- Gone hitchhiking. (As a kid, I was definitely in the car when my dad picked up hitchhikers, which wasnāt all that unusual at the time. In university, I worked with someone who hitchhiked the whole way across Canada with his girlfriend. And my uncle hitchhiked ten hours home every holiday during his undergrad in the late 1960s. Times change.)
- Gone go-carting.
- Slept in a yurt. (I have slept in a tent many times, though.)
- Sent or received a message in Morse code.
- Consumed coconut water straight from a coconut. (To be fair, I don’t think I’ve had coconut water from a can, either.)
- Been part of an official sand-sculpting competition.
- Hung wallpaper.
- Looked through a telescope. (I’m surprised I haven’t managed to do this in my lifetime.)
- Lost my wallet.
- Foraged for wild mushrooms (and/or eaten them).
Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4. Part 5. Part 6. Part 7. Part 8. Part 9. Part 10.
You know the drill!
- How many of my Never Evers have you done?
- Any good Lost and Found stories about missing wallets?
- Does anyone know how to communicate in Morse code?
- Any memorable hitchhiking stories?
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Let’s do this!!!
Go-carting – only once, and only because the rest of my family was doing it. 0/10, would not do again.
Coconut milk from the source – yes, as a kiddo. I remember that it was pretty hard to get inside the coconut.
Wallpaper – I did a very amateur patching job in my single gal house. That’s as far as I want to go with it.
Wallet – yes, but luckily it turned out to be under the seat of my car. Phew!
Just the thought of losing my wallet fills me with utter terror. Not because I carry much of value (i.e. cash), but the sheer enormity of the task of having to cancel and replace all the cards.
Oh, I was surprised about the telescope too! Since youāre such a lighthouse fan, I somehow pictured you as a bit of a stargazer too -no idea why I link those in my head. I bet your kids, especially Indy, would really enjoy getting a closer look at the moon someday!
Also, I tried coconut water straight from a coconut once in Brazil – not really my thing, but I do love the coconut flesh!
I know the kids would love it! And John loves the stars and is quite good at IDing constellations.
Oh this is always so fun. And I am beyond amazed that you can still come up with new stuff.
Gone hitchhiking. ā Yes, also was in the car when we picked people up
Gone go-carting. ā Yes, not a favorite. Too loud. Too many fumes.
Slept in a yurt. ā Nope
Sent or received a message in Morse code. ā Nope but tried to learn it as a teen
Consumed coconut water straight from a coconut. ā Yes, extended family in the Dominican Republic. Also recently bought it a few times.
Been part of an official sand-sculpting competition. ā Nope
Hung wallpaper. ā Yes
Looked through a telescope. (Iām surprised I havenāt managed to do this in my lifetime.) ā Yes. A few times
Lost my wallet. ā Thank god NO
Foraged for wild mushrooms (and/or eaten them). ā YES many times
I feel like foraging for mushrooms is more of a European thing than a NA one?
I didn’t even think about the noise and fumes, but I can see that being unpleasant. I’ve never even been to a track, let alone get inside a go-cart.
I’ve only done #8 and #9. My husband built a homemade telescope, so we used to have it out. I saw Saturn’s rings. It’s important to go to the middle of nowhere to get away from light pollution to see much. ( but one of the important pieces broke so we no longer gave it.)
I lost my wallet once and didn’t know it until the police dept called me to say it was turned in. We had been walking and crossed railroad tracks. I think it fell off the stroller ( I had a few toddlers/babies with me. ) luckily it was in a area with lots of nice pedestrians and a block from the police dept. Thank you random stranger who saved me a lot of hassle!
My brother did a lot of hitchhiking in his college years ( once from the East Coast to NV , I think), and my dad occasionally gave a ride. ( The 70s and 80s were different indeed!)
I did give someone a ride recently – at my favorite gas station, a woman asked me for a ride down to the courthouse as her car broke down and she had to get to a hearing. It was no problem- and I had no money or obvious wealth. I figured going to the courthouse there’d be a lot of police presence if she was any trouble.
