Neil's Summer Fun

Now that summer's here, it's time to prepare for the grandchildren to spend some time out here in the country. Prepare? What's there to prepare for? It's all right here, ready to entertain, thrill and learn. No batteries required!

Back in the 1950s, when Neil and I found our chores and music lessons all done, we had lots of time to play. There were infinite joys outside, just waiting to be discovered. Here are a few of our low tech treats that entertained us for hours:

1. Snake Hunts -- Neil was in charge of the hunt, but I got to hold the tail as he measured each catch.
The record, as I recall was a 60-inch black snake. A fearsome dude who was surprisingly warm to the touch. This being a "catch and release" sport, it was fun to watch these characters slither back to the swamp. We'll never really know how one of the big guys managed to find his way into the basement and scare the livin' daylights out of our mother. . . when she stepped on him with her bare feet.

2. Treasure Hunts -- These would take hours as well. First, we'd find great rocks, some resembling precious gems, some we'd paint with Mother's gold paint that she always seemed to have on hand. We'd place them in one of Grandpa Gilmer's old cigar boxes, then bury them all over the place. Then, came the Great Treasure Maps. Whether by chance or design, I never seemed to find Neil's buried treasures. I'm still looking as I dig new gardens and plant new flowers. Someday, someone will discover the remnants of what probably sparked Neil's interests in geology and navigation.

3. Great Gun Fights -- Cap guns and squirt guns were the only outdoor toys I really remember having, other than bikes, croquet and badminton. But, boy, did we ever make the most of darting around trees, rocks, making awesome ricochet (sp?) sounds. Staging get-aways and ambushes. As years progressed, we took turns at bagging pesky sparrows and starlings, often on the wing with a BB gun, then a.22 rifle. (our eyesight was better then.)

4. Rainy Day Movies -- We'd empty a box of corn flakes, poke a hole on the edge, then place it on a pointed bedpost to create an instant Cecil B. DeMille Movie Camera! It would turn 360 degrees for great panoramic scenes as we'd take turns as cameraman/director, then actor. Sure wish we'd had real video tape (or a modern phone) to see just how great we were at improv. (ha)

5. The Creek -- Infinite hours of entertainment were offered up by Morgan Creek. Swimming, raft making, frog hunting, fishing, leach removal, and fascinating discovery.

Somehow, I doubt our Meredith will approve of all this good, clean fun for her girls. But, maybe if they wear all their headgear, knee and elbow pads, surgical gloves and wet suits, they'll survive. Then, I'll let them drink from the garden hose, rather than their purified water bottles. . . just for fun.

Mary Anne