This is my post for #freewriters 2798 prompt an ugly truck hosted by @mariannewest
I envy my sister because she has grandkids small enough that they still like doing things with her, but more than that, I admire the person she has become. To think back on the life she lived for 15 years, to the life she is living today, it gives me hope for those who are still living that way. If she could pull herself from that hole, others can too.
She is raising her two granddaughters from one of her sons. He is incarcerated, and the mother does not want them. I think my sister has had them for 8 years. He will be getting out in two more years.
She has been taking the girls to see their father, she tries to go once a month. It is a 2 hour and 45 minute drive, they visit, and then she drives home. She thought if she had a camper, she could stay over there and visit for a couple of days. When we sold Mom's property in Alabama, she bought a pop-up camper. It looks a lot better since she cleaned it. But she found out that some campgrounds will not let her camp even though she does not have an ugly truck to pull it, they say they will not allow campers older than 10 years.
She looked online and found a campground near her son and made reservations for them to stay there. She took my oldest grandson with her so someone would be at camp all day while they are visiting.
They made it over there with no problems and got the camp set up before dark. The next morning, she drove to the prison and they would not let the oldest granddaughter in to visit with her Dad.
This is a new place her Son had transferred to, and the first time they had visited there. This place requires anyone 12 and older to have an ID card to get in. My sister said her granddaughter broke down crying, and all she could do was hold her. She had to take her back to the camp and leave her with my grandson, and come back so the little sister could visit with her Dad. She does not get to see her Dad this entire trip. She just turned 12 in I think it was May. I think they could have let her see him once and told her the next time to have an ID.
Yesterday she told her son she would not be able to see him, she was taking the girls tubing. This way, the older one would feel a little better about not seeing her Dad. She paid to have the place drop them off uptide of her truck, and they floated back to the area where she parked. They drive back today, but first, I think she wanted to go to the Gulf and let the kids swim in it, she is not that far from it, but the weather is not looking good so I doubt they will do it.
photos are pics sent to me by my sister