I did probably help my dad hang wallpaper in my youth, but only as a assistant. We only have painted walls- my husband has had to peel off too much wallpaper in his day -not a fan!
A homemade telescope?? Wow. That’s impressive!
Nova Scotia has dark sky preserves, so we actually live in the perfect place to try this sort of thing. I should do some research and try to make this happen. Maybe 2026?
It’s a good thing you didn’t have time to worry about your wallet! Awesome that it had already shown up by the time you were notified/aware it was missing.
That’s the thing about wallpaper. Hanging sounds hard enough, but removing it sounds positively dreadful!
Wow, these are getting harder! Yes to the coconut one- I think it’s a Florida thing. We used to have friends who would pick coconuts right from their tree and break them open, then we’d drink the water.
The only other one is… I think I MUST have looked through a telescope??? And- I had my wallet stolen once, but never lost it.
Yikes! A stolen wallet sounds awful. Itās so violating and a major nuisance.
I have go-carted and also drank coconut water from a coconut. I haven’t lost my wallet but I have had it stolen! On my birthday of all things.
I have never hitched but my husband has. A girl I used to waitress with used (we were both early 20s) to pick up hitchhikers all the time and when I said that was worrisome, she said “Well, we all have to go sometime. If it’s my time, it’s my time, and at least I’ve helped people in need of a ride.” Okay. But?
What? How dare those thieves? Did you get it back? How did I not know this story?
Um, I can think of ways I’d FAR RATHER DIE THAN while picking up a nefarious hitchhiker. Eeks. It gives me all the creeps just thinking about it.
I do think it is much different to be a male in either position (picking up or being picked up).
WOW! I’ve only done #7 and that’s because the entry way into my second home was so bad, paint would not work, we had to cover the walls. And it was a pain to do! If I ever want wallpaper again, I will be hiring someone to do it!
Yes, this feels like a very good job to outsource!
You need a telescope, ASAP! Please find one on your next thrifting expedition; the kids would love it.
I’ve never hitchhiked, but I do remember seeing more people doing it back in the day, even women!
I don’t trust myself to forage for wild mushrooms; I’d be the one who died from a poisonous one.
I feel like I’d also be the one to die! I’ll just buy them at the grocery store, thank you very much.
And yes, the kids would love a telescope I’m sure. I will keep my eyes open at thrift stores.
Yes to:
2 – a few times
5 – recently on a trip to Vietnam
7 – didn’t hang it, but removed A LOT from house we currently live in
8 – at a friend’s house to have a better look at the whales out on the water
9 – left my wallet at home to take my daughter to the park and came home to a house invasion and my purse was stolen.
A HOME INVASION? This sounds positively horrid and so violating. I’m so sorry that happened to you. Though I will admit I’m very glad you and your daughter weren’t home as those things can go “wrong” sometimes and losing a wallet is awful but a lot less important than one’s personal safety. Eeks.
Iāve done none of these except the telescope. In grad school the astronomy club had a lot of events and one of my lab mates and I went to several. They were usually very cold (upstate NY in winter cold!) but very fun! Once my kids are bigger Iām hoping to get them interested in the night sky.
Nova Scotia has some Dark Sky Preserves, so I really should look into that, especially now that the kids are older and can easily stay up late at night!
I’m with you on everything except the hitchhiking! We would hitch hike all over Austria to get from campus to the bus or train stations. So scary now but everyone was doing it back in 2000.
It was definitely part of an era. I remember being in the car when my dad picked people up and it’s…wasn’t a big deal. I almost never see people hitchhiking now and I’m sure it’s by and large very safe, but it would NEVER cross my mind to stop and I would never dream of getting picked up by a stranger. Yikes.
Isn’t it crazy how society can change. It was so, so common back in the day.
I haven’t done any of these either unless you count drinking coconut water from another vessel besides a coconut. I did that once and thought YUCK!!! It was so terrible. Hardest pass ever.
