| For a ten year old, life in the city was
| |
| | tables. Thirty years empty, the room
|
| no picnic. There were gangs to be
| |
| | told a story of its former industry. A
|
| avoided, scuffed-bare dusty lots where
| |
| | seam of pure kaolin clay was discovered
|
| impromptu baseball games reigned. Being
| |
| | nearby and mined for sale to the kilns of
|
| small of stature, I never got picked for
| |
| | Southern New Jersey. Famed for its white
|
| a team until everybody else was chosen.
| |
| | fine-grained quality, this clay found its
|
| We played marbles in the dirt and
| |
| | way into homes across the country as fine
|
| wandered through abandoned cemeteries,
| |
| | porcelain.Saying good-bye to the large
|
| peering at headstones, resurrecting in
| |
| | snapping turtle that lived there, I
|
| our minds the lives of the dead
| |
| | paddled up the lake to a favorite spot to
|
| people.Then one day we moved to the
| |
| | swim. The sun warmed the top layer of
|
| country. Suddenly I lived in a huge
| |
| | water to a depth of two feet. below
|
| twenty-seven room hotel with no neighbors
| |
| | this, the water swiftly cooled to a
|
| at all. From the top of the hill behind
| |
| | chilly fifty degrees. My brother and I
|
| us I could see the buildings of a sheep
| |
| | were good swimmers and we had no fear of
|
| and turkey farm. In one direction about
| |
| | the deep water.An hour fishing in the
|
| a mile down the road a town dump existed.
| |
| | shallows usually netted a few sunfish.
|
| But in the other direction, a deep
| |
| | We watched them swimming around in the
|
| dark-water lake nestled between the road
| |
| | bucket, while we sucked on wounded
|
| and (to me) towering cliffs.Born of the
| |
| | fingers pricked by needle-rich dorsal
|
| ice age, an ancient glacier scoured an
| |
| | fins. We never cooked them, but released
|
| eighty-foot deep chasm that filled with
| |
| | them for another day.A little further in
|
| icy spring water. though very deep in
| |
| | the woods behind the pottery factory we
|
| the middle, Cedar Lake shallowed out into
| |
| | could hear the shouts of a Boy Scout
|
| a spoon-shaped pond filled with lily pads
| |
| | camp. For eight weeks, the camp
|
| and dragonflies. Plenty of rainbow trout
| |
| | Nobibosco boys would learn woods craft,
|
| and sunfish cruised under the pads.Near
| |
| | play sports, build teepees and get poison
|
| the pond stood an old abandoned ice
| |
| | ivy. One day we ran back to the house
|
| house, the sturdy chute starting at water
| |
| | with the news that the whole lake turned
|
| level and soaring at a steep angle to a
| |
| | to milk! A clay seam had opened up at
|
| high window. the electric age ended the
| |
| | the spring end near the factory and
|
| need for an ice house which now provided
| |
| | quickly spread throughout the lake,
|
| a home for mice, snakes, and a family of
| |
| | exiting in the waterlily pond at the
|
| snowy owls. The morning sun glinted off
| |
| | other end. While not good for out summer
|
| their silent white wings, whoo-ing across
| |
| | guests, dire predictions ended three
|
| the lake.Protected by a high hill, the
| |
| | weeks later when the water cleared.Every
|
| glass-smooth water presented a pristine
| |
| | season brought new adventures on the
|
| surface for my canoe to float on.
| |
| | lake. It was fun watching the ice
|
| Passing the home of a large catfish
| |
| | fishermen in the Winter, bringing them
|
| family, a small dam at the other end of
| |
| | hot coffee and staring at the telltales,
|
| the lake gave fishermen an ideal
| |
| | willing them to move. Spring brought the
|
| platform. A large building set a few
| |
| | excitement of Rainbow Trout Day when
|
| yards behind the dam contained a
| |
| | hundreds of baby trout were dumped into
|
| fascinating collection of wheels, gears,
| |
| | their new home. Autumn was glorious and
|
| rotting leather belts and long work
| |
| | sad, but Summer was pure magic.
|
