Hi Grandkids! Are you ready for the next adventure? Well, when I last wrote, I had just found out we were moving to Alaska. So, after everything was packed, including our suitcases, we all got in Grandma's car and headed to my Uncle Earl's house in West Virginia to visit before we started on one of the longest trips of our lives. Earl was my Grandma Elsie's son, and he had 3 daughters, Sandra, Norma, & Doris, my cousins. It had been several years since we'd seen them and I had a lot of fun with them putting makeup on me and stylng my hair. Of course Doris was married and had a baby girl named Vickie that I loved to hold. While we were there, my Mom, Dad, younger sister and my brother all wanted to go see the little house where we had lived and the people that had lived around us in Ameagle; I chose to stay at my Uncle Earl's house for those few days. My cousin Sandra was in High School, and my Aunt and and my cousin Norma worked at a restaurant and they didn't want to leave me at the house alone. So I had to get up early when they did and my Aunt would take me to my cousin Doris and her husband Wayne's house and I'd stay there until they got out of work. I had a lot of fun with the baby and my cousin, and Wayne would go to work. We stayed in town for about a week, then we had my Uncle Earl drive us to the bus station in Charleston where they lived, and we all got our tickets and boarded a huge bus and began our trip across the United States.
We had left Oceanna, Virginia, traveled to Charleston, West Virginia, boarded the bus, and the next state we went through was Ohio. I had been to Ohio many times while we lived in West Virginia. It was a state of low rolling hills and lots of open farm land. At one point in my Grandma's life, she had lived in Ohio, and later on there was talk about property they all owned there that they planned to sell and split the money. But my Grandma had 9 brothers and sisters and I don't believe she ever got any money from that venture.
After Ohio, we went through a little bit of Indiana, then Illinois, Wisconsin, on to Minnesota, North Dakota, through Montana, which was miles and miles of barren land, with few houses and no cities as far as I can remember. Then Idaho, and finally we were in Seattle, Washington. In every city we'd stop and get off the bus and get a sandwich and use the rest rooms and get back on the bus, or change buses if required, and travel on. There were no sleeping facilities on the bus of course, so I would just lean my head against the window and sleep as best I could. When we finally got to Seattle, our ankles were swollen and we were tired, cold and miserable. I've often wondered why we went by bus and not a train. But at the time I didn't know any better, and had no voice in what the family would do or not do.
So! We were finally on the last leg of our journey. We went to a nice hotel in Seattle, and all of us had our first hot meal in over a week. We took baths and tumbled into bed. The next day we did some shopping in town and my Mom bought me a cute green skirt with a poodle on it and a matching top, and new shoes. I don't remember what she bought my brother and sister, but I am sure she bought us all some nice things. My Dad had received an incentive bonus for shipping over for more years in the military, and it was nice for them to have some extra money for a change.
That night we stayed in Seattle again, and very early the next morning we all got up, got dressed and took a taxi to the airport. We boarded a huge airplane and before long we were lifting off and heading up into the sunrise. It was beautiful and I had the seat by the window. They brought us breakfast and, of course, I can still remember what we had because it was so fancy. We had blueberry blintzes, with whipped cream on top (that's just a fancy name for thin pancakes), sausages, orange juice, and coffee. I was 12, so my parents would let me have an occasional cup. Even at that age I drank my coffee with just cream. No sugar for me! I took a nap which my Mom envied, because she was afraid to move, and sat in her seat clutching the arm-rests. She was amazed that I wasn't afraid. I thought it was great fun!
Then, after many hours, we landed on Kodiak Island, which is part of the Aleutian Chain. We got off the plane and I could hear what sounded like a bunch of monkeys, (which I learned later on were birds) all chattering away in the trees. There was only a little house with 2 doors, one in, the other out of the so-called airport! I was devastated! I hated it with a passion and hadn't even gone out the out door!
Someone met us outside the little airport and took us to the Navy temporary housing, which was a 2-story building that smelled of bug spray, and you would see the occasional roach crawling around. We were assigned rooms, and I for one went to bed! I slept for 12 hours, got up and ate, and went back to bed and slept another 12 hours. It was summer, and the sun was up until about 9:00 P.M. and rose again at 3:00 A.M. so I was not sure just what day it was when I finally got up to stay up.