My niece is very into astronomy and brought her telescope to my parents one year when she was up there the same time we were. So I had an opportunity to look through it, but that would involve staying up until it was dark, which was around 10pm at that time of the year and that is not going to happen for this lark!!
Yes, Iām often asleep before the stars are bright!!
I have gone go-carting, looked through a telescope, and lost my wallet. <– That one JUST happened to me last year and it was AWFUL since I was leaving on a cruise within two weeks of losing it and there was a big holiday in the middle, so I had to hustle to get everything I needed replaced ASAP.
I remember that now. That timing is horrible. Though, to be honest, I can’t think of a convenient time to lose a wallet. Though right before a trip does sound particularly terrible š
Thereās an observatory not too far away, and when there is a big meteorological (thank goodness for spell check on that one) event, you can drive up the hill and there are astronomers there with telescopes set up. Actually, looking online, they are set up every Friday and Saturday night, weather permitting. Iāve seen the rings of Saturn!
Losing your wallet – Does it count if you were walking to work in the early dark morning at 18 or 19, and someone stole your purse, including your wallet? The bad news is that it was really scary and I thought he might hurt me. The good news is that he did not. More good news – I didnāt have any cash or credit cards in my purse at the time, and I later went and looked around the big empty field where he ran, and I found my purse, including my wallet (with my ID which included my home address) and my house key. WHEW! Ask me why I will never live in my home town again.
I think Iāve gone go-karting once, but it wasnāt very fast or scary. Kind of fun. No real desire to go back though.
That sounds SO scary. I’m amazed (and saddened) by how many people have had their wallets stolens. Eeks. I’m glad it “ended well” but that is deeply traumatizing š
Oh, and I have never hitchhiked, but my father hitchhiked across the US (probably California to Massachusetts or New York and back) a couple of times in the 60s.
I have drunk coconut water from a coconut, looked through a telescope, lost my wallet (althugh not exactly lost, rather stolen when my backpack was stolen on a Sydney bus), foraged and eaten mushrooms. We used to always do this in autumn as kids, down at a friend’s farm in Gippsland, although I don’t think any Victorian will be able to forage for mushrooms now without thinking about the Mushroom Trial which all happened in the same area as our friend’s farm. (Google mushroom trial if you haven’t heard of it)
Oh, I’ve heard of the mushroom trial!!! It is bonkers and I cannot imagine how many true-crime documentaries will end up being made about it! Those poor victims; it sounds like a positively horrid way to die.
I’ve hitch hiked a ton. The year I studied abroad in Ireland, I hitched all over the country. It was accepted there and legal. Met a lot of interesting people and have a lot of funny stories.
I did lose my wallet and really I think someone stole it from me when I was pumping gas in my car when I was in college. That sucked. Big time.
I literally cannot get over how many people have had their wallet stolen. How dreadful!
I’ve had coconut water straight from a coconut in the Carribean, looked through a telescope, and hung wallpaper. I despise wallpaper and will never again use it anywhere in my home (it’s the worst to remove!) The thought of foraging mushrooms freaks me out. It would be so easy to make a deadly mistak.
Wallpaper seems to be having a moment again! I wonder if itās easier to remove now??
I think the mushroom murders have made the dangers all the more real and front-of-mind.
I like mushrooms but donāt love them so itās definitely not worth any risk for me! Iāll buy them at the store occasionally and call it good!
I have looked through a telescope! I actually took Astronomy for my science in college, and was taking an upper level Observational Astronomy class {that I had to drop for family health issues/travel missing the once-weekly class} – that was awesome because we got to look through the BIG telescope in the observatory on campus š I’ve wanted one of my own ever since, haha
What a fun course! I don’t think anything like that existed at my university!
I have not done most of what’s on your list but I have hung a lot of wallpaper in my day! My mom and I used to have a little wallpaper shop. Wonderful memories š
Wow, you OWNED a wallpaper shop. I didn’t even think about such a thing existing. It’s sounds so quaint. I wonder if you’ve ever written it into one of your books?
