the end of June in these parts) and the start of the summer program.
It was a tradition to close for July 4th vacation so the first 2 weeks in July used to be the biggest vacation time.
Good morning Villagers….
Wooo hoooo…….you go Loon 🙂
Let’s see….how I spent my summer vacation… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTrbfnkDS8w&index=3&list=PLB89DD54866A35EC9
Alright, seriously now, I’m operating on about 3 hours sleep….went to sleep way too early, been up since 11ish.
It was a hot, humid, hostile day yesterday….I think Angus has been hanging out in the hen house. The boys had to replace 1200 feet of steel auger in one of the 40 feeding troughs in a 90 degree building yesterday afternoon…..not an easy task. Male testosterone over flowed….
Going in early, going to sweep the front deck while it’s cool…..they forgot to put the feeding shoot back in place…about a ton and a half of feed goes through these augers per feeding time….so there’s about a ton of feed in the pit. Here’s the eerie part….had a nightmare the night before about the pit overflowing and it had reached the first step into the hen house….
Ya’ll have a blessed day…..I’m looking forward to Thursday, a high of 75 degrees.
Oooh..kay. so GoComics is posting a “Our recommendation” link now, and sliding in a little advertisement……on every strip I read it’s there.
Caught a glimpse of this video on one of those “buy me” commercials, thought I’d check it out on U tube….excellent duet, and GR 😉 , I know how much you love Linda:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvTvSSztu50
Debbe 😉 I don’t see the “recommendation” ad thing you mentioned. I did however get a big full-color ad for Victoria’s Secret sports bras this morning. (Symply quit your Fargone laughing, SF.) Some of those danged things list for almost $55. Seems a lot of money for one of Arlo’s “Kevlar” jiggle-killers.