Stories From My Childhood: "The Bucket"

My family went on vacation every summer. Almost always this meant driving long hours to various states in the Union. When it came to long car rides, my siblings and I were very much lightweights. We would get car sick...a lot. And it wasn't just one or two of us. It was ALL FIVE of us. I doubt there was a single vacation without someone getting carsick and throwing up. To help with this car-ride challenge, we had "the bucket." It was an empty plastic gallon ice cream container with plastic shopping bags in it - several on the bottom and one placed in like a trashcan liner. If anyone felt queasy or sick..."Get the bucket!" It would be tucked under a seat somewhere and the sick one would take it and put it on their lap in case they had to throw up. And by the time the second kid was feeling queasy, the first was usually feeling better and we could pass the bucket along. And if someone did throw up, all we had to do was throw out that one plastic bag at the next pit-stop and line "the bucket" with another plastic bag - all ready to go for the inevitably next sick kid.