Barn!

Yesterday, I had breakfast (sans boys) with a friend at Cracker Barrel.  After eating way more than was necessary, I browsed their country store for Easter basket fare.

I spotted these and let out a whoop that turned heads.

Oh the hours my brother, sister and I spent playing Auto Bingo in our wood-paneled station wagon!  It was by far, our favorite road trip game. 

After a few initial cheating issues, my mother made the rule that you had to call out what you saw.  If I'm in the car with my sister, we still call out "barn!"  "silo!"  even without the cards.

The cards are somewhat hard to find.  I've only ever seen them on the Internet and South of the Border. 

I bought my last set at South of the Border in 1989, when my Carr Dad kept his word and took his whole crew to Disney World.  My youngest sister was five.  I was eighteen.  We bribed Dad to stop at the Border with the promise of ice cream. While he sat on a bench enjoying his soft serve, I went in search of Auto Bingo.

Those cards made it through several college Spring Breaks and a few pre-kid road trips.  But at some point a window was left down and they got damp.  The cards were warped and some of the little doors had fallen out.  I kept a couple in a zip lock, thinking I'd repair them some how.  I finally threw them out a few months ago.

And now, thanks to Cracker Barrell, we have four new cards.