What a wonderful story of summer nights. You're still a little kid at heart, and we are the beneficiaries. What amazes me is how little time families spend outside.. When I worked in South Providence as the Property Manager for Section 8 housing, I would drive by our scattered site housing units and see families gather on the porch steps, talk, listen to music (a little too loud), but no one complained. A sense of community was apparent. We've become siloed.
Hi, Larry. Thanks. I returned to my old neighborhood to do a film shoot. The neighbors, now of Hispanic descent, were doing the same . . . sitting on their porches, chatting.
I enjoyed this story so much, reminded me of similar nights in the summer. We lived in a two decker in Pawtucket. We lived on the second floor, my uncle and his wife on the first. My brothers were not yet born yet, but my two older sisters and I would do the same thing that you did. We thought it was so fun to listen to the grown ups, all just chatting about boring things, but as a kid it seemed like a big deal to us. Great story Dr. I.
Yuh. Not many of them around in those days. Paul's Lemonade, Yes. Cold coffee, yes. We actually got a fan from your Dad. 4 rubber blades, no grate, but ribbon to check air flow. It "circulated" hot air. Must have been from Uptown Motors.
Another great hit, Ed! Folks in our neighborhood would sit under shade trees in the early evening. A breeze would come up, and you could hear a soft, collective "ahhhh" from near and far as a brief few moments of relative comfort interrupted the miserable heat.
Ed, you endured some brutal summer evenings, but the comfort of family surely eased the stress. Today maybe the young ones today missed a wonderful time in life when family cured all our ills.
We didn't have a porch on Home Ave but I do remember running around the neighborhood
until the streetlights came on and they were the old fashioned ones. I think they call them "pie pans". When we moved back to Providence in 1967 they were still on the poles. They were all
removed by the summer of 1969. Yes, I really miss those summers too!
I posted this and the temperature plummeted 30 degrees today
What a wonderful story of summer nights. You're still a little kid at heart, and we are the beneficiaries. What amazes me is how little time families spend outside.. When I worked in South Providence as the Property Manager for Section 8 housing, I would drive by our scattered site housing units and see families gather on the porch steps, talk, listen to music (a little too loud), but no one complained. A sense of community was apparent. We've become siloed.
Hi, Larry. Thanks. I returned to my old neighborhood to do a film shoot. The neighbors, now of Hispanic descent, were doing the same . . . sitting on their porches, chatting.
I went to my old house.
"How do you like this house?"
"We LOVE it!"
"And the neighborhood?"
"We LOVE it!"
Lovely people.
How nice.
Love your story, Dr. Ed. It triggered lots of happy memories.
Enjoy the summer.
Lora
Thanks, Lora. You also.
Dr. I,
Love reading your great stories. Were ypur summers any cooler at Peter's House??? Keep your stories coming. Thay are very enjoyable to read. Marianne
HaHa, yes, his summers were cooler. When I was a kid, we sometimes rented a cottage for a month at the Narragansett shore. What a treat!
I enjoyed this story so much, reminded me of similar nights in the summer. We lived in a two decker in Pawtucket. We lived on the second floor, my uncle and his wife on the first. My brothers were not yet born yet, but my two older sisters and I would do the same thing that you did. We thought it was so fun to listen to the grown ups, all just chatting about boring things, but as a kid it seemed like a big deal to us. Great story Dr. I.
Thank you, Colleen. I love rekindling memories such as yours. Some accuse me of living in the world of nostalgia, and I say, "Thank you."
It's a comfortable place, Eh?
All you needed was a cold watermelon.
Yuh. Not many of them around in those days. Paul's Lemonade, Yes. Cold coffee, yes. We actually got a fan from your Dad. 4 rubber blades, no grate, but ribbon to check air flow. It "circulated" hot air. Must have been from Uptown Motors.
Another great hit, Ed! Folks in our neighborhood would sit under shade trees in the early evening. A breeze would come up, and you could hear a soft, collective "ahhhh" from near and far as a brief few moments of relative comfort interrupted the miserable heat.
The perfect breeze; the Ahhhh. Oh yes.
I love it, Ed. You deliver this reader right to your porch on that hot steamy evening. It brings me back to my childhood days in RI. Thank you.
Thank you, Ray. A writer’s best compliment: to get you there.
Ed, you endured some brutal summer evenings, but the comfort of family surely eased the stress. Today maybe the young ones today missed a wonderful time in life when family cured all our ills.
Peter, hot, memorable and lovely.
Great Memories Doc.
They were, Joe.
Yes, Tom. And the streetlight was our goal for hide-and-seek, and its pole was where we hung the wireless hoop for basketball.
Ed,
We didn't have a porch on Home Ave but I do remember running around the neighborhood
until the streetlights came on and they were the old fashioned ones. I think they call them "pie pans". When we moved back to Providence in 1967 they were still on the poles. They were all
removed by the summer of 1969. Yes, I really miss those summers too!