Or is the point at which you no longer WANT to cope with life a warning that the point at which you can no longer cope with life is dangerously close?
Or is the point at which you no longer WANT to cope with life simply a cop out?
Sunday, April 24, 2011
A Philosophical Question
Or is the point at which you no longer WANT to cope with life a warning that the point at which you can no longer cope with life is dangerously close?
Or is the point at which you no longer WANT to cope with life simply a cop out?
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Memories and History
I have always been into history. Primarily, I have been into ancient and medieval history - generally up through 1899. After that, I just haven't had much interest. WWI, WWII, the stock market crash, Bay of Pigs, etc etc - just never held a lot of interest for me despite not having lived through any of that.
However, lately, I have had a fascination for learning about the history of the area in which I live. Milford, Woodmont, West Haven.... trying to find maps and descriptions of the area from the late 50's and early 60's, trying to find views of foggy memories I have of the area at that time as it has greatly changed over the last 50 years. To that end, I have been picking up books about the area. As well as doing a lot of walking around the area... hiking, taking photos, google-ing various points of interest. I had walked around and taken pictures of the train tracks, walked on them across Washington Ave, and pictures of the old Buckle Factory from both the tracks and the street.
In one book - I found a picture of the building of the underpass next to the Buckle Factory that would allow Washington Ave to be completed. I find little things like knowing that the land the street was on was once level with the train tracks above it -as Mr. Spock would say - fascinating! The Buckle Factory of which I speak was built prior to the Civil War and produced many of the belt buckles used by servicemen of that era. The building still exists today - however, the front of it has fallen sadly into disrepair and the grounds are fenced off.
The area where I chase the deer...... just prior to it becoming a state park (Silver Sands), it was a landfill.... which explains, of course, the horrible texture and color of the water in the ponds there. But prior to it being a landfill, it was beach homes.
In the summer of 1970, with 'Close to You' by the local celebrities Karen and Richard Carpenter playing on the family car radio - I remember our first family trip to the end of East Broadway in Milford where there was a wall, a dirt parking lot, and a semi-sandy/semi-stony beach. Jutting out from the beach was the sandbar leading to Charles Island which we walked. This has been a wildlife sanctuary for most of my life. However, one can still see vestiges of the monastery it once was.... And before that - a hotel.
Further down the shoreline - Walnut Beach - which has been apartments for as far back as I can remember. But somewhere in the mists of my mind, I had for many years imagined there too was an amusement park.... And in my research I found that such did exist! Walnut Beach Park - about which, apparently, not much is known / written existed until the mid 1960's.
In the fog of my mind also exists the remnants of Savin Rock Amusement Park. The Flying Horses still stood when I was a child. As did Jimmies of Savin Rock (with Savin Rock (the physical hillock) behind it), one of the roller coasters, and some of the other pieces of faded glory - like the hotels on Bradley Point (of which I can find no photo or painting as yet). I have taken many photos of the land on which these hotels once stood. I also have photos of the veranda of one, the cement stairs leading down to the water in a rock cove, and three sets of stairs to the beach...
After Savin Rock came down, or perhaps just before, there was a drive-in hamburger stand that went up on Bradley Point which competed very well with McDonalds - shoestring french fries (with more salt than the Dead Sea!), and hamburgers with enough grease and cheese to compete with my grandmothers hamburgers (which were, by the way, fried in bacon grease! and no - neither grandparent had clogged arteries - go figure!). This place was called Scotties. In all my searching, I have not found a picture or mention of same - yet, it was so indelibly imprinted on my mind and my brothers that we still refer to the beach near there as 'Scotties Beach'. This was at the intersection of Platt Ave and the end of Captain Thomas Blvd and beginning of Ocean Ave.
Also in this area was a skating area - it is now reclaimed by marshland - but, I skated there on my first pair of double runners (the ones that buckled on to the bottom of your boots) in 1962.
Tonite, I was at Barne's and Noble on the Boston Post Road near the Connecticut Post Mall.... once the Connecticut Post - for a long time, this was a strip mall - not enclosed at all. Where the Barnes and Noble now stands was Ryder Park - a trailer home park. The battle for investors to purchase that tract of land went on for years - how I wish they had lost. But, just as Doris Gagnon lost her bid for her home, so too did the residents of this quiet park lose theirs. They say it is in the name of progress....
I suppose I am getting older. As such, the memories become more precious - and more fleeting. I find that as I accept what is, I forget what was, and what was before that. I forget so much that I wonder, sometimes, if what I saw ever existed at all - like the amusement park at Walnut Beach. I hope to continue to write what I do remember....
However, lately, I have had a fascination for learning about the history of the area in which I live. Milford, Woodmont, West Haven.... trying to find maps and descriptions of the area from the late 50's and early 60's, trying to find views of foggy memories I have of the area at that time as it has greatly changed over the last 50 years. To that end, I have been picking up books about the area. As well as doing a lot of walking around the area... hiking, taking photos, google-ing various points of interest. I had walked around and taken pictures of the train tracks, walked on them across Washington Ave, and pictures of the old Buckle Factory from both the tracks and the street.
In one book - I found a picture of the building of the underpass next to the Buckle Factory that would allow Washington Ave to be completed. I find little things like knowing that the land the street was on was once level with the train tracks above it -as Mr. Spock would say - fascinating! The Buckle Factory of which I speak was built prior to the Civil War and produced many of the belt buckles used by servicemen of that era. The building still exists today - however, the front of it has fallen sadly into disrepair and the grounds are fenced off.
