On Saturday, August 3, Sandra and I completed a mission – almost a dream – that we conceived 12 years ago. We wanted to take each of our grandchildren on a special trip when they turned 13. For the mission's first leg, we took Courtney to SeaWorld in Florida. The following year, we took Haley to SeaWorld.

Then Sandra and I had an epiphany. I was 63, and she was 28 – again – for the 41st time. We might not live long enough to take each child individually. We revamped our plan and decided to take a 13-year-old and the next one in line. So, when Taylor turned 13 in April 2016, we decided to take Taylor and her cousin Jaxen, who had just turned 12, on a trip to Williamsburg, Va. After that trip, all the “Old Guard” members enjoyed their hopefully memorable trip.

When Isaiah turned 13 in 2020, we took him and his brother Alex to Florida. They had already been with us to Williamsburg, so we wanted to do something different. Our main target was Legoland in Florida. Although the boys enjoyed Legoland, they enjoyed the activities at the resort where we stayed even more.

In 2023, we took two sets of siblings. In July, we made a trip to Williamsburg with Ben and Allison. In August, we made the same trip with Abby and Hannah.

By now, we were 10 down – and two to go.

On July 28, we headed to Williamsburg to take Laney and Luke on their trip. If we learned anything in 2023, Sandra and I discovered that we are too old to take two kids full of life and energy to places in Williamsburg without some help. We recruited their mom, Lydia, to go with us.

These trips had a similar modus operandi. We wanted a mixture of fun and learning. Busch Gardens was the fun. What amazed me most on this trip was that the youngster I thought would avoid rollercoasters – Luke – embraced them with as much enthusiasm as his sister Laney. I think they hit at least six of those rides.

Even Lydia – who was pretty much ruined for rollercoasters when I took her on the Grizzly at King’s Dominion when she barely reached the minimum height – caught rollercoaster fever.

The following days, we visited the Jamestown Settlement, Historic Jamestowne, and Yorktown. You might say we covered the colonial period from beginning to end. They walked the ground where the first permanent English settlement began and then stood on places where George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and Lafayette had once stood when the British surrendered and the war ended.

We drove the Yorktown Battlefield. We had the CD the Yorktown Visitor Center provided, so two colonels – one American and one British – talked about what happened on the battlefield at various points. They were awed at the length of the earthwork lines. Laney and Luke both went to Redoubt 10 so Laney could take a photo of the ground where Hamilton stood. She sent it to a friend – a big Hamilton fan – to make her jealous.

While in Yorktown, I pointed out the bridge between Yorktown and Gloucester.

“Your great-great grandfather helped build the original bridge across the York River at this point,” I told them. They were also fascinated to learn two of their ancestors had been at Jamestown.

Except for Busch Gardens, we spent only part of the day at these places. On two occasions, I took them to the indoor pool at the resort so they could enjoy swimming and playing in the water. My secret motive was for them to wear themselves out so they would sleep soundly at night.

One particular restaurant we visited was Food for Thought. Quotations designed to provoke thought and conversation plastered the walls.

On Saturday morning, after breakfast at Cracker Barrel, we headed home. I can only hope that Luke, Laney, and Lydia have as fond memories of last week as Sandra and I do.

Mission Accomplished.

Mike Parker is a columnist for the Neuse News. You can reach him at mparker16@gmail.com.