When I was a kid I just hated road trips - the endless miles that never seemed to end were almost too much to endure. The highlight of the trip would be stopping for lunch at Howard Johnson's. Occasionally I was given a dollar to spend in the gift shop - that was fun. As I've grown older I've learned to enjoy road trips and realized that part of the fun in arriving at our destination is the joy of the journey. One of the best parts of a road trip with my hubby is the chance to really delve into conversation. We chat about everything under the sun from what color to paint the bathroom to politics. Our conversation on our trip in 1989 mostly consisted of me reminiscing about days gone by and telling him about the Uncle I had never met.
Uncle Willis hadn't been home since 1943 so our conversation seemed to center around the events of WWII. We all complain about the price of gas these days, but, in spite of the price we still seem to be able to purchase as much as we want. During WWII it wasn't that simple - you not only had to have enough money to pay for the gas but you had to have the right number of ration stamps too. Most items that were needed to help the war effort required ration stamps. If you ran out of stamps - well you were just out of luck until you got your next ration book.
Families and communities really had to work together to keep there homes going. People were encouraged to plant vegetable gardens to supplement their pantries and take the pressure off the countries food supply. The gardens were dubbed "Victory Gardens".
We stop in Julesburg for gas and I take over driving. I guess we are both lost in our own thoughts now because we head down the road in silence. I'm anxious to see my cousins, but, I can't get my Uncles letters out of my mind.
To be continued........
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