Childhood Memories

[JohnHarrelson]

Take a moment to think back to your "Growing Up" years.. 

Those years between the ages of 6 and 15.
BEFORE you got your first car and discovered the world was larger than your family. 

** What was the favorite food back then and have not eaten since.. maybe a food your Mother made or a favorite candy or drink  ?

** What was your favorite "toy" …  a bicycle,  BB gun,  Doll,  roller skates …?

** What was the one thing you looked forward to each summer ….  visiting a favorite Uncle or Grandfather,   going to the beach with your family,   a camping trip with the Boy or Girl Scouts  ?

** Which birthday was the most special and exciting

** Which Christmas (Hanukah, etc) was the most remembered ?

in other words what is your fondest memory of those wonderful years between 6 and 15, when life was simple and fun ?

Some of mine are visiting my Uncle in Conway, SC when Myrtle Beach was just a small beach front community where he took me fishing on that long fishing pier.

My other Uncle's farm where I helped rake up the peanuts and stack them on the pole to dry, and the summer I helped dig up sweet potatoes and then stood in the shade of the trees eating thin slices of the freshly peeled potato my Uncle would slice for me.

and I'll never forget the fantastic taste of raw sugar cane my Uncle would cut and peel for me to chew on. 

Christmas 1955, I was 13 and Santa left a 22 rifle under the tree for me.. my first "real gun" 

I could go on and on, but now it's your turn..  What are some of your wonderful memories from your childhood?

Remember it must be  between ages 6 and 15 ?

 

[Deb_A]

I have very few good memories from childhood, but I cling to the ones I have.

I loved summer, because I could stay outside and away from the house all day, but mostly because of wild summer fruits. Summer was the only time I felt free and wasnot hungry.

For two weeks every summer, we would go visit my grandmother on the island where she lived in a small cottage on a salt water creek. My cousins and I would ramble the dirt roads and back woods, swim, catch crabs and gather oysters from the creek in front of her house. There was an abandoned family home down the road through the woods where we would take buckets and gather plums and pears, which my grandmother would make into lovely preserves and desserts.

We bathed in an old tin tub under the hand pump out back, and I remember that the water was SOOOOO COLD! My mother taught me to pick crabs when I was 5 years old, and I loved sitting out on the back steps of that tiny cottage picking crabs and shucking oysters. Even more, I loved the deviled crabs and oyster stew that followed, plus the fish, shrimp and grits we had for breakfast.

My grandmother would take me with her to gather wild greens and herbs, and I'll always picture her in her wide-brimmed sunhat with her herb basket on her arm, and her long, flowing dress. I still cry and still miss her to this day.

My immediate family did not give me any good memories to treasure, it was just that summer freedom and grandmotherly love that made the rest of the year bearable.

 

[Beeps and eats]

My family has had a cottage on lake Erie on a Canadian island since my Great grandfather built it in 1926. I went up with my grandfather at the age of 12 and after a week being there he had to return for a business meeting. He asked me if I'd like to stay instead of returning with him.
After a few hours of practice I was confident at my ability to drive his covertable Buick Wildcat should I need it.
And drove him to the little airport to fly back to Ohio. The next week I had all to myself. Our cottage didn't have running water or electricity so it was a propane stove and refrigerator and water was a well about a mile away from the cottage. I spent my days taking care of the garden and fishing and my nights were either spent reading a book by an oil lamp or walking out into the corn field and laying down and watching the stars with no lights to disrupt the view. After my time as a boy on my own I gained a special perspective about spending time "Alone". Don't get me wrong, I enjoy conversation and company but. The quiet and time to genuflect is something that most people try to avoid.
I tend to seek those moments and rejuvenate the inner 12 year old who thought he was a man for a week. When in actuality, it lasted my whole life. To this day I think back on that vacation and as I look up at the stars I always say thanks to my grandfather for opening up a path I probably wouldn't have found on my own.
This lifestyle isn't because of economics or tragic events. I live this way because I deeply enjoy the solitude and the concert the natural world plays for us should we decide to be still and listen. Learning that lesson at an early age set forth the planning and learning to become who I am today. A nomad who loves the natural world and enjoys visiting with people.
Sure it's almost the opposite of what people "normally do". And to that I ask,
Isn't normal the feeling we have when we are most comfortable in and with our environment?. I'm not a hermit nor an introvert just a quiet guy enjoying every sight and sound I can before the day I die comes, and I won't fear it,moreso I'll embrace it,because I have truly lived life.
I haven't spent it accumulating wealth and material items I have a treasure I can take with me. Memories.
Thanks for opening this discussion it's
Nice to have the opportunity to reveal who we are by who were.
Beeps.

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