The area where I chase the deer...... just prior to it becoming a state park (Silver Sands), it was a landfill.... which explains, of course, the horrible texture and color of the water in the ponds there. But prior to it being a landfill, it was beach homes.
In the summer of 1970, with 'Close to You' by the local celebrities Karen and Richard Carpenter playing on the family car radio - I remember our first family trip to the end of East Broadway in Milford where there was a wall, a dirt parking lot, and a semi-sandy/semi-stony beach. Jutting out from the beach was the sandbar leading to Charles Island which we walked. This has been a wildlife sanctuary for most of my life. However, one can still see vestiges of the monastery it once was.... And before that - a hotel.
Further down the shoreline - Walnut Beach - which has been apartments for as far back as I can remember. But somewhere in the mists of my mind, I had for many years imagined there too was an amusement park.... And in my research I found that such did exist! Walnut Beach Park - about which, apparently, not much is known / written existed until the mid 1960's.
In the fog of my mind also exists the remnants of Savin Rock Amusement Park. The Flying Horses still stood when I was a child. As did Jimmies of Savin Rock (with Savin Rock (the physical hillock) behind it), one of the roller coasters, and some of the other pieces of faded glory - like the hotels on Bradley Point (of which I can find no photo or painting as yet). I have taken many photos of the land on which these hotels once stood. I also have photos of the veranda of one, the cement stairs leading down to the water in a rock cove, and three sets of stairs to the beach...
After Savin Rock came down, or perhaps just before, there was a drive-in hamburger stand that went up on Bradley Point which competed very well with McDonalds - shoestring french fries (with more salt than the Dead Sea!), and hamburgers with enough grease and cheese to compete with my grandmothers hamburgers (which were, by the way, fried in bacon grease! and no - neither grandparent had clogged arteries - go figure!). This place was called Scotties. In all my searching, I have not found a picture or mention of same - yet, it was so indelibly imprinted on my mind and my brothers that we still refer to the beach near there as 'Scotties Beach'. This was at the intersection of Platt Ave and the end of Captain Thomas Blvd and beginning of Ocean Ave.
Also in this area was a skating area - it is now reclaimed by marshland - but, I skated there on my first pair of double runners (the ones that buckled on to the bottom of your boots) in 1962.
Tonite, I was at Barne's and Noble on the Boston Post Road near the Connecticut Post Mall.... once the Connecticut Post - for a long time, this was a strip mall - not enclosed at all. Where the Barnes and Noble now stands was Ryder Park - a trailer home park. The battle for investors to purchase that tract of land went on for years - how I wish they had lost. But, just as Doris Gagnon lost her bid for her home, so too did the residents of this quiet park lose theirs. They say it is in the name of progress....
I suppose I am getting older. As such, the memories become more precious - and more fleeting. I find that as I accept what is, I forget what was, and what was before that. I forget so much that I wonder, sometimes, if what I saw ever existed at all - like the amusement park at Walnut Beach. I hope to continue to write what I do remember....
Friday, April 01, 2011
My First Kiss
I can hear you all thinking 'Really? How romantic!' or 'April Fool'!!! Let me start by telling you this is neither..... We have had 3 bunnies in the past few years. All 'rescue's, all cute, and all with different personalities. The current bunny - Timothy - is the only one I have been personally responsible for bringing into the house. Two years ago or so, my bff started to volunteer at a local animal shelter. About a week into her time there, they received a bunny - Timothy. And she insisted that I at least meet him. I had absolutely NO intention of bringing home another rabbit - but, I had to at least meet him. So, I went to the shelter where they got the rabbit out of the cage he was in and put him in a room with me. I sat on the floor thinking that might make him more comfortable and allow him to get my scent. I assumed that, as rabbits are rather shy creatures, it would take him some time to get up the nerve to come see who I was. Well, I was most definitely wrong - Timothy R. Rabbit hopped right over to me and sat with his nose almost in my lap. So, I petted him. And he stayed. And I petted him some more..... and he stayed. It took him almost 20 minutes for his curiousity to get the best of him and begin to explore the room - he was most content to allow me to stroke his head and ears for just about ever. Of course, Timothy R. Rabbit came home with me. I am always a sucker for a furry face! Over the course of my adult life, I have probably spent more time sleeping on couches than in beds... for various reasons. And I am currently sleeping on one now.......... that is a story for another day. Timothy is not a very secure bun - so he stays where there are rugs - which means the living room and dining room. Now that I am sleeping downstairs, he can visit whenever he likes. And believe me - he LIKES! His current 'thing' is to wait for me (impatiently circling my feet) to make up my bed and get in. He then jumps up on top of me for a petting session. He does this last thing before I go to sleep at night and the second my alarm goes off in the morning. Last night, he did his usual - and I did mine. I happened to be a bit more tired than normal so, as I was petting him, I was also drifting off to nod-land.... and slowly ......... stopped ................petting..... Timothy started to sniff.... my hair, my face, my nose.... back off, and come sniff again. And then I felt this little tongue... on my nose! My very first BUNNY KISS!
And fell in love with Mr. Timothy R. Rabbit all over again!
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