Our Bus Stop

Front row Middle girl yes that’s me.

Mom got me all dressed up and walked me to the top of the street.

The rest of the kids from the neighborhood where there too.  Not sure if my Mom was the only one to take photos but I can tell the sun was in my eyes.   Didn’t we all look like we were eager to attend. The real photo she should have concentrated on getting was the last day I attended SCHOOL,  now that was the most important day!

My best friend was in the back row standing next to a boy.  She moved here from the deep south Georgia and Alabama .  We were best of friends instantly.  We did everything together. She would come places with my family like to Zoos and Parks and I would go with her family to the Ocean.  The place I always went with them to,  is still my very favorite section even though storms have destroyed so much of what was so beautiful.

We had one TV,  a Black and White for years.  We also got to play after supper,  under the one street light, which happened to be right in front of our house. We played kickball and dodge ball life was good.

Out of all the years Cathy and I  attended school together we were only in one class together,  eighth grade math.  By then we liked boys though neither of us were allowed to date.  Boys would come over and sit around and listen to music with us but no dating.

When we went to high school we parted ways she went to the local high school in town and took college courses

while I took a test to be accepted to the new School in town.  Vocational/Technical High School that had students from five towns attending.  It was a beautiful school and I met so many wonderful people and you know most of our small class of 1974 is on my Facebook Friend list.  I think this speaks volumes of the times and the families.  We came from hard working,  Blue collar workers with one car,  3 kids and a dog and no divorces.

I never asked if we were rich or poor I never went without supper unless I refused to eat what Mom cooked.  Remember the dog, he would eat ANYTHING, he was our best friend at the dinner table till Mom caught on and tied him outside while we ate. We tried to always finish supper no mater how much we hated Lima Bean Soup so we could have dessert remember she was a great baker, her cakes and pastries were the best tasting.

We were allowed to go out after breakfast and not return till lunch you see we lived on a dead-end road with just 15 houses on it and all our other friends lived in the other houses with their brothers and sisters.  We were never inside unless it was raining. We always played at each others houses.  The Mother’s we always home. I can only remember two times I actually had a babysitter well till I turned eleven and became one.  I babysit my brothers, I had 3 of them and then babysit for a family with 8 children and a family with two of the sweetest little girls.  I made enough money babysitting and  always bought family gifts at Christmas but put mine and my brothers names on them for our parents.

So many things happened on this dead-end street where I grew up.  I loved this place so much I never wanted to grow up. It was a place where many memories, that will last a lifetime, were made.