When I was a child ,I lived
near a lake and was very lucky you have a spot my brothers and I affectionately called the
"Trails". It was a small wooded area that separated one subdivision from
another.
Part of the woods or "trails", touched an underdeveloped area of the Lake shore
and was complete with turtles, frogs, clam shells and a row of planks placed carefully
from rock to beaver hut to fallen trees to allow us to explore.
The North of the trails was a small gravel pit no longer in use. It provided us with clay
for molding after a warm summer rain. In the front of the pit and out of sight from the
road was a small lily pond complete with tadpoles galore. From it's banks we many kinds of
ornamental weeds for a grand bouquet in the fall. We often sold the bouquets to summer
"Ohioan" to take home with them. We usually made enough money for us all to get
a coke and a treat. We also dug worms on one leafy side and sold them to the many
fishermen that came to the lake, all summer long.
On the East side of the trails was a well-worn hill with clean brown sand , the color of
light brown sugar. It was a great place to side on warm summer days. All we needed was a
piece of cardboard. An easy item to get from a small party store nestled in the bank
across the field from our trails. It worked in the winter but needed help by us packing
extra snow over it and sprinkling a little water to make it crustier.
At the top of the hill and in it's side were cave-like holes provided by Mother Nature that
made perfect huts or hideouts. All we needed were branches from fallen limbs deeper in the
trails to make a roof or a door.
Directly in front of the hill was a field of grass spotted liberally with patches of the
sweetest, largest wild strawberries you could ever want to sink your teeth in. They
ripened all summer long after a warm rain.
On the West side of the trails were the forbidden woods, fenced in by bobbed wire and
displaying numerous "no hunting" and "no trespassing" signs.
Directly behind the hill and in the center of the trails was a lovely sloped area with a
group of tree that we gave great importance to. like one huge oak at least seventy-five
feet high. Its branches began only a foot off the ground and we could walk half way to the
top moving from branch to branch. I have never to this day seen an oak with branches that
low. We agreed, along with neighborhood pals that God had put that tree there just for us!
When we climbed the tree we were all filled with a special respect and were somber and
quiet. I can remember as many as eight or ten of "the gang" sitting in that
tree. Nara a word was said other than a nod or sigh.
Another special spot was a group of trees, four to be exact that were shaped like horses
on the merry-go-round at the county fair. We took turns being minutemen, cowboys,
Calvary,
and the breadwinner of the group or any other excuse we could find to "ride" the
horses.
I will never forget the day after a thunderous summer storm we ran to play in the trails
and found one of our coveted "stallions" had been felled. The entire group stood
solemnly around that hunk of twisted tree that lay on the ground and mourned our loss.
The trails were truly a wonder to behold! We captured spiders, walking sticks, frogs and
snakes. Picked arms full of lilies, daises and violets. Munched on walnuts, hickory nuts
and wild grapes. We ran laughed and played for years until several of us entered our young
teen years and our lives were filled with school activities, sports, summer jobs and
dating.
The last time we made a trip to the trails as a group happened by chance. Someone spotted
another walking towards the trails. Soon another followed and another until all the old
gang was there. We walked silently up the hill, through the woods, past our stallions and
hideouts. It was a soft walk of goodbye to our childhood. As we reached the banks where our
rocks and planks had been everyone came to a sudden stop and stared in disbelief.
There were we caught frogs and picked cattails was a clean sandy beach! On
each side of the inlet by the beach stood two large new homes! We all sighed and
walked slowly away, shifting the sand between our toes. We knew it was the end of our
adventures and the beginning of something new for each of us.
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