Where Were You In 62?

This is a picture of us Somewhere out of Washington state I think around the Seattle area going north to Canada. We are on the ferry by dad was taking the picture brother Ross sitting on the station wagon the rest of us are crawling around mom I'm wearing the two-tone T-shirt with arms outstretched think I was about 12

With the death my older brother got me thinking all day about family events and how he was not part of them. I do not think his absence was intentional you would just so much older than everybody, kid wise, So I've been down this rabble whole most of the day thinking about things we do as a family that Floyd was not part of . As I churned through memories and events kept focusing on a incident I'm still not quite sure on. In fact I have a call out to my brother who might be able to validate some of my thoughts on this. Anyway. I've reported before about having to take long trips north to Canada so the folks could see their kin to guesses our kin too. All I remember was that we were a large family and the blue Ford station wagon for had to wager a guess I would think it was a 1956 or 57 station wagon. The trip was huge stuffing provisions in the vehicle for eight people incredible. Not only was every nook and cranny of the car failed the dad also invested in some sort of a travel rack that when on top of the vehicle which is also piled high with stuff. It was amazing. I don't think we stayed at a hotel or motel once. We are like this giant pinball machine or pinball ricocheting off different family members all the way north to Canada. Like I've said before this is how we kept in touch with family near and far. And we would expect them (family) the crash our place when and if they ever came to Boise and that did happen often on oddly. We ate a lot of campsites along the way and we even did a couple of national Park overnight campouts. Mom and dad and maybe the girls (Linda and Leah Maurine) slept in the station wagon of course us guys were in sleeping bags in the national Park where the Bears could get us.

The point that I remember most what I want to get some validation on is my parents bending the law. I mean they were very civil law abiding people as far as we were concerned. However, I remember when we went across the border and visited the family when coming home we ran into giant growths of elderberries and currents just for the picking. We picked a lot. All I remember is putting fruit into every part of the car that was unoccupied. We got rid of a lot of packages of food and stuff that we brought with us from the start because we're on the way home now there was more space available for contraband. We of course did not call it contraband. I didn't think much about what was going on but what I do remember is that we were told to take naps as we approach the US border from Canada. Under no circumstances were we to say anything about what was in the vehicle. We were to be asleep. We passed through customs or the port authority or whatever it was with no problem. After all, I believe it was 1962 we're still in the age of happy problems. Vietnam was just a dark cloud on the horizon and union men like my dad still have plenty of work to do. We had a farm, we had cattle we had two vehicles three if you counted the tractor and for which account of the van my dad used for work. We were doing pretty good. We got home and mom can the berries and make juice and jam as well we missile brought a lot of illegal fruit across the border but is certainly good on pancakes that following winter. Actually, we had the syrup in the jelly and juice what seemed like years. Now as I look back on how my folks justified actually lying to the border cops. Just for fruit we picked for free in 1962…