Summer 1960

Carmelita in her backyard - June 1960

          Carmelita, or Carmel to family and friends, had been hurriedly pulling the last of the laundry off the clothesline and on her way into the house to start dinner when she noticed a spent bloom that needed plucking. 

She was a mostly contented woman, married nearly eleven years to a man who could still make her smile, and was affectionately called, “Momma” by two daughters and a son.  They owned their own home, and, since she had recently, finally, earned a driver’s license for the first time, had just purchased a second car.  She was slowly getting over her nervousness to drive, and had been proud to drive all three of her kids to the brand new outdoor pool for swimming lessons.  The only unnerving part was Davy’s constant screams of terror this first week.  The girls, Sandy and Pamy, who had no fear of the water, were thrilled with the daily lessons, and already clamoring to go the river to swim.   Pepper would be all for it; he had grown up swimming in Grays River from early childhood. She hoped Davy would settle in eventually, but, as she herself was deathly afraid of the water, perhaps he sensed that.  She hoped not.

Something had pushed her to finally let Pepper teach her to drive.  Maybe it was the difficulty of getting all three kids ready and onto the lumbering old city bus, not to mention the long ride, that had finally made her realize a driver’s license would be a nice thing to have. She had to admit, being able to just get in the car and drive had opened up a world of possibilities, one of them being swimming lessons. Besides, she would be 30 years old in August – it was time to put some of those childhood fears behind her.

Sandy holding a black cat; neighbor Lisa watching

Sandy loves cats!  She wants to keep this one, as her other cat, Muffy, was recently run over in front of the house.  Momma and Daddy said "No. No more cats for right now." Her friend, Carol, has just received her very own camera, and has been taking pictures all over the neighborhood.  She took the above picture of Sandy's momma, and her momma didn't even know she was taking the picture! 

Summertime on Lorry Avenue - playing cops and robbers with the neighbor kids, Lisa's older sister, Nyla, and her brother, Ike.  Building a makeshift jail on the far side of their house, of folding chairs and stolen bedsheets.  Their parents both worked, so it was a good place to play.

At the end of Lorry, just before it curved around and became Sherley Avenue, was what seemed to Sandy a huge vacant lot, affectionately dubbed "Up, Down and Around," which described to a T what all the neighborhood kids did there on their bikes. Swarms of kids would be tearing down the street on two wheels if they were old enough, or with the creaky sound of training wheels if they weren't quite so steady yet.  Up they'd go, climbing a short hill onto the well worn bike path, scrambling around the lot, the slight thrill of the bumpy downgrade, back onto the street and around the corner, only to repeat the route over and over until a chain fell off, or someone's mom called them home for meals.

Lemonade stands dotted the street, vying for customers, when the days got hot and sultry. The neighbor kids would get together at the house where the road curved and put on plays and performances, charging a nickel if they could get it. The spectators were mostly stay at home moms, with toddlers and babies on hips.  

This was the summer that Sandy quit smiling, not because of her grandpa dying, although that may have been part of it, but due to a broken front tooth.  At nine Sandy loved tetherball, the ring bars at school, riding her bike, playing marbles and Girl Scouts. While crossing on the rings one afternoon, one swung back to smack her in the mouth.  The school must have called home, because her mom met Sandy at the front door that day, with tears and a look of distress when she saw the broken tooth.  Her Momma cried, "Oh honey! Your beautiful tooth!" From that day on Sandy, intentionally or not, doesn't smile with her teeth showing.  

Neighbor Lisa, Sandy still holding that black cat, Davy and Pamy - July 1960

Sandy hates her new "pixie" haircut!  Her momma decided, probably due to those two weeks of swimming lessons in June, that Sandy's long hair was a pain to deal with, so her hair is chopped off.  No one looks too happy in this picture, taken by neighbor Carol, who is still having fun with her very own camera.  Sandy wishes Daddy and Momma would relent regarding the cat, but it's not going to happen. 
In August, Carmel will celebrate her 30th birthday.  She'll receive a cute card from her neighbors, with an "Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" that will make her blush. Pepper will tease her about it.
The whole family will go to the local drive in movie to watch "The Shaggy Dog".  Sandy and Pamy will go camping with their babysitter, Kay, and Kay's parents to Mt. Rainier National Park. School will start in September, and all will seem normal.  Then, on September 15, 1960, Sandy will go kiss her momma good-bye before she leaves for school.  Her momma is still in bed, because she has a bad headache.  She's wearing her turquoise chiffon nightgown, Sandy's favorite.
When Sandy returns home that afternoon, the house will be silent.  She'll walk through, calling for her momma and she'll get a funny feeling.  She will remember later that it felt like her momma's presence was absent.  A few minutes later, Mrs. Moss, the neighbor across the street, will walk in the front door and tell Sandy that she needs to go to her house, that Pamy and Davy are already there.  Mrs. Moss will tell her that her momma and daddy are at the hospital.
Life changes in the blink of an eye.

