Gram's House

Some of my favorite memories are from spending time at my maternal grandmother's house on Alger Street. Gram would let us roam down in the back of her property in the woods and along the brook. My brothers and I would spend hours catching minnows, small trout, and salamanders. The woods had a wonderful smell and we would hike through the woods to Bellevue Falls. In the summer, the brook was a trickle but there were many nice holes where the trout and minnows swam. In the spring, the brook was high with all of the melting snow and it could be dangerous...too many rocks and swift water.

We had a blast in the brook during the summer. We would use inner tubes and slide down the small falls. We would often watch the daredevil big kids jump off the rocks and ledges at the Falls. It was a dangerous place to play and kids routinely got hurt if they didn't jump into the right spots.

Across the street from Gram's house was a huge grassy hill that we climbed in the summer to stand at the top and fly kites. When the wind was just right, you could fly your kite all afternoon. My brothers and I and cousin Wayne would spend hours up there. When we were tired of kites, we would lie in the grass and stare up at the clouds. The smell of the tall grass and the warm sun was wonderful and I often thought I was in heaven. No cares...no worries...just warm sun and fragrant grass...wonderful!