Anthony's Pond

In the 50's and 60's, Anthony's Pond was one of the greatest places for a kid to be during the summer in Adams. Frigid cold water that ran from the top of Mt Greylock trickled into the pond and filled it. It had a small dam on one end with an overflow for excess water. The water was so cold that it was hard to get a body into it except during the hottest days of summer. However, when the dog days of summer arrived, it was a wonderful place to cool off.

Anthony's was a very special place for many reasons. First, the owner, Ralph Anthony, had built a concession stand for snacks, drinks, and pinball. It also had a men's and women's changing area so you could change out of your suit. Second, it had a diving board with lots of spring and also a high diving tower. The tower was a scary place because of its height and also, once you climbed up to the top, it was hard to go back down without looking like a big chicken. So you really had to suck it up and jump! Third: Anthony's had swings, a merry-go-round, and riding animals on springs. But my very favorite thing about Anthony's was the dance hall with the juke box. If you put a nickel into the juke box, you could play your very favorite songs. It was so much fun to dance to the music of the 50's and 60's in the dance hall: Beach Boys, Martha and the Vandellas, Beatles. It was such a fun place for teens and tweens to hang out in the summer.

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!