It's time for what some would call a vacation!

[formergothardite]

Someone asked about the beards on an earlier post, but Steve didn't explain much:

Jody on August 25, 2013 at 7:10 pm said:

Love the photos! Do I detect that the Maxwell gents have given up shaving for their mountain vacation? :)

>>>>>>>>>

Yes, something a bit different.

Something a bit different that all the guys must do because if just one did it it would be too different.

[uber frau]

My personal theory is that Mary was caught shaving her legs and that razors and defoliating implements have been banned for as long as the bathroom is being shared.

[rosamundi]

Someone will sing all the words to Row, Row, Row Your Boat.

Don't tell me, let me guess - they stop before "life is but a dream"?

[Pathfinder]

I noticed in the new round of photos that even Steve has a definite stubble. I still think the beards are a precursor for a upcoming Christmas play.

[WonderingInWA]

I noticed in the new round of photos that even Steve has a definite stubble. I still think the beards are a precursor for a upcoming Christmas play.

I don't know -- it looks like it doesn't take but a couple of weeks for those Maxwell boys to grow beards so it would be early for them to be doing it now. Maybe this is just their trial run.

[twin2]

My personal theory is that Mary was caught shaving her legs and that razors and defoliating implements have been banned for as long as the bathroom is being shared.

Sadly, this is a very plausible explanation.

[MamaJunebug]

Don't tell me, let me guess - they stop before "life is but a dream"?

Certainly before "merrily! merrily! merrily! merrily!"

[twin2]

I've re-written Row Row Row Your Boat for Steve-O

Read Read Read Your Bible

All the day and night

Death Death Death Death

Know where you'll go when you die

[Odd1Out]

Row, row, row your kayak

In the Colorado stream

Same vacation we take every year

I think I'm going to scream.

[marmalade]

The last line resonates life in Maxhell...

[bbfreethinker]

The last line resonates life in Maxhell...

And why I chose this as my avatar.

[bbfreethinker]

He really is, but this raises the question of why "something a bit different" is being allowed at all. Everything in Maxhell has to be the same every day, every year, for all time. (Except frumpers, which make only the rarest appearances now.) You let the facial hair grow, and soon you'll be down to one Bible time a day, putting meat back in the burritos, and forgetting to talk about death with everyone you meet. The fan blades won't get wiped. Someone will sing all the words to Row, Row, Row Your Boat. Once that happens, there will be no turning back. Joseph will move into his house and have sweet fellowship with himself every morning at the same time Family Bible Time used to happen. Jesse will break his guitar over Steve's head. Teri will chug cans of Pepsi one after the other, dropping the empty cans on the floor. And no one will care where they're going when they die.

My thought is that this "vacation" is a deliberate part of Steve's agenda. Give them just enough well-controlled "fun" so that they don't think their lives are total drudgery.

[already hungover]

Wipe, wipe, wipe the fan

Wipe it nice and clean!

Drudgery, drudgery, drudgery, drudgery!

Why is Dad so mean?

[anjulibai]

This was Steve's response to my question; I'm not really sure what it means:

Great pictures! Are the guys doing a beard growing challenge?

>>>>>>>

They were something different for vacation. We’ll see when they go away.

[SPHASH]

Cook cook cook those burritos. Tasty without any beans Wash wash wash it down. With a smoothie lime green

[Odd1Out]

This was Steve's response to my question; I'm not really sure what it means:

Great pictures! Are the guys doing a beard growing challenge?

>>>>>>>

They were something different for vacation. We’ll see when they go away.

Uh, yes Steve, it's everyone else that can't make conversation. Not you!

[marmalade]

Uh, yes Steve, it's everyone else that can't make conversation. Not you!

I know! This fool wrote a book on being a great conversationalist? Speaking to readers in such a dismissive tone isn't going to open any new hearts to Jeebus, Stevieboy-o.

