A friend of mine sent me a photograph of a special place, at least a special place to me anyway. It's just a small stream running through a little plot of land, nothing spectacular, but a stream of note nonetheless. This little stream is known to me by a different name. An archaic name in fact, it is the dreen. A Dreen is an old English word meaning drain. I wasn't aware of any of that when I was a child growing up less than a quarter mile from that dreen. It was just the name used. It is Soak Hide Dreen in fact. The name is self explanatory, this dreen was used by native Americans, Indians when I was a kid, as a place to moisten animal hides for tanning. The water isn't very deep, just a few inches but runs in a continuous flow. Today it runs through culverts under the road and enters three mile harbor at that point.
My childhood home was less than a quarter mile away, as I said, and my Aunt & Uncle lived on that road. The road is, Soak Hide Rd. Well that makes sense doesn't it? Usually referred to as going to Soak Hide, everyone knew exactly where you were going. I knew everyone that lived on that road back in the day. I even had other relatives on that road that I didn't realize were relatives! Strange how kids can be so unaware. And soak hide road led to Damarks' store. We called it Marys', for the obvious reason, and Mary was like a mother to all us kids. It was the quintessential neighborhood store. It felt like my house was on one end of Soak Hide and Marys' store was on the other. How many trips I must have made between the two I can't imagine. And the dreen? The dreen is right in the middle of it.
Now the dreen runs straight through a small triangular shaped piece of land. This land is bordered on one side by the Springy Banks road and the Three Mile Harbor rd on the other. That little patch of land was marked as a game sanctuary. The signs were old and faded but they were there. There was a footpath that cut through that small wooded lot at an angle. You would enter off Springy Banks Rd. and cutting across the corner come out on Soak Hide Rd., not far from the Dreen. Who or why that footpath was there I couldn't say, I only know it was always there. As a kid it felt as though it were a secret path even though it was obvious to anyone that looked. It was the normal route I took going to Marys' and returning as well. That small piece of land became like the hundred acre wood of Winnie the Pooh fame over the years. I didn't have imaginary friends living in there, or any great adventures. It only became that place in memory, if that makes any sense. Over the years, and in absence, Soak Hide and the Dreen, that little patch of woodland, is the place I go in memory. It's a special place.
It's true that my home sat on the edge of Northwest woods, a much larger area of woodland, sparesly populated when I was young. I had acres of woods to play in and I certainly did. I explored those woods and had plenty of adventures, But Northwest woods, due I suppose to their size, just wasn't as intimate as that little triangle of land by Soak Hide dreen. If I wanted to get lost, where it would difficult to locate me , Northwest was the place. Still, I chose that patch of land by the dreen when I wanted or needed solitude. There was a small meadow in there, a quiet place just off the path, where I could sit and ponder the mysteries of the world, although mostly I was there pondering why something wasn't going right for me. I could hear my Mother call from there when it was time to come home. There wasn't much traffic or noise in my neighborhood. Princess Pine grew in that meadow, once or twice I did see some deer munching on the tops of that Princess Pine, a special treat for them. The animals came to the dreen to drink and if you were quiet and observant you would spot them. Squirrels abounded, racoons, ducks, an occasional muskrat and deer. Running pine could also be found just beside the meadow, pulling on it you could gather several feet of it at a time. Great stuff for wrapping around bannisters and stuff at Christmas time.
Now that little patch of land is still there, untouched, undisturbed, as was the intent. I was told that plot was given to the town, as a sanctuary, and was never to be used for anything else. The lady that owned it loved nature and wished for it to be preserved. It's looking like her wish is being fulfilled. I know there are many more homes in Northwest Woods these days. I suspect that foot path could still be located. Marys' store is still there, well sorta. The little neighborhood store that I knew has been demolished, relegated to history and a new structure has taken its' place. Still the same family owns it and runs it and that's a comfort. My aunt and uncle have long since passed on, my other relatives on Soak Hide Rd. moved. There is no one on Soak Hide that I know anymore, although the homes still stand. My own home has been demolished just recently, I am fortunate that the person doing so sent me a brick from the fireplace, a memento I will cherish, a piece of home. And in between, the Dreen still runs through it all, just as it did when the Indians where there. A comfort and a refuge. That picture is now my screen saver. Who could have imagined it?
