We got a layer of snow here yesterday. No more than two inches and it will soon be gone if the weather man is to be believed. The temperature has been quite cold and as a result this snow is very dry and crystalline. It crunches beneath your feet. As I walked along, on my way to the store, I was reminded of sledding as a child. One year in particular was an excellent year. The snow was dry and like ice, as it is now.
I lived on a dirt road. It was a dead end road and at the extreme end was two large hills, back to back. They provided a very fast, although very short ride. Behind my house there was a long dirt road. There were no homes on this road. This road snaked through the woods and provided access for fire trucks if needed. From the rear of my house it rose in a gentle climb for almost a mile. When the conditions were right, you could slide down that lane, slowly gaining speed until you reached the dreaded S-turn. Oh what fun we kids had with that.
I can recall sledding with my brothers and sister. We all had flexible flyers. In a long chain we would sled down that lane. Occasionally, and foolishly I might add, we would stick our feet into the front portion of the sled behind. This sometimes caused your feet to get twisted around and pinched in the steering mechanism. We were fortunate to not have gotten our feet stuck in there and broke a leg or something. Kids ! We thought we were indestructible. That one year when the conditions were perfect we reached a pretty good speed down that lane. Heading into the s-turn I made it through the first turn but went over the bank on the second. The sled overturned and I slid sideways into a tree. If it hadn't been for all the layers of clothing I had on I'm sure I would have broken some ribs ! Oh, but what fun that was. With repeated use that lane became akin to a bobsled run. How lucky we were to have our own private run.
Other years we slid down those hills at the end of the road we lived on. We slid down them on cardboard boxes, old washing machine covers ( the round ones ) and even the hood off an old Studebaker. The flexible flyers would work sometimes but the runners had a tendency to cut through the snow. As I said, these hills were steep and fast. If you made it down the big one, you were likely to go airborne when you went over the crest on the second. Those thin runners didn't respond well to that ! Once, those runners cut into the ground beneath while I was making a turn, the result was disaster. The runners on the outboard side collapsed underneath the sled and threw me into a thorn bush. Saved again by layers of thick clothing, except for my face which got a few scratches.
Sometimes the littlest things set you to remembering. It was just the sound of that snow crunching beneath my feet. Our minds and our memories work in mysterious ways. By closing my eyes I could experience that ride down the hills again. I wonder if anyone saw me standing there, eyes closed, smiling. Good Times.
I lived on a dirt road. It was a dead end road and at the extreme end was two large hills, back to back. They provided a very fast, although very short ride. Behind my house there was a long dirt road. There were no homes on this road. This road snaked through the woods and provided access for fire trucks if needed. From the rear of my house it rose in a gentle climb for almost a mile. When the conditions were right, you could slide down that lane, slowly gaining speed until you reached the dreaded S-turn. Oh what fun we kids had with that.
I can recall sledding with my brothers and sister. We all had flexible flyers. In a long chain we would sled down that lane. Occasionally, and foolishly I might add, we would stick our feet into the front portion of the sled behind. This sometimes caused your feet to get twisted around and pinched in the steering mechanism. We were fortunate to not have gotten our feet stuck in there and broke a leg or something. Kids ! We thought we were indestructible. That one year when the conditions were perfect we reached a pretty good speed down that lane. Heading into the s-turn I made it through the first turn but went over the bank on the second. The sled overturned and I slid sideways into a tree. If it hadn't been for all the layers of clothing I had on I'm sure I would have broken some ribs ! Oh, but what fun that was. With repeated use that lane became akin to a bobsled run. How lucky we were to have our own private run.
Other years we slid down those hills at the end of the road we lived on. We slid down them on cardboard boxes, old washing machine covers ( the round ones ) and even the hood off an old Studebaker. The flexible flyers would work sometimes but the runners had a tendency to cut through the snow. As I said, these hills were steep and fast. If you made it down the big one, you were likely to go airborne when you went over the crest on the second. Those thin runners didn't respond well to that ! Once, those runners cut into the ground beneath while I was making a turn, the result was disaster. The runners on the outboard side collapsed underneath the sled and threw me into a thorn bush. Saved again by layers of thick clothing, except for my face which got a few scratches.
Sometimes the littlest things set you to remembering. It was just the sound of that snow crunching beneath my feet. Our minds and our memories work in mysterious ways. By closing my eyes I could experience that ride down the hills again. I wonder if anyone saw me standing there, eyes closed, smiling. Good Times.
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| Did you ride sitting up or lying down ? |
So true - things remind us of long past memories out of the blue. I love that! Great blog - I could feel the wind against my face.....
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