We were there for about a week, and my Mom and Dad went out to the town of Kodiak to find us a house, as there was no housing available on the base for 1st class military. You had to be an officer to live on the base. I remember that my brother and I would go with Dad to the house they decided to rent and helped him paint. I asked for robin egg blue for my room. It wasn't very big, but I had my own room. There was no lawn, only mud. We lived in the last row, the last house, on top of a very steep hill. We lived just below 3 mountains they called the 3 Sisters. There would be many trips up that mountain in the time we live there. But that's another story.
We finally moved in, had our furniture delivered, and began our stay on Kodiak.
I missed my house in Oceanna, and was so glad to finally get my own bed, my own things and I rummaged around in the garage in all the cardboard boxes and found all the furniture scarves, rugs, and nick-nacks that were mine. I got busy fixing the room up, but I was depressed and mad at the same time. I didn't think I'd ever miss such a forlorn place, but when you live somewhere for 3 years, it's hard to leave. That was the longest we had ever lived in one place since we left my home town of Ameagle. Yes, the world had expanded for me, but there was much living to do before we moved on.
And I think this is a good time to end this little saga. I'll tell you next time of our adventures, loves and loses next time. So until then, I wish you well and happy reading. I love you all so much and am so glad to be able to recall some of the best times of my life to share with you.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Friday, May 6, 2011
Freedom
Hi grandkids! This time I will tell you about places I've lived, and my travels after I moved to the city and left my little house and town far behind. I had been very sheltered and had no idea just how big the world was until we started moving around. Our first move was to a city called Huntington. We lived in a little red house that wasn't big enough for all of us. So we didn't live there very long. My Mom and Dad found another house that had 2 stories. It was much bigger and we lived there for about 6 months. I went to school on the bus which was really different. In my home town I had walked everywhere I wanted to go. I was in the third grade when we moved to the city. It seemed so big, I was afraid I'd get lost. One time I missed the bus going home and I started walking. I was about half way home when the school bus pulled up behind me and I was so glad to see it! Shortly thereafter we moved to yet another house! It was a big 2-story victorian house with a huge backyard and a large apple tree. My Dad made a swing for me and I spent many hours sitting in my swing eating apples and reading. We had a concord grape arbor and wild strawberries growing along our fence. This time we stayed for about 2 years. I attended Kellog Elementary
School and was in the 4th and 5th grades there. Once in the 4th grade we had an assembly outside and some people brought a huge Buffalo to the school for us to see. It was really big with hair that hung down to the ground. Just why they brought it for us to see I don't know, but it was cool anyway.
When I was in 5th grade, my teachers name was Mrs. Ferguson. We had music classes and we learnd how to play the harmonica. I was even on TV once with our group and we played several songs. I wasn't even nervous. Too young to realize how many people were watching us! I was also in a brownie troop and we made all sorts of things. We earned badges and ribbons and sold cookies and all that. It was fun and I would like to see all of you in something like that. You would have a lot of fun and make new friends.
Then we moved again to a house on Bradley Road where I attended 6th grade at a school called Westmoreland Elementary. I didn't like my teacher that year. I guess I was getting old enough to have an opinion about things. The school was very old and dark and depressing. I was glad when that year was over even though it meant we were moving yet again! We moved to a house on Jackson Road, and I took the city bus to Junior High School. At noon we got an hour for lunch and after lunch we would go to the gym and they would play music and let us dance until time to go back to class. We had P.E. there and had to undress and take showers in front of each other, and I didn't like that at all. But it was fun shopping for clothes with my grandma, because she would let me pick out my own clothes, within reason. My Dad had been changing jobs a lot so we moved around quite a bit. Then one day he decided to rejoin the Navy because the pay would be better and we would be able to get health insurance and shop at the Navy Stores and save money. This meant that he was going to be stationed in Virginia, in a town called Alexandria. I hadn't gotten tired of moving yet, and thought it would be fun to see yet another new place. He found us a house on Maiden Lane and the first night there we slept on Army cots in the front room of our new house. The next day they brought our furniture and I had my own bedroom. I was in 7th grade and we lived close to the school, so once again I walked to school. I was starting to grow up and I liked the school and had a lot of friends. I went to the school dances and enjoyed the field trips we went on.