My childhood home was less than a quarter mile away, as I said, and my Aunt & Uncle lived on that road. The road is, Soak Hide Rd. Well that makes sense doesn't it? Usually referred to as going to Soak Hide, everyone knew exactly where you were going. I knew everyone that lived on that road back in the day. I even had other relatives on that road that I didn't realize were relatives! Strange how kids can be so unaware. And soak hide road led to Damarks' store. We called it Marys', for the obvious reason, and Mary was like a mother to all us kids. It was the quintessential neighborhood store. It felt like my house was on one end of Soak Hide and Marys' store was on the other. How many trips I must have made between the two I can't imagine. And the dreen? The dreen is right in the middle of it.
Now the dreen runs straight through a small triangular shaped piece of land. This land is bordered on one side by the Springy Banks road and the Three Mile Harbor rd on the other. That little patch of land was marked as a game sanctuary. The signs were old and faded but they were there. There was a footpath that cut through that small wooded lot at an angle. You would enter off Springy Banks Rd. and cutting across the corner come out on Soak Hide Rd., not far from the Dreen. Who or why that footpath was there I couldn't say, I only know it was always there. As a kid it felt as though it were a secret path even though it was obvious to anyone that looked. It was the normal route I took going to Marys' and returning as well. That small piece of land became like the hundred acre wood of Winnie the Pooh fame over the years. I didn't have imaginary friends living in there, or any great adventures. It only became that place in memory, if that makes any sense. Over the years, and in absence, Soak Hide and the Dreen, that little patch of woodland, is the place I go in memory. It's a special place.
It's true that my home sat on the edge of Northwest woods, a much larger area of woodland, sparesly populated when I was young. I had acres of woods to play in and I certainly did. I explored those woods and had plenty of adventures, But Northwest woods, due I suppose to their size, just wasn't as intimate as that little triangle of land by Soak Hide dreen. If I wanted to get lost, where it would difficult to locate me , Northwest was the place. Still, I chose that patch of land by the dreen when I wanted or needed solitude. There was a small meadow in there, a quiet place just off the path, where I could sit and ponder the mysteries of the world, although mostly I was there pondering why something wasn't going right for me. I could hear my Mother call from there when it was time to come home. There wasn't much traffic or noise in my neighborhood. Princess Pine grew in that meadow, once or twice I did see some deer munching on the tops of that Princess Pine, a special treat for them. The animals came to the dreen to drink and if you were quiet and observant you would spot them. Squirrels abounded, racoons, ducks, an occasional muskrat and deer. Running pine could also be found just beside the meadow, pulling on it you could gather several feet of it at a time. Great stuff for wrapping around bannisters and stuff at Christmas time.
Now that little patch of land is still there, untouched, undisturbed, as was the intent. I was told that plot was given to the town, as a sanctuary, and was never to be used for anything else. The lady that owned it loved nature and wished for it to be preserved. It's looking like her wish is being fulfilled. I know there are many more homes in Northwest Woods these days. I suspect that foot path could still be located. Marys' store is still there, well sorta. The little neighborhood store that I knew has been demolished, relegated to history and a new structure has taken its' place. Still the same family owns it and runs it and that's a comfort. My aunt and uncle have long since passed on, my other relatives on Soak Hide Rd. moved. There is no one on Soak Hide that I know anymore, although the homes still stand. My own home has been demolished just recently, I am fortunate that the person doing so sent me a brick from the fireplace, a memento I will cherish, a piece of home. And in between, the Dreen still runs through it all, just as it did when the Indians where there. A comfort and a refuge. That picture is now my screen saver. Who could have imagined it?
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The Dreen.
Thanks to Joyce Bennett Klien.
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