Me change ‘um picture

Make the best of your current situation. You never know what you will remember about that situation later in life.

“ Me change ‘um picture”

Another day of rain, which seemed as thought it would continue forever. When you’re a kid of eight years old nothing could be a greater torture.

 

We had been looking forward to our two-week vacation all summer. The camper had been hauled out to our favorite campground on Lake Superior. We had even been lucky enough to get into our favorite campsite in the park.

 

The first two days had been sunny and warm and life was grand. Lots of swimming in the lake, building castles in the sand. Then in the middle of the second night it began to rain. At first the rain was no big deal. I mean sure it made a popping sound on the roof of the camper. It was kind of like being in a big Jiffy Popcorn maker. But after you got use to the sound sleeping wasn’t much of a problem.

However the rain continued through the third day, and the fourth, and then fifth. Now I don’t know about you, but four people in a small twenty foot something camper for three continuous days seemed like cruel and unusual punishment to me.

 

The first day wasn’t so bad. Mom and Dad had taught my younger brother and I how to play Canasta and 500 Rummy. We played cards most of the day and into the evening. For a while we played the girls against the guys. After we had the hang of things we even played young against the old. The first day went by without too much complaining about the weather from either of us.

 

On the fourth morning of our trip we awoke to a continuing rain. There was so much water outside that the awning was sagging in the middle. My father had to go outside and drain it off with the broom before the weight of the water took it down.

 

Now keep in mind that having and eight and four year old cooped up for this long was not fun for my parents either. My folks never seemed to loose patients with us though. We played Uno and other card games for many hours on this day as well. My Dad played I-Spy until everything in that camper had been spied.

 

That night we turned in early, hoping that the morning would bring our sunshine and warm weather back. However this was not to be. We awoke again to dark dreary skies, rain coming down in a torrential down pour.

 

By mid afternoon we were all getting a little slap happy. This is when you laugh at anything and everything. Mom was busy preparing something to eat for lunch and Dad was coloring with us at the table. We had been coloring in a Tarzan color book. Mark and I were busy trying our very best to complete our would be master pieces when, Dad informed us he had finished his picture. 

 

He turned the book around so that we could take a look.

This is when the giggling started. He had colored Tarzan with yellow hair and a pink colored skin. My brother and I quickly informed him after we’d gotten our giggling under control that Tarzan didn’t have yellow hair it was dark brown. We also told him that he lived in a jungle so his skin would never be that color.

 

Taking these comments all in stride Dad took his coloring page back to his side of the table. He then collected so crayons from the box and went back to coloring. Mark and I continued to color our pictures, looking at each other and giggling all the while.

About 5 minutes later Dad turned the book around for us to look at again. Looking down we seen that he colored over the yellow hair with a black crayon and added a golden brown color to Tarzans skin. He then pounded on his chest and in his best Tarzan style stated “me change ‘em picture”

 

That was the end of the calm for approx 20 minutes. The combination of being cooped up for three long days in a very small camper and the giddiness which had set in sent Mark and I over the edge. We laughed uncontrollably for those twenty minutes. We continued to laugh every time we looked at each other the rest of the night.

 

To this day every time we see something having to do with Tarzan or having to do with changing the color of something. We stop and

look at each other and say almost in unison “me change um picture”. Then we both laugh.

 

That one silly moment my Dad made those three very long days worth while. That one silly moment thirty-seven years ago still brings a smile to my face. My dad was the king of the jungle that day!