Friday Flashback

Today I'm joining Friday Flashback with Linda. Linda asked about the home where you grew up. So, without looking at my sister's blog first, here's my flashback. Join in the fun!

I grew up in a small town. I don't remember the first home I lived in because we moved when I was two. The first home was a 2/3 bedroom, 1 bath that by the time we moved had 8 people living in it. The home I remember began as a 4 bedroom, 2 bath ranch style house. About 2-3 years later, Dad finished 2 bedrooms and an additional bath in the basement.

In the beginning, I shared a bedroom with 3 other sisters. I'm thinking I had to sleep in a crib until I was 4-years-old, but I could be wrong. Sharing with 3 other sisters lasted until Dad built the downstairs bedrooms. Then I shared the bedroom with my little sister. That lasted until I was in high school. By then, enough of my older siblings had moved out so that we girls could have our own room.

The house is across the street from a park. The park continued across the cross street. We played in that park and would go sledding in that park. I explicitly remember playing king and queen because there was a rock formation in the park that was known as the king and queen's chair. Two of the rocks were formed like chairs that were right next to each other.

We also lived close to the school. From kindergarden through third grade I attend the parochial school. The public school (elementary grades) was across the cross street. I remember being home sick and hearing the kids on the playground. A week or two before my third grade year, the school caught fire. I remember going to the school and seeing all the new textbooks set out on the parking lot. The main school building was destroyed. The gym was still intact and is still there today.

The parochial school closed after my third grade year so I started at the public school. The school had set up K-3 in the gym. The fourth grade was set up in the football locker room. That is where I started my public education. The next year the school system integrated and my fifth grade year was at the old black high school. Grades K-5 were set up there while the new elementary school was being completed. Six grade was at the new elementary school. The old black high school was set up as a junior high (that's what it was called back then--grades 7-9).

The high school and elementary school were within walking distance. The junior high school was not. We participated in a car pool. I remember the lady that was suppose to pick us up one afternoon had forgotten. She was an hour late. We all talked about walking home.

The ninth grade band marched with the high school. When it was time for band, we'd go outside to what was suppose to be a football field, and practice the routine. There were only about 20 of us. Twenty out of 100. Can you imagine how hard it must have been for the band director to tell if we really were in the right place? Let alone what we must have sounded like.

I remember walking to and from the high school many times. Until Mom and Dad purchased a vehicle for us. Mom said it was easier getting us to our after school activities...mostly band practice and football games. There were a few times Dad would pass us when we were walking either to school or from school and would yell out the window, "hubba hubba". Boy, I hated that! Especially when I was lugging my french horn home!

We lived in a good neighborhood. I remember playing kick the can and hide-n-go-seek at our house. My favorite hiding place was behind a dogwood tree. The limbs of the tree bent down enough that the leaves touched the ground making a canopy-type hiding place.

We played softball in our backyard. I don't really see how we did because it really isn't that big anymore. :)

We played fruit basket turn over in our front yard. There used to be about five pine years in a row that we used.

I don't remember much of my high school years, but my childhood was pretty good.

Don't forget to link up and share your growing up home(s).