Boys on Vacation Together

Fruit Loops huddling up at the lake.

Wife and The Boy recently took a trip together, but it wasn't just the two of them. Instead, Wife thought it would be a good idea if The Fruit Loops went down the Cape for a few days. The Boy was obviously ecstatic about this idea. He and his crew riding around town on their bikes and hanging out at various places certainly seemed like a great idea.

The plan while down Cape Cod was for Wife to work during the morning, and then making sure all of the Fruit Loops were alive and well when she finished work in the afternoon. Afternoon trips would include the beach, the pond, or maybe just a walk downtown where the boys could enjoy some ice cream or a drink.

The Boy was obviously excited at the prospect of hanging out with his gang for a few days. It made me think of a time when I spent a week with friends in New Hampshire. My brother and I spent a week with friends at a rented house. The week included games of wiffle ball, squirt guns, trips to the arcade.

My Trip with Friends

(L to R: Dave, Jeff, Mike, Me. Jeff's
 brother, Nick, was away that night.)

Our ride to New Hampshire was a relatively uneventful one. Uneventful, that is, until we got close to the house. On our way up the street, I noticed an old man working in his garden. He reminded me of Elmer Fudd from the Bugs Bunny cartoons. When I first saw him, I asked, "Who is that, Elmer Fudd?" My friend, riding shotgun, rolled down his window and leaned out, shouting, "ELMER!"

The nice man who was just minding his own business looked up to see what the sudden commotion was about on the otherwise quiet street. He had no idea what to think of what had happened.

It was the first of many episodes of mayhem my crew and I would experience and, in some isolated times, cause. The house my friends' parents had rented for the week was set back behind a large front lawn. This would be our setting for daily wiffle ball games. The deck leading to the front door was a home run if you hit it, but if you hit the glass door, it was an out. We all had to be careful with our own Herculean strength. We didn't want to hit the ball too hard and have our home runs turn into an out.

There were also squirt gun fights. Growing up, we had them plenty of times running around the house and dodging the other guy's shot while trying to get him. The woods of New Hampshire added another element to the cat-and-mouse games we were playing with our weapons of mass dousing and drenching, trying to get our opponent before he got us. Then again, a squirt of water wasn't the worst thing in the middle of a summer day.

Sunday was church. Church meant singing songs of praise. The gentleman who led us in song sounded like he had a few too many nips on the sacramental wine. The five of us looked at each other as we tried to not laugh at what we were hearing. The annoyed look from "P" and "D" (our friends' parents) made us try harder. Some were more successful than others at our attempts. That being said, "Amazing Grace" still makes me smile every time I hear it.

A Week Full of Activities

We went to the lake. We went to Funspot Arcade. My friends and I have been there with our own families, and the place hasn't changed since that summer in 1993. The All-Star Game was held that week. James Earl Jones, backed by a choir, delivered one of the most unique renditions of the "Star Spangled Banner" we had ever heard. We all agreed the singer at church should have been there with Mr. Jones for that performance.

The rented house wasn't far from a water slide park. It was nice to have more water splashed on us than what splashed from a quirt gun. After one of our various activities, we would drive home and made sure to give a friendly "Hello" to "Elmer" just as we did leaving the quiet, unsuspecting neighborhood in the morning. Nights had games of "Uno" after dinner, or we would play "Family Feud" in the living room. I was the host.

It was a week we still talk about. "P" and "D" survived being responsible for five mostly misunderstood boys. The other parents were happy to have their children out of their hair for a few days. Everyone has stories of Elmer, "Amazing Grace", the "stick" used in wiffle ball games, a screen door, chasing a spider (indoors) with a quirt gun. Our weekend in the woods of New Hampshire was one that stayed with me throughout the following school year and beyond.

Fruit Loops

Neighborhood Patrol

The Boy and his crew divided their time between the backyard, downtown, and the bedroom they shared. If you came into the house, it wouldn't be difficult to see which room was theirs. You just needed to notice the empty wrappers, juice boxes, dirty laundry on the floor, and stash of snacks. The Fruit Loops certainly made themselves at home that week, but everyone did a great job of cleaning up and leaving no trace of the debauchery and depravity that bedroom witnessed and endured during the Fruit Loops' time on Cape Cod.

In our neighborhood, you can usually hear the chatter of boys on their bikes or just hanging out on the driveway. The streets of Cape Cod were graced with our young men, who no doubt imparted some knowledge and wisdom to passers-by who overheard them at the ice cream shop or the lake. Dinner out would include nuggets of culinary know-how that grateful restaurant staff would pick up as they passed by their table. Wherever they went, our neighborhood band of merry boys found new haunts to frequent, different things to try.

Wife did a fantastic job that week. Parents of the Fruit Loops spoke of what she did with the kids and for the kids. The Boy appreciated what his mom did, and his friends thanked her for a great week. It was a week these guys are going to remember, and maybe one day their children will spend a week away with their friends. 

Top: The boys exploring the water.
Bottom: Bikes and boys getting a rest.

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