Summer Vacation and the Cautionary Tale of Jungle Jim’s

I am so thrilled that this summer has been so positive and that I have the means/ energy to blog about our summer vacation which I did not have last year. This year we visited the Eastern Shore (Delaware to be exact.) Last year we went to the Gulf Coast which was amazing as well. But the best part of this year’s trip? Going with family. It was great to spend time with my mom, my sister, her husband, and my niece. The week really flew by so fast and I find myself daydreaming of the ocean breeze and warm sand when I’m trapped in my cubical under the harsh fluorescents. It really reminds me that sitting inside all day long to work is totally unnatural but it’s a means to a way so anyways…

We arrived to the beach on Saturday afternoon and despite leaving at 8am in the morning, it ended up taking us almost 4 hours to get there rather than the normal 2.5. Needless to say everyone else was ready to head out of town the same time we were. Also to note, 4 hours in a car with a 3 year old when you lose the remote for the dvd player in the car is no fun. I only heard second hand/ saw the aftermath because I was peacefully cruising along in my mom’s car for the ride. Sorry Emma, not that I didn’t want to ride with you in daddy's car but Nana needed me to drive (and maybe it was nice not to have to dig out snacks and crayons every 2 minutes).

The house we stayed at was so spectacular, Emma called it the GRAND new house (instead of brand new) and proceeded to tell us she never wanted to leave. With an open floor plan, large island, and jetted tub in the master bathroom (also duel shower heads in the shower) mommy didn’t want to leave either. This also added fuel to my redecorating our house fire (post on that hopefully to come.) I almost felt bad because I know in my heart of hearts that unless some magical lottery winnings pop up, we will never own a home like that. But I know it’s not the house itself that makes it a home but rather the family in it.

 (But just in case you were wondering, here is just PART of the incredible bathroom. So big all of us and the dog fit in there with room to spare. Yes, it's bigger than our current bedroom.)

Of course we hit up the beach almost every day and the cousins played together well for the most part. I can’t wait until Emma’s little cousin can run and play with her even more! The other big thing we did was go on the rides at the boardwalk. Last year, when we visited the beach for a few days with friends, Emma was unsure about the rides. This year…well she could not run and hop on them fast enough. She rode every ride there she was big enough to ride…twice! Seems as though we have a thrill seeker on our hands. Thankfully, but somewhat terrifyingly, Emma is not scared of heights. I’m grateful because I am deathly afraid of heights and I feel like I’ve missed out on some experiences because I have mild panic attacks even one floor up and I don’t want my kid going through that. On the other hand, it worries me that she has no fear, like um you should not be thrusting your body out of a high flying ride…

There was a gorgeous little playground on the other side of the house that had a turtle pond and we spend quite a bit of time there as well. There were lots of fish and probably 20 or so turtles (even a giant grandpa turtle!) Emma had to go visit them almost every day!

So besides that, we spent our time eating a ton and walking around town a whole bunch and that pretty much sums up summer vaca 2015…except for the story of Jungle Jim’s...

It wouldn’t be a Patterson/ DeCaro vaca without some oddity encroaching on an otherwise mundane trip. And this oddity is a duzie…it is none other than the mysterious curse of Jungle Jim’s. Now I’m quite sure if you google it a picture will pop up…heck maybe even a website dedicated to “fun beach side attractions” might rear its head but don’t be fooled. There are those of us who know the truth about Jungle Jim’s, the sad, scary truth, and I’m here to share it with you. It is a cautionary tale so beware. I should probably start this story back from the beginning…15 years ago, with two girls and a dream…

The story starts with my sister and her high school friend to be exact, two innocent vacation goers who were looking for some water fun that did not involve going in the freezing cold, choppy, shark infested (eh ok might have put that one in there for dramatic effect) waves of the Atlantic. It was any normal kid’s dream really…enjoying the non-salty, non-threatening waters of a water park. The first year they drove down the attraction filled main drag leading to the beach they saw it, Jungle Jim’s (or so the sign read.) From a great distance, erected into the cloudless summer sky, the monstrous, multi-colored water slides can be spotted defying gravity, magically floating above the Earth. And much like the gingerbread house from Hansel and Gretel, the park beckoned them to come. Well it turned out that that fateful year, one thing lead to another and before the girls realized it, their week at the beach was over and it was time to go home. They never made it to the water park. Somehow, with all of its magical, kid friendly appeal, Jungle Jim’s had fallen off their radar. It was almost as if it was a dream, something they conjured up in the moment. They ended up leaving the beach and with it, Jungle Jim’s unexplored, in their rear view mirror, without too much of a thought. It was all but forgotten.

I would discuss the girl’s trip to the beach the following year in as much detail but the end result was the same…the promises of refreshing, man made water fun, while high on their priority list of things to do…never. got. done. And every year as they rode out of town in that old blue Honda Civic the same haunting words were uttered, “Well, we’ll go for sure next year.” And yet year after year, Jungle Jim’s was discussed but never visited. It became a silent, colorful shrine to the unknown. A place full of untapped potential and wonder that no one would completely understand. It almost seemed like the place, well, wasn’t real. For a not so well known philosopher once said “If you don’t go to Jungle Jim’s does it even exist?”

Fast forward the story to the present day to a pleasant extended family vacation to the beach. A new generation of girls takes the place of the teenagers. These girls, toddlers, and their doting fathers found themselves in the same dreamy vacationer frame of mind...they wanted refreshing water fun for their children away from the burdensome ocean. A place where their daughters could frolic freely without any concern for their safety from the unpredictable elements of the ocean. Finally, one of the dads casually says,"I saw a place on the drive in...Jungle Jim's...I think we should take the girls." Slowly, my sister and I glanced at each other sideways. Our eyes met in a look of all knowing horror. And in a twisted tone of disgust, my sister spoke what we know to be the truth..."Jungle Jim's...DOES NOT EXIST." 

This of course led to a 6 day battle of the spouses. "Of COURSE it exists! We saw it! There's a website for it too!" "That means nothing!" I shouted back. "Like the quest for the Holy Grail, Jungle Jim's is a mystery to never be solved. Something that for all intents and purposes SEEMS tangible but is not there." "It is a mirage that waits you in the East Coast sand." And my sister explained it best of all, "Jungle Jim's is the matrix, get too close and you will see that it is a figment of your imagination!" 

On day two of the trip the husbands were determined. By day four, they were still set on going, our voices falling on def ears. By day 6.5, something happened. A quiet had settled over the house. And just like every year before...Jungle Jim's was...forgotten. Something that meant so much suddenly vanished from the realm of possibility without anyone realizing where the desire to go went. My sister and I had known what was to come. And once again at the end of that fateful week...we left Jim's in the dust. 

So there you have it, a little long winded but the truth, the cautionary tale of Jungle Jim's.