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poltr1[Originally posted to the "Growing Up in the Town of Tonawanda" group on Facebook.]
Mitchell Connor's story about the field near the Sheridan Dr. pedestrian bridge and the path to Hoover Middle School reminded me of my own wild outdoor adventures. I grew up in the Green Acres North subdivision of Tonawanda, NY (north of Buffalo). Behind my house on Parker Blvd. was a set of Niagara Mohawk power lines. The utility would mow the field two or three times a year. When they didn't mow, the grass would grow high, and a few friends and I made a few "forts" in the field. Actually, we just flattened the grass in the area.
Also near our house was the Lehigh Valley railroad line, and Pee Wee Creek, a small tributary running into Ellicott Creek. We would ride our bikes through the open field, on a path that ran behind the Greenhaven Library. Sometimes we'd catch tadpoles or polliwogs. A few times, we would put pennies on the railroad tracks, which would be melted and crushed by the train as it went by. We saw a lot of insects as well -- grasshoppers, potato bugs (aka roly-polys), a mantis or two, butterflies, moths, and so on.
And then, there was Ellicott Creek Park. In the summer, we would ride our bikes through the park. We were careful to stay away from the teenagers there who would be drinking beer and smoking cigarettes (among other things). Some folks would even canoe on the creek. In the winter, a pond in the corner of the park was turned into an ice rink. I remember crossing the railroad trestle to get to the pond.
Also what I remember from those days was not having a care in the world, not worrying about tomorrow, paying bills, liabilities, and all the other grownup stuff that our parents took care of then that we're taking care of now.
Mitchell Connor's story about the field near the Sheridan Dr. pedestrian bridge and the path to Hoover Middle School reminded me of my own wild outdoor adventures. I grew up in the Green Acres North subdivision of Tonawanda, NY (north of Buffalo). Behind my house on Parker Blvd. was a set of Niagara Mohawk power lines. The utility would mow the field two or three times a year. When they didn't mow, the grass would grow high, and a few friends and I made a few "forts" in the field. Actually, we just flattened the grass in the area.
Also near our house was the Lehigh Valley railroad line, and Pee Wee Creek, a small tributary running into Ellicott Creek. We would ride our bikes through the open field, on a path that ran behind the Greenhaven Library. Sometimes we'd catch tadpoles or polliwogs. A few times, we would put pennies on the railroad tracks, which would be melted and crushed by the train as it went by. We saw a lot of insects as well -- grasshoppers, potato bugs (aka roly-polys), a mantis or two, butterflies, moths, and so on.
And then, there was Ellicott Creek Park. In the summer, we would ride our bikes through the park. We were careful to stay away from the teenagers there who would be drinking beer and smoking cigarettes (among other things). Some folks would even canoe on the creek. In the winter, a pond in the corner of the park was turned into an ice rink. I remember crossing the railroad trestle to get to the pond.
Also what I remember from those days was not having a care in the world, not worrying about tomorrow, paying bills, liabilities, and all the other grownup stuff that our parents took care of then that we're taking care of now.
