A Traveling Song

Years ago I took the girls south with me, when Far Guy was TDY someplace..Florida or Mississippi. I drug them out of school on many occasions to go to Air Force Bases in the south, where their Father was. I absolutely hated that the Air Force put families second, and it was my way of "fighting back" for family time. I always traveled alone with the girls one way, then we would meet up with Far Guy and at the end of his deployment, he would accompany us back home to Minnesota.

The girls were good travelers, and they learned about the southern part of the USA. It was like a travelling History or Geography lesson. Now this was way before eyepods and personal music players..way before..DVD players in a vehicle. We played games...the ABC game where you had to spot something that began with each letter of the alphabet. The CAR game.. I still play this game with the grand kids if they are someplace and bored. It is harder to play now a days but back in the time that the girls and I played it, it was fun. Everyone picks their color, and they count the number of vehicles that you pass of their color. Back then you could actually play "The car game" picking Yellow, Orange, or Purple. Now a days you would get a big fat zero with those colors. We sang songs, the old ones, the songs you sang in rounds, Row, Row, Row Your Boat...and another .."Make new friends, keep the old, one is silver and the others gold." Since I am tone deaf and can not sing..but sang anyway very loudly..I am sure it sounded like a bunch of dying quails. Of course they did their homework in the car, and did lots of reading aloud. I used to divide and conquer them, one in the front seat, one in the back seat. With both of them in the back seat a "She is touching me" OR "She is over the imaginary line you drew again, and is on my side" argument would in sue. Just the kind of argument that used to drive me nuts. Then of course they took naps. They both felt important when I said "Help Mommy watch for road signs so we don't get lost." We listened to the Radio...and sang along with the songs!

On one return trip to Minnesota in 1983 or there abouts, a song by the Oak Ridge Boys was on the radio. So much so that the girls learned the song word for word, as did Far Guy..and can those three sing ..all on key..as long as I didn't join in and throw off the pitch. I can still hear them accentuating the Foreverrrrrrrrr in that tune called "Leaving Louisiana in the broad daylight."

It's just an ordinary story 'bout the way things go
'Round and around nobody knows but the highway
Goes on forever, that ol' highway rolls on forever.......

A really good traveling song! At the end of their song fest Far Guy would say "Thanks squirrels" :)