good ol' days

[michael clubb]

I was thinking about when I was a kid and the simple pleasures I had with my 5 brothers and sisters. Now I am wondering about yours. One fun thing was building blanket tents in the living room. Did any of you do that? We lived in a house surrounded by grass land and wood land. We built tree house 30 or 40 feet in the air. How about you? What are you favorite memories of childhood?

[Angharad]

It might be a good time to revive this happy discussion...

Because we often moved several times a year (Navy family) and because my 2 brothers were much older than I, I didn't have a childhood with long-time neighborhood friends or games with my siblings or family get-togethers, etc. But what I did have was adventure, and for a newness junkie like me, that was the best!

I saw the beauty of all 50 states, and countless snake farms, biggest ball of twine, biggest frying pan, etc., roadside attractions. ツ I lived in a new house almost every year, which was cool--as my mom used to say, "we move when the ashtrays get full." LOL. I made friends all over the country and was never in one place long enough for the friendships to get routine. I lived in Hawaii when it was just barely a state--LOTS of crazy experiences there. I skied in Vermont, rode horses in Washington, sailed in Rhode Island, and surfed in California. Rode bikes, skateboarded, hang-glided, repelled--you name it, I did it. It was exciting!  

[Aggie]

I was fortunate to grow up on large ranch and visited my Grandparents farm every weekend.  Learned to live off the land.  Everyone had a job to do.  I can say I chopped and picked cotton by hand.  Grew sugarcane for my sweet tooth.  Got in hog business at age 9 by writing a essay on why I would like a Sears and Roebuck pig.  Had Grand Champion hog at age 10.  Traveled the country while in 4-H.

[Angharad]

While I'm a nomad by nature (or, perhaps, nurture--I can't be sure ツ), I can also see the beauty and allure of having a place you call home. It must have been so cool, Aggie, to grow up on land of which you felt a real part. And of course ranching/farming is such an important life and so in tune with nature. Also, having family all around--a real support system--must have been priceless.

[Baia]

My best memories of childhood had to do with my solitary nature and independence.  I was the oldest of three girls and I had a lot of freedom while my mom was busy with my more demanding younger sisters.  So long as I was home at predictable intervals, nobody much minded what i had been up to.  From age 5 I would wander around the neighborhood during the day.  I'd visit the school, the rec center, the library and in the early morning the yards of neighbors who had swing sets.  In the summer, we would go to my grandparents' house at a beach on the Kitsap Peninsula near Seattle.  There I would do the same curious wandering around.  Nothing bad ever happened to me or anybody I knew. 

After we moved into Seattle, I got a bike which enabled me to travel even further.  I never had any problems so long as I was home by dinner.  My children and grandson were pretty much the same as me.  Luckily none of us have ever had any mishaps in our wanderings--just lots of great adventures.  Right now my grandson is relieving his cabin fever by taking long walks along one of the Lake Washington floating bridges which is near where he is living now.  He rescued a muskrat that he found along the way that might have been dropped on the bridge by an eagle.  He brought it to a vet who took care of it.  Another great adventure.