Going To Grandma's House Each Summer

Going to Grandma West's house was an annual pilgrimage in our family when I was growing up.  Our summer vacation was spending a week in Orofino, Idaho, usually in August.

Here is another sibling assignment I missed:

Write about specific things you remember about being at Grandma West's house during the summer.

So many memories flood back to me when I think of being in Orofino during the summers.

Sight, hearing, touch, smell, taste.

Sight:
 I have a very early memory (probably two or three years old) of driving up to the Dworshak Dam site, and looking at a display that told about what the dam would look like, and that the place where the display was would be under water once the dam was built.  Here is a little information on the dam.  Once it was completed, it was always nice getting that view of the dam as you drove into town, because you knew you were almost to Grandma's house.

Hearing:
Another very early memory was going next door to Grandma's house with my sister IEG and visiting the girl who lived next door, who was close to Christy's age.  I remember going upstairs to MS's bedroom, and she was listening to music, and the song was "Sealed With A Kiss".  Another cool thing about their house was the huge curved wooden banister that was on the stairs as you went upstairs in their house.

Touch:
I remember catching a blonde colored fuzzy caterpillar in Grandma's backyard one summer, and putting it in a jar, so we could watch it make a cocoon, and become a butterfly.  The cocoon was very unique, almost furry, not like the normal ones that would hang on our house in the summer.  It never did emerge from the cocoon. But I still remember catching that unique looking caterpiller.

Another touch I experiences was when an insect flew in my ear on summer when I was standing on the front porch of Grandma's house.  If my memory serves me correctly, it was a mayfly.  It flew in my ear, and started flying down my ear canal.  I was taken to the emergency room, and the doctor used a syringe filled with water to flush the insect out of my ear.  It was not a very pleasant experience.

Smell:
I remember the smells of Grandma's garden.  The soil in her garden was very dark, and I believe it was full of volcanic material, which made it a very rich soil.  Everytime I smell tomato plants I think of Grandma's garden.  It was always nice to watch Grandma in her garden, and take in the smells of, not only the vegetables but all her beautiful flowers as well.

Taste:
Orofino in the summer had the taste of corn on the cob, Swiss Steak, cucumbers in cream, and fresh picked tomatoes.  It was wonderful.

One of my favorite things to do in the summer was go to Zan's Beach and swim in the Clearwater River.  I do remember the summer after I saw "Jaws", I was terrified to go into the river, because I didn't want a shark to come and get me!!  Zan's Beach had beautiful white sand, and lots of volcano rocks scattered on the beach.

This summer we are planning a reunion in Orofino with all my the cousins on my Mom's side of the family.  It will be a wonderful time of reconnecting, sharing stories, and hopefully eating some of those wonderful meals we experienced as children.  All of us are anticipating a very good weekend.