Hello again and welcome!
Today’s post tells some stories about Charlie’s friends and neighbours, and a few of the happenings in the village.
Charlie had detailed memories of times with his friends…
“I remember playing with Percy Housan who lived three houses up from ours. They had a big backyard and we would make roads for our toy trucks. They also had the first short-wave radio in the village. We had to pump water by hand at their house from the basement to the tank upstairs. In 1935 or 1936, I remember Percy, Jack & Phil Smith, Ted & Joe Vaughan (who lived in the double house east of us) and I decided to dam up the creek flowing from the springs out of the woods behind our house. When the dam let go it carried a wood pile belonging to our neighbour east of us, Mr. Brown, down the stream. On Saturday, all of us boys had to gather and re-pile the wood.”
As a young person, Charlie enjoyed sports, including baseball, volleyball and badminton.
“I remember playing baseball on the Scotland team with Frank Hill and Bill Book, and riding the bobsleigh from Gundy’s down the icy driveway around the house almost to Oakland Road. Enid, Mary and I played badminton at Gundy’s on the corner of Marcus and Oakland Road, and at Ernie Keevil’s barn at the end of King’s Lane. I walked to Isobel Eddy’s on Bishop’s Gate Road to skate, and skated at the Pit.
“February 7, 1936, Father took Mary and me to Waterford for a skating party.” (Kate’s diary)
Charlie also remembered stories about some of the neighbours…
“On February 11, 1939, some village men flooded the Baptist drive shed for a skating rink. In the spring of 1940 the men of the village raised $300.00 to put in lights and build a dressing room.” (Kate’s diary)
“C. D. (Charlie’s father) did not like collecting from those that owed money. Mr. Slaght did the collecting. One time he was away and C.D. went to help his wife (Mrs. Slaght) with the milking, and did not know how she did it as the cow’s teats were so large and hard, and her hands were so small.” (Kate’s diary)
“I remember that Mr. Moore was the bank manager, and tough to deal with. I remember helping thrash oats with the Culberts across the street. Bill Maguire’s grandfather, Lorne Miller, used to walk from south on the Delhi Road to the station a mile east of Scotland. He shovelled a freight car full of gravel and then walked home. All in a day’s work!”
The photo above is the spring-fed pond and “woods behind our house” on the Hunter property. Apparently the site of some fun memories!
Til next time,
xo
andrea