The skating rink is also gone, replaced by the building on E Collins Street, whatever it is, next to the Community Center. Another pity -- in summer I spent a lot of time in the pool, in winter on the rink. Or in the blockhouse, drinking hot Vernor's (says memory).
Hot Vernor's: haven't tried it since, though after some decades Vernor's suddenly showed up in the stores here -- and believe me, THAT was a happy day! A little while later I was buying some and made remark about it at check-out, and the guy behind me said, "Uh, huh. I'm from Michigan too!"
Lots of memories of that rink. Playing crack-the-whip. The figure-skater who spun out of control across the icel driving one blade into my leg. The girl who nearly got brained (or killed) when a puck slammed hard into a wall a foot or two from her head.
I tried ice skating in California, but it just seemed wrong to skate indoors. I didn't like it.
Dear F.M.
ReplyDeleteI went to Eastlawn with you and ice skated almost everyday the rink was open, carrying my skates to school and walking home in the dark. Swam almost everyday at the pool and probably bought ice cream from you. I went to many band concerts in the summer watching Mr. Gunther conduct (wishing I was in the night blue of the pool just over the hill). I sledded between the benches of the band shell in the winter. AND I went to St Johns, going to the events you write of. With our common observations of growing up in Midland, how did we lose each other?
girlsinger, now it's my turn to scratch my head, trying to remember who I knew at St. John's who would have been at Eastlawn, presumably Central, and MHS. I had forgotten sledding at the bandshell, though I my memories were more of saucers there. (Most of my sledding was at St. Andrew's.)
ReplyDeleteBut, mea culpa, the communications fault was mine; I let things drop as I had the times before Midland. I didn't get addresses, I only kept contact with a friend (in this case two), and after a couple of years, well, I was pretty much into a new life, for good or bad. When I left Midland I did not know just how different this time was going to be.
e-mail me if you wish, at former.midlander@gmail.com
no mea culpa please! just having a little fun.
ReplyDeleteI'll e-mail in a bit but just a little more:
when we were sophomores, I was dating the pres of the St John's youth group. When we were in jr high, I went to Northeast, so that really narrows it down. And when we were at Eastlawn, I loved gym class with Mr Crab, but found my voice as a singer. And I was sorry to see you move. Your last sentence is very intriguing.
Well, I felt bad that I had fallen into transient ways.
ReplyDeleteAs regards the last sentence, very early in the blog ("Departure" and "Arrival") I tell a bit of how difficult the move to California was.
It wasn't universally bad. Being in a high-tech area was good to get my career started, and working while a student at NASA programming and running computers for wind-tunnel tests (mostly Space Shuttle) was terrific.