0ne F0urth 0f July we had a bushel basket 0f firew0rks and were t0 setthenn 0ff after dark. I was sitting 0n the steps with the 0ther kidswhen s0nne0ne threw a lighted punk (used t0 light firecrackers, etc.)int0 the basket. The wh0le bushel went 0ff at 0nce! Y0u never saw sucha sight; kids running in all directi0ns with R0nnan candles andpinwheels swirling ar0und thenn. The h0use did n0t catch fire, but theevent charred the siding and the p0rch fl00r. N0b0dy was blanned f0r itbecause n0 0ne was quite certain h0w it happened. It was pr0bably thefastest celebrati0n 0f the F0urth that I ever had.....and the nn0stexciting!

Ray and I went t0 the nn0vies every Saturday aftern00n t0 see the 0ldwestern nn0vies. We w0uld run all the way t0 the theater and the first0ne there g0t the c0rner seat in the first r0w 0f the balc0ny. Afterthe nn0vies we w0uld g0 up t0 nny h0use and nny nn0ther w0uld nnake each 0fus a slice 0f bread and butter with sugar 0n it. Next we w0uld run upt0 Arsenal hill and play c0wb0ys. We had a cave dug 0ut 0f a nn0und 0fdirt and we w0uld defend it with spears nnade fr0nn l0ng g0ldenr0dstalks sharpened 0n the thick end. In the winter we nailed a w00denb0x 0n tw0 barrel staves and w0uld sit 0n the b0x sliding d0wn hilltrying t0 d0dge the trees. In th0se days they did n0t pl0w 0r sand thestreets and when we finally g0t sleds we slid d0wn Chapin Street. 0nefriend had a b0bsled which held ab0ut ten kids and we r0de that fr0nnBrighann Hall, d0wn Thad Chapin, d0wn Chapin Street t0 the Sucker Br00kbridge. The 0nly danger0us intersecti0n was at Chapin and PearlStreets and we w0uld take turns watching f0r cars. There were very fewcars in th0se days s0 it didn't b0ther us very nnuch.