A bit later than usual on this one. Once again I’ve not done very many
Gone hitchhiking – once or twice when I was a lot younger. Wouldn’t dream of trying now though
Gone go-carting – nope
Slept in a yurt. (I have slept in a tent many times, though.) – no but like you have slept in a tent and an awning on the side of a caravan
Sent or received a message in Morse code – when I was in venture sconts but wouldn’t have a clue now
Consumed coconut water straight from a coconut ??I *think* I have but not 100% sure
Been part of an official sand-sculpting competition – no
Hung wallpaper – yes, a couple of times and was very impressed with myself when it didn’t fall down š
Looked through a telescope – yes but have used binoculars more
Lost my wallet – once and I can still remember the abject fear on realising that I didn’t have it with me.
Foraged for wild mushrooms (and/or eaten them) – never foraged but have eaten them at a restaurant. I have though on numerous occasions picked blackberries, elderberries, cobnuts, sloes
I’m impressed you ever knew how to communicate in Morse code. And I bet it would come back to you quickly!!
I’ve used binoculars, too! I should have thought to include that. Not quite as exciting as a telescope, but my parents always had a pair handy at the lake since we would often look for loons out on the water.
Also…what are cobnuts and sloes (they look like blueberries?)???
Cobnuts are a type of hazelnut grown mainly in the county of Kent (south east England – the next county east of me)
https://www.thespruceeats.com/what-are-cobnuts-435410
Sloes grow on blackthorn bushes and are mainly used to make sloe gin but can be used for jam making. I’ve used them in a kind of hedgerow jam using blackberries and sloes.
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2020/09/sloe-gin-recipe/
Fascinating! I learn something new every day š
Apparently I only have the bandwidth to comment on NHIE posts…
Gone hitchhiking. YES, many times, in fact, in the last six months I have done it a few times! š
Gone go-carting. Yup!
Slept in a yurt. Yup!
Sent or received a message in Morse code. Um, I know how to say SOS, does that count? I don’t have a device that I can send it on though. Tap, tap, tap!
Consumed coconut water straight from a coconut. Definitely! Straight from the tree! And highly recommend!
Been part of an official sand-sculpting competition. No, not artistic over here.
Hung wallpaper. No, what is this the 1800s?
Looked through a telescope. Yes.
Lost my wallet. Yes. And got it back!
Foraged for wild mushrooms (and/or eaten them). Yes.
8/10 haha, or maybe 7 if you don’t count the Morse code one! Thanks for entertaining me once again (also I love reading through the comments on these posts!)
It does NOT surprise me that you have gone hitchhiking!!
I’ll count SOS. So, wow. You’ve done a lot of these things.
I’m a bit surprised you haven’t done the wallpaper thing since your family is so handy.
Wayyy late, but here I go:
Gone hitchhiking. Yes, together with my mom, it was fine. Not sure I’d be happy for my kids to do this though.
Gone go-carting. Yes, but it was REALLY HARD – I didn’t have a license at the time
Slept in a yurt. No, does a tipi count?
Sent or received a message in Morse code. At a museum, yes, where they had all kinds of things about communication.
Consumed coconut water straight from a coconut. When I was in India in 2015, yes. It tasted great! I even made my coworker take a picture of me so I had proof.
Been part of an official sand-sculpting competition. No, but I have been part of a treasure hunt at the beach?
Hung wallpaper. Yes, in 2003, when my parents moved house and they had wallpaper left for my room but no paint. After a couple of years they removed it and painted over it *lol* My brother promised to help me but he dissapeared before I was finished. Also, as it was odds and ends, I had wallpaper in pink, yellow, orange and green.
Looked through a telescope. Yes, again at a museum
Lost my wallet. No, thank you universe!
Foraged for wild mushrooms (and/or eaten them). No, but I have eaten them. They were foraged by somebody who knew what they were doing!
You hitchhiked with your mom – wow! That’s quite an adventure.
I clearly need to go to museums more frequently!