Long ago & far away, we lived in a magical old house on Water Street. It was in south eastern Alaska. In the island town of
Ketchican.
We had no front yard, just a few steps leading down to the side walk,
which took you down Water Street to a small market, where we would walk to pick up a loaf of bread or gallon of milk. There was always a wolf dog laying out side the store. You didn't dare get near this dog. He would growl if you got to close.
The back of the house had a huge picture window looking out on the ocean.
We had a parakeet named Davey, who sat by the window & helped us look for
pirate ships.
One of the ships we kept an eye out for was "The Flying Dutchman" a notorious ghost ship.
Legend has it, the captain made a deal with the devil & the vessel is doomed to sail the oceans forever.
Looking out the window and down to the rocky beach, one day we saw a terrifying sight.
My older sister Susan and cousin Jenny where
crawling out on a rock to get a
quarter. The tide was coming in and waves where pounding against the rock. They did get a good spanking for that adventure!
My cousin
vernon and I had great times exploring the caves and searching for treasures in tide pools.
I had a pair of little, red, canvas tennis shoes. The kind that the rubber comes up over the toes. I thought I was to old for shoes like that, so one morning,
before school, I hid them under my bed. Mom searched
frantically for them while all along I knew just where they where. At the last minute realizing I had no other shoes to wear I crawled under my bed to get them.
Across the street and up the road a bit lived a very nice lady. She had long grey hair, kept in a braid. She had wooden steps leading up
thru her yard to the house, with trees & bushes all around. She had birds and
squirrels that she could feed by hand.
May first she invited all the
neighborhood kids over to do a May day dance. She had a pole with ribbons
attached to the top. We each took a ribbon and with her instructions weaved in and out around the pole to create a
beautifully decorated May pole.
What are your childhood memories of special places you lived?
" Over the hills & thru the woods,
