Sum sum summertime

The most wonderful time of the year. As far as I'm concerned it's summer! I love it. Every former child should.

What's was not to like for a kid? You got out of school and had 3 months of vacation that seemed to stretch out in front of you like and endless wave of fun. Or boredom, which was still better than school, at least in June and July. By August, well....

I admit that I'm putting on my nostalgic goggles (waterproof for all that swimming I did) for my childhood summers. It's easy to forget the icky stuff (was there any? - I was oblivious to anything going on outside of good 'ol Atlantic, Iowa).

We had the run of our neighborhood, stretching for blocks from out house - especially after I got that snazzy Western Flyer bike with the banana seat. I felt like one of Hell's own little angels on that baby - tooling around the 'hood. I've mentioned before how fortunate the Bullocks were when the Reinertsons moved into the house next door to us because there was someone for Cindy, Betsy and me to play with. Also the move got rid of the creepy family before them - with the son that burned Cindo with the cigarette lighter in their car. Don't worry - our dad punched him.

We spent countless hours with Kathryn, Laurie and Annie Reinertson indoors and out. We did plays (my grandmother typed up the tickets on her manual typewriter) in the Reinertson's yard, hanging a couple blankets over their clothesline for the curtain. I don't think I had many speaking lines. #moreofabehindthescenesgirl. We built forts in the "woods" next to our house and climbed the trees there. We also had a cool playhouse that our grandfather built - I wish I had a picture of it. I remember being so busy playing that it was inconvenient to have to go inside to tinkle - playing is such hard work! Mom did a good job of just leaving us alone.

We were so fortunate that our parents belonged to a golf course that had a small swimming pool because early members thought that was important. My Aunt Marty says my grandpa Bubba was the first one ever in the water. That's funny because I don't remember him ever being in the water! That pool saw a lot of action. It had an ever smaller "baby pool" next to it that was somewhat dangerous because it was much too deep for youngsters and had a slick rounded bottom. In later years they fixed that.

We spent a lot of time at that little pool - just ask my shoulders. I just had another little precancerous spot zapped last month. The pool had cool woven chairs that you could tip down and hang your towel on to make a shady fort on the grass. By the time we went home late in the afternoon, I'd be famished and exhausted - just what Mom was hoping for I'm sure. (The little rats will sleep well tonight)

Sometimes the neighbor kids would play night games like kick the can or Ghost in the Graveyard. Or another hide and seek game we called Sardines where one person hid and when you found them, you laid down by them - just like a sardine in a can! I loved being included with the big kids.

My sister Cindy had a wonderful imagination. She was great at making up things to do. We'd use our porcelain horse collection with little rubber animal erasers as riders and play Horse Camp. It was fun naming all the horses and people. Mom got some old wallpaper sample books and Cindy used old boxes to make houses for Barbie and decorate. Quite stylish. Again - I was probably the maid.

We'd draw a 4-Square "court" on the driveway and play that with a rubber ball. Banks or no banks? That made a huge difference. We had a flat roof on our garage, so hitting a tennis ball against the door required that I prop the ladder up at the same time. I can't believe Mom let me climb up on the roof.

I was in Atlantic - at least the landfill, McDonald's and the cemetery this week. I had lunch under the tree we planted after our infant son died. He's buried there along with four other generations of Bullocks. It was very peaceful - unlike the Bullocks on this side of the grass. Haha. I'll be back in A-town in a couple weeks for my class reunion. I'm looking forward to seeing my homegirls of course, but also those peeps that I don't get to see quite as frequently. Atlantic is a good place to be from. Bring on summer!

Adnah David Bullock - Civil War veteran

Co-ed Sledding Party

The forecasters finally got one right. After a fabulously snowless January - the last day of the month let loose with 12 inches 1/31 into 2/1.

View of our deck this a.m. 

One of the many places people could sled in my hometown of Atlantic was at the Atlantic Golf and Country Club - just east of the clubhouse where a couple steep holes slant down from the CC road to the ditch before Chestnut Street.

One time my extended friend group of guys and girls decided we should have a sledding party. I'm fairly certain that Sally had a hand in arranging the party. She was always up for a party.

We have a fabulous class - the trifecta of great people, athletes, and students. I don't remember if we were old enough to drive ourselves - or if Anna Day Rodgers delivered us to the Country Club that cold crisp snowy night.