[MissBeaufort]

Pray, pray, pray all day

Think upon your sins

Sweetly sweetly sweetly sweetly

Ignore the hell you're in

[YPestis]

Steve has always been curt in his comments. However, I've seen this folks of a certain age who did not grow up in the internet culture and never learned proper netiquette. They may be polite in real life but they treat online correspondences like short hand notes, not realizing how rude they sound.

I'm not trying to excuse Steve's rudeness, especially as he likes to tout his great "communication" skills, but it's a common mistake I've seen, especially back when the online communication like texting and emailing went mainstream in the 90's.

Perhaps this is also a symptom of a bigger issue with the Maxwells: their knowledge of the rest of the world ended with the 80's, so they have no understanding of the general cultural changes since then. The few times they took a peek at our pop culture, they probably ran screaming back to Bible study, praying for the end of the world.

The Maxwells would like to present themselves as living this idyllic life far removed from the heathen world, but they are really just keeping themselves in ignorance of how the real world actually functions. I'm still amazed they manage to retain business with the secular world through their business. You have to wonder how often their clients must scratch their heads wondering what planet these people come from.....

[marmalade]

Hell, I think WE wonder what planet they come from most of the time. :lol:

[WonderingInWA]

Hell, I think WE wonder what planet they come from most of the time. :lol:

Well, duh -- it's Planet Maxwell. They made it themselves, which is really quite remarkable if you think about how hard it probably was to make all the other planets. Steve's an engineer. He's totally got one over on God when it comes to creating his own world.

[nokidsmom]

My thought is that this "vacation" is a deliberate part of Steve's agenda. Give them just enough well-controlled "fun" so that they don't think their lives are total drudgery.

And when they do have "fun" it is very well controlled. And just as their everyday lives are the same, so are their "vacations". It sounds exactly like their vacation last year.

There's never an instance where any of them can go off and do their own thing. It's all togetherness. Now, if the kids were young I can see it but for the teenagers and adults, I would think this would drive them stark raving mad. I didn't mind my family vacations as a kid but when I hit my teenage years, it bothered me more to be in the tent camper with no privacy and having to do everything together. When I was forced to take my last family vacation at the age of 20, I absolutely hated it.

[uber frau]

There's never an instance where any of them can go off and do their own thing. It's all togetherness. Now, if the kids were young I can see it but for the teenagers and adults, I would think this would drive them stark raving mad. I didn't mind my family vacations as a kid but when I hit my teenage years, it bothered me more to be in the tent camper with no privacy and having to do everything together. When I was forced to take my last family vacation at the age of 20, I absolutely hated it.

Oh but you're forgetting the reversal children were allowed to climb Mt Jones on their own. Sort of. They took a different (more taxing) route to their parents and Poor Sarah. And John was allowed to stay behind to finish his work. I wonder if he got be alone or if the 'relatives' had to look after him. Also, what kind of 'work' is so urgent that he can't leave it for a day?

[nokidsmom]

Oh but you're forgetting the reversal children were allowed to climb Mt Jones on their own. Sort of. They took a different (more taxing) route to their parents and Poor Sarah. And John was allowed to stay behind to finish his work. I wonder if he got be alone or if the 'relatives' had to look after him. Also, what kind of 'work' is so urgent that he can't leave it for a day?

I did notice that some of the kids took a different route on the mountain but totally forgot about John staying behind to finish up on work. Guess these are little freedoms they are "allowed" but in John's case, it was "work" so maybe that was ok. As far as urgency of this work, if it's providing income to the family cult, then maybe Stevovah isn't going to say no to it either. Do wonder how much of a case any of the kids have to make to Steve to in order to be "allowed" these things. One can be darn sure that these decisions aren't being made without Steveovah's input and permission.

[Rita]

And John was allowed to stay behind to finish his work. I wonder if he got be alone or if the 'relatives' had to look after him. Also, what kind of 'work' is so urgent that he can't leave it for a day?

Maybe: the kind of work that is really a hangover from drinking to deal with the family; he was sulky and Steve couldn't trust him to be sweet in the hiking pictures, so he was left behind as punishment (he's too big to beat).