Sundays to Nowhere

During the warm Spring months to the first real chill of Autumn my mother used to like to involve the family in "The Sunday Drive."

We never had a destination. For Mom, it was all about the trip, the fresh air and the sunshine. Getting out of the house, away from the drudgery and just enjoying the day were her priorities.

Some days I remember traveling long, windy roads through Middleboro, past dairy farms and 4-H clubs. Other days we would go towards Plymouth; the smell of the salt air wafting through the open windows as we traveled down route 3A. Sometimes I even looked at the scenery if I could tear myself away from the stack of comics that I brought with me.

Without AC in the car we relied on open windows and a breeze to keep us cool as the station wagon lumbered along the back roads of the South Shore. Some days this was ineffective and we would stop for ice cream somewhere along the way. Peaceful Meadows in Whitman was a good place for yummy, homemade ice cream. So was Dairy Queen in Whitman (or was it Abington?). Melting ice cream on a sugar cone tasted so sweet on these drives. Once in while, we would stop for a late lunch/early dinner at J.J.'s Pub in Hanson so Mom and Dad could get the fried fish basket while we munched on burgers. J.J.'s served fresh hot popcorn as table munchies so this was a great place for us kids.

Dad used to like to stop at yard sales. So did I, if it looked like they had comic books or records. My siblings and I would scour someone else' trash looking for gold while Dad would expertly peruse Avon bottles, milk glass or old 45's to drag home. Then, purchases made, off we went to our next non-destination.

And so it went.

As a child, Sunday afternoons seemed to go on forever. Now, they are as the blink of an eye or the twitch of a cat's whisker. One second my Sunday afternoon is there; then next it is vanished.

The older I get, the less inclined I am to make any heavy-duty plans on a Sunday afternoon. This isn't to say that I won't make plans for a Sunday afternoon; I will. However, I reserve the right to edit these plans for content.

Usually, I am happy to make one big meal for the day to enjoy mid-afternoon and then quietly enjoy the rest of the day. Many times there is an afternoon walk, other times there is sitting on the front porch reading a book or watching the clouds drift by over Tyndale Street. A late-afternoon coffee or an early evening cocktail is a grand way to end a Sunday, too.

Gone are the days of a Sunday drive.

Here are the days of a quiet Sunday.