Rather fat and miserable, I embarked on another Florida family outing during the week of July 27 – August 3, 1985. This was a rather tumultuous trip, as my family had been shaken to its foundations by my parents marital problems. We all knew that my Dad would be leaving after we returned from this trip. Depression, loneliness, and low self-esteem were all setting in, not entirely as a result of the family issues, but the general oncoming of puberty and the awkward age. Still, no matter how low I felt, I still regard these times with a sense of fond nostalgia – mostly because all these negative feelings have now completely subsided.
This trip had two parts to it, beginning with a brief stay at the Red Carpet Resort in Clearwater Beach – a memory enhanced by postcard photos of our lodgings that my Dad gave me not long ago. I also remember lugging my large autograph photo album with me on this vacation for God-knows what reason. Actually, I do know. This was my one sweet obsession at the time and it made me happy to look through it constantly and show it off. This was where Bill made his humorous comment about Claudette Cobert after I forced him to take a gander at my collection.
Feeding the seagulls
Bill, Dottie, Lora, and Robby were on this trip too, but they stayed in a different motel, one that was within walking distance of ours. We hung out with them often, going out to eat, eating in, walking to the beach across the street, and after departing the area, going for a visit to Ira and Mildred’s house – certainly the only time that all eight of us visited them at once. It was early in the trip that my Mom first told Bill and Dottie of our family’s situation, so this did little to enliven the festivities.
Denise liked the pool, even if I didn’t
And I, being in the midst of my teen fat years, remember being hugely uncomfortable swimming. You can see a classic picture of me laying out at the hotel pool on this trip – wearing my t-shirt and socks that were approaching my kneecaps by clicking here. So undoubtedly, I spent the bulk of our trip in front of the TV in our air-conditioned room. I was however, anxious to head onto the next portion of our Florida trip – to Orlando and Disney World and use my Nimslo 3-D camera that I had gotten for Christmas the previous year.
Red Carpet Resort postcards
Next up: photos of our trip to see Ira and Mildred…
Bypass the trip and continue with 1985…
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