Now, where did I leave off? Ahhhh .. Utica! Now, that was a whole new story. A completely new set of discoveries and friends. It was where I (and some friends) discovered rockets from Estes, and that leads to all sorts of stories. 🙂 Trips to the Park. Trips to the Library. And not to mention having to walk to school uphill both ways. LOL
Utica was also a time of learning. Science projects were fun, and my friends were very creative. they obtained parts from NASA and created a fuel cell that they improved every year. By the third year, their fuel cell was amazing (at least to me).
But, in three years, Dad was transfered to Stittville. Sounds like a small town and it was! Two streets through town. But, the house was nice and I was beginning to really come into my own.
I remember walking railroad tracks to rivers and pastures I’d never see from the road. I remember nights playing crazy games with the neighbor’s kids. I remember two Proms where I learned what an idiot I really was. And, I began to learn about love. Not “Love” … that would be a few more years away. But, I learned about the heart and touching and longing and other things much more precious than “Love.”
This was also where I learned to drive. Haha. I obtained my driving permit and drove with my Mom many times into Utica to get groceries. I never got around to taking my driver’s test. I was in no hurry to drive alone. I think I renewed my permit three time before running off to college. And, there, I walked everywhere. but, I get ahead of things.
That two years in Stittville was almost magical. In Winter the snow was perfect for building. And there was plenty of it. I remember walking though a field one winter, crossing a fence and stepping off into a snow drift and was up to my chest in it. It was so fun!
Springs brought new life and everything seemed to glow. The days got longer. It, too, was just plain fun. And, the sap was running on the sugar maples, which meant the smell of boiling sap would soon fill the air.
Summer was just too busy with exploring, now that there was no school. It’s amazing how my brother and I would wander the countryside. You wouldn’t do that now a-days.
Fall was the most magical of all. All the sugar maples turned bright red. And the smell of burning leaves would fill the air. The days started getting shorter. We were back to school. but, that was good: good to see our friends again.
Graduation was fun but sad. We were separating, spreading out across the state. Some stayed to help on their parent’s farm.
I tried working that summer. Got one job mixing “mud” for some bricklayers. That was good. I received many compliments on my “mud.” When that job ended (yah .. just one foundation that summer), I took a waiter job at a resort area. Never again. I was never meant to be a waiter. LOL.
From this point, I jump to school at Syracuse University. But, that’s my next installment. See you back here then.