Our toboggan had a green pad and held several people

I may have taken our aluminum toboggan that evening. That baby was scary fast in certain snow conditions! I think I was more into the sledding than the flirting. I never really perfected that art - unlike some of my girlfriends. There was some definite flirting going on though.

Hot chocolate involved. Is there anything better than real hot chocolate with marshmallows?  I'm not talking about that powdered stuff here. Yum! So good your teeth can taste the richness.

I won't be doing any sledding today - but I sure hope others are. It's a beautiful winter day!

Summer memories

It's been a beautiful week. Almost a bit cool, which some are loving. As a former lifeguard I have to sympathize with those who have chosen to spend their summer babysit...I mean faithfully guarding the lives of those who partake in a refreshing dip the local pool.

Except this summer they haven't often needed to! I'd be willing to bet those lifeguards haven't gotten many hours in. The oldest three Bullock girls cashed a lot of lifeguard paychecks in our day. Susi worked at the Country Club and Lake Anita. Cindy was queen of the Country Club pool too. Charley Wickman called her Mrs. Lifeguard.

We had all grown up at that very pool. The story is that years before my grandfather, Wally Bullock was the first to jump in the pool after it was built. I heard both Dad and Aunt Marty tell that story...so it's likely true. Though I can't picture it. Bubba in trunks. (not in Florida).

As youngsters the Bullocks practically lived at the Country Club pool every summer. Mom would pack us up in the station wagon in our little swimming suits, each with a towel. Sunscreen hadn't been invented yet...but we might have had a bottle of Coppertone Suntan Lotion. That smell still takes me back to the land of hot concrete, happy screams and splashing noises. My freckled body can attest to the lack of sunscreen!


The club wasn't quite this old...and the pool wasn't built yet back then

Many of my little buddies were at the pool too and in between dips in the baby pool and big pool (Nibbles!), we'd make tents out of the wicker chairs. Tip two down and draping our towels over the top - walaa. A fort! The snack room was great too - when it was still inside the club. I recall Dick Westbrook working there, doling out frozen snickers and popsicles. There were even a couple tables. When I got older we played cards. Spoons! And watched the big console television in the den outside the snack room. Perched on soft leather couches we watched the goofy freaky soap opera Dark Shadows.

When I got older I would I head from fun swimming at the County Club to Swim Team practice (11 laps = 1 mile) at Sunnyside - the public pool. After all those years hanging out at that place must have sunk in. Because though I was a substitute lifeguard at "The Club", I worked at Sunnyside - with my pals. My lifeguard summer. Sal, the Merrick girls, Hjort, Todd and Ted. I also got to know some people I didn't know before. Cindy and Kim, Pat and Mike.

I hope we have some warmer weather before area swimming pools close. It's summer in Iowa ya'll!

Bike ride took us to Cheesecake Factory - S'mores. Yum!

The countdown is on

Until I get together with my girls. No - not the girls from my mammogram. My girls from Atlantic! Preparing for my class reunion has made me think about my child hood - yep...I've been using the wayback machine again!

I've been thinking about those endless summers of my childhood! They were great. Mom would drive us to the Country Club. I got to hang out with my lil friends - those wicker  chairs around the pool made perfect forts when you tipped them over and draped your towel over them. In between swimming, and playing swimming games like nibbles and pretending to take photos of each other on the diving board, we'd go into the snack shop.

Then I'd get my putter out of our cart shed and mess around on the putting green. Sometimes kids would play cards in the snack shop - it was by the locker rooms back then. There was also a color TV just outside the snack shop and we'd watch Dark Shadows - a soap opera about vampires.

When I got older - after my frosh year of college, I just moved to a different pool, but my summer was very similar. I was a lifeguard at Sunnyside and taught swimming lessons. The fort was in the loft above the pool office - we'd drink beers up there (after the pool closed of course) and play the game Chug A Lug.

I worked with a great group - Marci and Cindy Merrick were managers, Sally, Kim Waters, Cindy, and Cathy Hjortshoj. Jules Hoilien worked in the snack shack. We worked 6 days a week, and each day was like the last. They were all fun. At night we went to the bars. I learned how to do a flip off the board after drinking a few cold ones.

We were the cool kids of town - we were young, hard bodies. I won't say I was tan. Damn it's prolly why I have skin damage today. But I was full of myself. On Sunday mornings, we'd go, hungover to clean the pool deck and bathhouse. Then we'd float in the pool on rafts until time to open. Then we'd do it all again.

Now here I am 53. Damn - how did that happen?

3 years ago - when the Atlantic gals were only 50!