Once the school took us to Washington, D.C. to a concert in a huge concert theatre. It was a full orchestra playing classical music and it was beautiful. Another time they took us to the Smithsonian Institute where they have many, many historical items and other things. On the way there, we saw the White House, and the Pentagon.
Then one day my Dad got new orders and his new station was in Norfolk, Virginia. Yet another move, but I still didn't mind. This time we got to see the Atlantic ocean and it was breath taking. I'd never seen so much water! We lived in a suburb called Oceanna and once again I rode the bus to school. This time it was 30 miles to school. It was called Kempsville Jr. High. I was in the band and played the bells. Sometimes we'd get a lot of rain and the area would flood. On days like that we'd get to leave school a little early. The next year I was going to a new school called Princess Anne High School. I had many plans and was going to be in the band again, but this time I couldn't believe it when we got the news that we had to move again. This time it was to Kodiak, Alaska. I was so depressed. I suddenly had had enough moving and wanted to stay where we were. I was 12, had lots of friends, and had the ability to form my own plans and have strong opinions about what I liked, and didn't like. I'll close for now and leave the rest till next time. You will hear about my long bus ride across the country and more. So until then, I hope I have entertained you and given you an idea of how I saw the United States.
School and was in the 4th and 5th grades there. Once in the 4th grade we had an assembly outside and some people brought a huge Buffalo to the school for us to see. It was really big with hair that hung down to the ground. Just why they brought it for us to see I don't know, but it was cool anyway.
When I was in 5th grade, my teachers name was Mrs. Ferguson. We had music classes and we learnd how to play the harmonica. I was even on TV once with our group and we played several songs. I wasn't even nervous. Too young to realize how many people were watching us! I was also in a brownie troop and we made all sorts of things. We earned badges and ribbons and sold cookies and all that. It was fun and I would like to see all of you in something like that. You would have a lot of fun and make new friends.
Then we moved again to a house on Bradley Road where I attended 6th grade at a school called Westmoreland Elementary. I didn't like my teacher that year. I guess I was getting old enough to have an opinion about things. The school was very old and dark and depressing. I was glad when that year was over even though it meant we were moving yet again! We moved to a house on Jackson Road, and I took the city bus to Junior High School. At noon we got an hour for lunch and after lunch we would go to the gym and they would play music and let us dance until time to go back to class. We had P.E. there and had to undress and take showers in front of each other, and I didn't like that at all. But it was fun shopping for clothes with my grandma, because she would let me pick out my own clothes, within reason. My Dad had been changing jobs a lot so we moved around quite a bit. Then one day he decided to rejoin the Navy because the pay would be better and we would be able to get health insurance and shop at the Navy Stores and save money. This meant that he was going to be stationed in Virginia, in a town called Alexandria. I hadn't gotten tired of moving yet, and thought it would be fun to see yet another new place. He found us a house on Maiden Lane and the first night there we slept on Army cots in the front room of our new house. The next day they brought our furniture and I had my own bedroom. I was in 7th grade and we lived close to the school, so once again I walked to school. I was starting to grow up and I liked the school and had a lot of friends. I went to the school dances and enjoyed the field trips we went on.
Once the school took us to Washington, D.C. to a concert in a huge concert theatre. It was a full orchestra playing classical music and it was beautiful. Another time they took us to the Smithsonian Institute where they have many, many historical items and other things. On the way there, we saw the White House, and the Pentagon.
Then one day my Dad got new orders and his new station was in Norfolk, Virginia. Yet another move, but I still didn't mind. This time we got to see the Atlantic ocean and it was breath taking. I'd never seen so much water! We lived in a suburb called Oceanna and once again I rode the bus to school. This time it was 30 miles to school. It was called Kempsville Jr. High. I was in the band and played the bells. Sometimes we'd get a lot of rain and the area would flood. On days like that we'd get to leave school a little early. The next year I was going to a new school called Princess Anne High School. I had many plans and was going to be in the band again, but this time I couldn't believe it when we got the news that we had to move again. This time it was to Kodiak, Alaska. I was so depressed. I suddenly had had enough moving and wanted to stay where we were. I was 12, had lots of friends, and had the ability to form my own plans and have strong opinions about what I liked, and didn't like. I'll close for now and leave the rest till next time. You will hear about my long bus ride across the country and more. So until then, I hope I have entertained you and given you an idea of how I saw the United States.
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