My parents loved nature and so us children were encouraged to love nature also, which didn’t take much prompting. Our family could be found kneeling on a carpet of pine needles to examine a peculiar mushroom or searching through Field Guide to North American Birds for the name of that jay-type bird we spotted. Unfortunately, I grew up to be a wimpy hotel-loving mom, and perhaps that is why those memories are extra precious to me. I have done my noncamping best, however, to instill a love of nature in my kids, with mixed results.

Soon we will be cruising with extended family along the Inside Passage of Alaska as we have big anniversaries and a graduation to celebrate. We’ll be sharing excitement, history and nature and bonding generations through those shared experiences. Yes, we’re doing the family vacation in a much grander way than the old-time camping, but does it really matter how a family shares? My old memories of simple times shine so brightly through the haze of time.

Note: Consider keeping a journal during vacations, not just notes about what you did or saw but what you thought about. This might also help decipher the wheres and whens of photos as well as keep the events of days straight. I’ll be making a scrapbook of our Alaska trip.