Oh those lazy summer days

Summer vacation has begun for all the school children in WNY. Nowadays, many children spend their summers in day camp programs while mom and dad both work. Or mom and dad drive the kids around to their scheduled activities.

But remember summer when YOU were a kid?

We lived on a street that had at least 50 kids living on it and most of us would play together! We walked in and out of each others houses and it wasn't unusual to stay for lunch or dinner. We'd draw roads on the street to roller skate or ride our bikes on. We'd play kickball, baseball, dodgeball and "blacktown". The older kids played as well as the younger kids. We had bike races from the top of the street at O'Keefe's and see who could glide down the street the farthest.

We filled our days with all kinds of things! We played jump rope, stone school and "7up". Sometimes we'd have a show in the garage or someone would have a beauty parlor at their house (and charge a nickel to do your nails). There would be backyard carnivals to go to and sometimes a "bike wash". We'd make up flyers advertising our thing and deliver them to every house. On many days you would find a lemonade stand on one side of the street and a koolaid stand on the other! We'd pay my little brother 5 cents to ride up and down the street yelling "Koolaid 5 cents at 48 Delray Drive!!" We were always trying to think of some way to make a little money to spend at the corner store where you could fill up a bag with penny candy.

We used to make tents in our back yard by clipping blankets to the chain link fences with clothespins! Then we'd actually campout in those tents over night (with snacks, of course)!

Back in the day, rides would stop on our street (just like the ice cream truck did)! We could ride the ferris wheel or the whip right in front of our own house!! And of course Mr. Softee came every day!

Once we discovered Cherry Lane Park, we'd go there to play Knock Hockey and paint plaster molds! I remember one summer my parents signed us up for swimming lessons at the high school (not fun) but also art class! Transportation was always by foot or by bike.

I remember days when it rained and we would go outside and splash around in the rain! And watching thunderstorms out the front door of our house on Delray.

I remember taking my Barbie case outside to play! I'd set it up near our front garden and Barbie would play in the bushes (fashionably dressed, of course)! Sometimes my best friend Krissy Manna and I would play "The Man from Uncle".

One of my favorite things to do was go to Hoerner's house down on the corner and climb their willow tree! The tree was huge and three of us could be up in it at once and we'd have pretend adventures!

Once everyone started getting backyard pools, it was fun to start at one end of the street and take a dip in everyone's pool (or run through their sprinkler) and work our way down the street, across and up the other side.

With all the technological advances in today's society, somehow I feel that children today are missing out on the fun of just being kids! Oh to be a kid again for just one day..............{sigh}.......