Grandpa

June 19, 1952

Flanked by three generations, Grandpa sits in his large, heavy chair. Its wide, flat, feathery blue patterned arms support his wife, oldest daughter, and first grandchild. With the barest intent of a smile, he gazes at the photographer, who has easily drawn laughter from the two women. At this point in time, Grandpa is an enigma to the little girl. His voice is gruff and his breath smells of unfiltered Lucky Strikes, and often, Olympia beer. The pungent aroma of worn shoe leather and polish, from hours of shaping and sewing leather into new soles, or repairing a customer’s beloved well-worn work boots, permeates his rough and calloused hands.

As the little girl grows up, she learns to like the smell of her Grandpa’s shoe repair, which occupies the middle of three small shops on the ground floor of the building her grandparents live in.  On her frequent visits, Grandpa allows her to sit on an old wooden stool, next to him, as he runs the machine with his foot that sews the heavy soles onto the shoes he repairs.  The shop is dusty and dirty, with a girlie calendar on the wall, out of sight of the customers and grandma.  She remembers the candy machines in the front of the shop, burnt peanuts in one; M & M’s in the other, and on every visit, Grandpa open the cash box and gives her a penny.  The choice is hard, as she likes both equally, but the burnt peanuts usually win, as they seem the bigger prize.

Charlie’s Barber Shop is next door, literally, as his customers must enter the shoe repair first, then into the barber shop through a connecting door.  Charlie is a large man, wears a white shirt, and a bow tie, and his white hair is slicked back.  Smoke curls around his face as he expertly shaves and cuts hair. There is a dry cleaners on the other side of the shoe shop, but the little girl doesn't really remember much about it, or recall ever visiting. 

A door off the barber shop side of the building, leads to a narrow flight of stairs and her grandparent’s apartment, which she remembers as being large, with lots of windows.  There is a funny little “L” shaped hallway, with doors to three bedrooms, a spacious living room and dining room, kitchen and at the very end there is a long skinny bathroom, with a long skinny bathtub resting on big fat feet.

One wall of the living room houses an old upright piano.  In a few years, Grandma will teach her little girl how to play “Chopsticks” and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” on the piano.  Grandma also plays hymns and sings in a sweet warbly voice.  Close to Grandpa’s chair is a large brass stand with a big, round ashtray.  Grandma and Grandpa have a fat tortoiseshell cat named Susie, who prefers either Grandpa’s lap or to lounge along the back of his chair.  Susie is tolerant of little girls, though, and is willing to be petted and loved on. 

Every Sunday morning, the little girl’s parents pick up Grandma, and take her to church with them. Grandpa prefers to stay home with Susie, and smoke wreaths surround his head when the family returns for the big Sunday dinner.  The little girl amuses herself with the cat, or the piano. While Grandma and momma are busy in the kitchen, she peeks into the heavy crystal candy dish that sits on the large sideboard in the dining room.  Grandma keeps chocolates in the dish, and the little girl prefers the ones with cherries, so she pokes her little finger into the bottom of each chocolate she picks up, to check, before sneaking off to eat it.  If Grandpa catches her, he winks, and she brings him the ones that didn’t have a cherry.  He’s good about keeping this secret.

After Sunday dinner, the little girl’s parents go home without her, and she gets to go for a drive in Grandpa's big, blue boat of a Pontiac.  She loves these long Sunday drives out in the country.  They drive and drive, with the little girl bouncing about on the wide back seat, holding onto the velvety smooth rope-like band that spans the back of the front seat.  One day, they come upon a raging forest fire on their drive.  Fire trucks and firemen are busy working, so Grandpa doesn’t go too close, but they sit and watch for awhile from a distance.  The drive home that day is sober.

There isn’t a TV at the little girl’s house, so, sometimes her daddy watches the Friday night fights with Grandpa, who gets very animated and yells at the TV. Momma and Grandma would prefer that the little girl stay with them in the kitchen, but she is drawn to the living room, and sits holding Susie next to her daddy on the couch.  Daddy gets excited sometimes too, but not as much as grandpa. 

On January 8, 1960, not long after the little girl’s 9^th birthday, Grandpa got really excited while watching the Friday night fights. His stomach was upset, so he took some Alka Seltzer, as he often did for stomach problems.  This time, the remedy didn’t work.  The little girl misses her grandpa.