My childhood recollections are pleasant and happily nostalgic. Growing up, my family lived in a house in the woods on a large property off of Greenwood Avenue in Trappe, PA. Greenwood Ave split Perkiomen Valley from that of the Spring-Ford Area School District where I attended school. This was a several square mile area of Upper Providence Township that continued over the north side of Main Street or old Route 422. We did not have smart phones, computers or big screen TVs as most young people have today, so we played! The countryside was our playground. My brother and I would often spend many happy afternoons exploring the nearby fields and surrounding woodlands. It was wonderful to play in the creek or hang from a nearby tree. Life was free and easy, and definitely a lot simpler. I don't even recall locking our doors at night! Yes, I even remember the milkman and the bread man and the chipmunks and the sound of the crickets. I sincerely miss those days.
My two best friends were my younger brother, Mark, and my little sister, Susan. Mark and I would sometimes pick on Susan and make her cry. To this day, I often feel bad about that. Susan was a diabetic, so she was always dealing with health issues. She was funny, smart and had a great personality. I loved her and miss her dearly.
My brother and I were fairly close. We wrestled for the junior and senior high school wrestling teams. We were both about the same size, so we often had to compete against each other. Mark was also a very good tennis player who would always kick my butt.
My older sister Lynne had a part time job over at Walabe Dairy Farms. They made the best ice cream around. Anyone around my age would fondly remember that experience.
My mother was a wonderful person and parent. She had a wonderful disposition. She modeled what I now value in people. She was a substitute teacher for both the PV and Spring-Ford School Districts. It was always awkward when she was my teacher for the day. I thought that she was strict, but I was very proud to call her Mom. I inherited my love of music and history from her.
My father was a district manager for a large Cattle Breeding Company and was often away for long periods of time. When he returned, he made my brother and I rake leaves, pick up sticks and chop firewood. I credit him for instilling a good work ethic in me and for my lifelong interest in horticulture. My father eventually became an owner operator of an organic food concern above Boyertown. My sisters and brother, and many other neighborhood youths trekked up that way for several summers. I recall many joyful moments working in the orchards while picking cherries, peaches and apples. We would often spend time running through those fields throwing more fruit than we picked! It almost became a sport with real teams and territories. Those were fun times.
Summers were also spent at my grandmother’s small cottage in Brigantine, NJ. I have good memories of weekends and summers at the beach. When we weren’t at the shore or working in the orchards, we spent our summers at the Nine Oaks Swim Club where we would meet up with many of our friends. Mr. Michael Fabel managed the Club for several seasons and was the swim team coach. He was a teacher at our school and coached the wrestling team for many years. Mr. Fabel was a positive influence in many of our young lives.
Scouting was another big part of my life, as well as with many of my friends. I eventually achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. We all looked forward to Camp Delmont and summers at Resica Falls Scout Reservation. Our leader, Mr. Ed Dewane, was another major influence in my life. He was more like a big brother and helped bridge the gap that often existed between the scouts and our fathers. He was, and continues to be today, a true friend and mentor.
Our favorite thing to do as teens was to camp out with some of the other local kids and go to the drive-in movie theater. Oh, what fun we had, and the stories I could tell! We got in by climbing over the fence or by hiding in the trunk of a car, whatever it took. Those were the days, my friends.
This was not the life I chose, but rather the life that I lived. There are few, if any, regrets. If I was able to change any one thing, I would have treated my sister Susan a little better. I thank my parents and my younger brother and sister for making my happy memories possible. They are all gone now, and so the times have changed as well.
- Craig Miller (edited Gael Bennett)
Amen to that!! There were truly blessed times, and we never realized how lucky we were and how the world would change. Living a farm life was had at times, but taught us so much! Love of nature, growing food and flowers, caring for animals, hard work harvesting and "putting" up all of the summer rewards, making hay while the sun shined( shone), and the ability to let our imaginations run wild as we ran "wild" waiting to hear the bell rung to come home for dinner. We made mazes in the cornfields, forts under the brush and bushes, and in the hay in the barn., went swimming in ponds or creeks. There was something to keep us occupied in every season when we weren't doing our chores or homework. We climbed trees, went sledding at night with a lantern at the opening of the stone wall which we needed to go thru, ice skating on ponds with bonfires.. The memories go on and on, and I often wonder if my children also hold their childhood in such a place of reverence. We were BLESSED!!! What a gift we were given! The one thing was that we had so many good friends who always had our back and shared in our activities. And when we were by ourselves, we made things out of "nothing" or found our favorite nook or tree to read and go to all of those place we read about. Please feel free to share as I don't have our class email list downloaded. Your friendship is everything to me. It was my"class" that got me through some very bad times and for that I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Please feel free to share as I don't have my class list downloaded to my e-mail. Class of '73... YOU ROCK MY WORLD!