Back in the seventies, I was just a little kid, but one of my fondest memories was going to visit my grandparents on my mother’s side. It was a six hour trip by car, so whenever we visited, we always stayed overnight. It was just the four of us then, me, my sister, my mom, and my dad. The one thing that stands out so clearly for me was the full bunk beds that my grandparents had bought for us, and were always there in the spare bedroom.
Boy did we both love those beds, every other visit was my turn to sleep on the top. As soon as we found out we were going we made sure we knew who’s turn it was for the top bunk. We could hardly wait. Climbing up and down the ladder to the top bunk was one of the best parts. We also would take the blankets off the beds and make a fort out of the bottom bunk.
I thought these were unique bunk beds because they were so sturdy, made out of this thick wood and painted white. I had never seen white bunk beds before which is one of the reasons I remember them so clearly.
As we got older, my sister became more interested in teenage stuff, and didn’t go with us as often anymore. I was lonely being there by myself, having the top bunk all to myself. It just wasn’t the same without her. I would still build the fort when she wasn’t there, but I would quickly get bored and find something else to do.
As I was older and in my college dorm cheap bunk bed one night, I received news that my grandfather had passed away. This news caught me by surprised and shocked and saddened me at the same time. I already miss all the time we spent together.