May 10, 1984 - Walk Back in Timet May 10;1984
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Walk Back in Time
By PAULSTOUTENBURGH
Yesterday I had occasion to visit the
area where I spent most of my childhood.
There were a few new houses; most of
the old familiar ones I remember had
changed hands and new names appeared
out front. The woods in back of my dad's
place seemed smaller and the trees
weren't as impressive as I had
remembered them.
Probably the most nostalgic feature
about the general area was the path
through the woods that led down to the
bay. As I revisited this area my
wandering seemed to instinctively draw
me to that meandering path that was so
much a part of my early life. At one point
along the almost overgrown path I was
amazed to see the depth the path had
worn away in its many years of use.
Like so many paths, and even some of
our roadways, no cne seems to know just
how they started. Probably it was the
shortest distance between two points but
that meant many a twist and turn to get
out of the way of a tree or around a clump
of catbrier. Eventually, through trial and
error in this case, a general path was
followed that became the main route
from our backyard to high adventure.
Inevitably, if you had spare time on
your hands and were looking for
something to do, in those early years it
was not out the front door and down the
driveway to the road you'd go but
through the kitchen, out the back door,
through the backyard and down the path
to the bay. Here, you'd cross a small road
that led to other avenues of adventure for
they led to the two creeks that lured us
kids into another world.
Everything a Kid Could Want
Swimming, clamming, crabbing,
fishing, boating -- all awaited you. And in
those early days when few people were
about, you had the area almost to
yourself. We always had a boat of some
sort or other tied up at the end of the
road. Oars and all the paraphernalia that
went with boating were usually left right
in it. In those days no one took anything.
If a neighbor wanted to borrow your
boat, he'd probably use it and then ask if
it was all right later. It was probably a
reciprocal kind of thing and you'd
borrowed something from him not long
before.
In those days boats weren't what they
are today. They were true rowboats with
layers and layers of old cracked paint
and were usually quite in need of repair.
Sometimes they'd be tethered to a stake
and line out in the water. But for the most
part, they'd be high and dry on the beach
or at the edge of the creek where the tide
had left them. When you wanted to use
them, you tipped them over, dumped out
the water and slid them in.
Over in the creek, we'd often find
hundreds of fiddier crabs hiding under
them when we flipped them over to get
the water out but that area has all
changed now. It's been filled in. The
marsh has been completely covered
along with the fiddler crabs.
That path from our place, as I said,
went through the woods in back and was
lined with low bush blueberry. They are
still there -- at least the ones that the
bulldozer hasn't gotten ahold of -- and I
often wonder if anyone will ever stop as
we did along its path to taste the wild
blueberries.
Each spot along the path had its
memories. Once a chickadee built its nest
in an old oak stub right to the left as you
went down and every time we went by
we'd have to stop and look to see how
they were doing.
Mirror Helps to Brighten Orchids
Then there were the lady slippers just
off the path to the east. One clump of five
I photographed in the deep shade by
taking the mirror off the bathroom wall
and reflecting light on them. It is still one
of the best photos I've ever taken of these
handsome native orchids. This was over
30 years ago.
Box turtles were occasionally found
along the path and no young boy in his
right mind would ever pass one by
without picking it up, checking it over
and sending it on its way.
Today, the woods have been
subdivided and a spanking new home has
just popped up. The bulldozer has cut
away part of the path making ready for
the inevitable grass, putting an end to an
era of more than 50 years of pathway use.
Years ago, my dad's place was sold to
one of the grandchildren and resold and
resold again. Each of these families, I'm
sure, used that path down to the bay but
with the new house "up in back" their
use has ended.
Probably everyone has his own special
pathway he can relate to. Whether it's a
pathway through the woods to the bay or
the one they remember as kids as a short
cut to school, each played a part in our
early lives. But then, nothing is forever
and even boyhood pathways eventually
grow over. Memories never fail us,
though, for they are the building blocks
from which life is truly made.
f1go, Grhound
leave t driving to us.
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Page 21
Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh
LADY SLIPPERS -Of more than 30 types of orchids found on Long
Island, the lady slippers still are one of the favorites.
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