White Sands New Mexico Circa 1982

I found this little gem while going through my dad's belongings this week. Here we are in the famed White Sands National Monument where you can bake on the sand like a little weenie in a biscuit. I remember a couple of trips to White Sands; my parents thought it was really awesome. And I guess, it sort of is. Gwynn and Phil liked to take us to lots of cool places, and my mom would always follow the visit up with the same quip, "Not bad for poor people."

On this particular trip, I remember some sandwiches out of ice chest being consumed, then lunch was followed with either card board or garbage bags being used to slide down the giant hills of sand. Of course, pictured below is mom and dad and me and charlie. Yes, I look like a boy with a dorthy hamill cut. Just go with it. No, my sister isn't wearing shoes. We did a lot of non shoe wearing. My mom and dad were what i like to call, "free spirits" ok?

I also remember I was able to get a souvenir: a paper weight with a scorpion in suspended animation in the sort of amber-tree sap sort of way. I had that paper weight until at least college. If you are wondering, "why white sands?" Well, my family drove from Dallas, TX to California every summer. We always stopped in El Paso to see my granddad. Often, we'd do excursions around that area. I guess mom was right....for poor people, we didn't do too bad.