nostalgia

My earliest memories of my childhood spent in Port Orford are ones that I will always cherish. I spent many windy summers trying to work up the nerve to jump off the top of Cannon Ball Rock. Then there were the rainy winters spent splashing my way to the bus stop only to be greeted by the squeaky bus brakes and the smell of exhaust mixed with the bus driver Susie's perfume.

One of my earliest memories of school was peeing my panties because I didn't know where the bathroom was. Turns out it was just across the hall. I can still hear the repetitive tap-tap of the pointer stick on Mrs.Cassel's large flip pad in music class. ta-ta-tee-tee-ta....daisy chain, daisy chain and memorizing songs from Mary Poppins. Singing. "Llllllllllets goooo fly a kite...", wishing my dad would go fly kites with me. Horseback riding lessons with Kathy's stubborn pony, Lucky... I may still have scar from his nips that summer. I remember trying to stand still when he stepped on my foot during a show, and all I got for my efforts was a participation ribbon, but I still had the time of my life.

I remember an age where I started discovering the secrets about my town that you only learn when you're old enough to have a bike, but still young enough to have plenty of free time. I loved playing in the wet, cold sand under the docks (back when it was all wood). I remember convincing my little sister that the reason Nelly's Cove was hard to get to, was because of the buried treasure, but it was really because I didn't want to try to scoot around those rocks by myself.

I still have my polished glass collection. The fruit of hours of sitting on the beach, braving the pelting sand to dig through grains up on grain looking for a dull flash of color. I remember treating those little pieces like they were treasure. I still have the little box from my grandma's store with tape on it so the lid wouldn't fall off. I carried that box around in my pocket for a whole summer, that comforting cacophonic sound following me as I played on the the dock.

ahh, those were the days...

~e