When I was a lad June signified the beginning of the summer holiday. No more study, books, or teacher’s dirty looks, Neva J often said. That sounded good. I would awaken the first Monday of June and wonder now what. I did not have a plan but flew by the seat of my P.N. Hirsch pants. There was the Dairy Queen and the Orpheum Theatre. The Orpheum only operated Friday through Sunday. There was TV but only 3 channels and they were dominated by Soap Operas. When Dark Shadows a Soap about vampires began I was a fan.

Pounds Hollow was my main summer occupation. Neva J also loved it, so we traveled there 3 or 4 times per week. Cousin Brenda often accompanied us as well as Chet and Jane. The locker rooms were cool and you placed your street clothes in a metal basket. The smell of the water was enticing. It was a different world. The water contained peace contentment and adventure. I enjoyed swimming underwater and seeing how long I could hold my breath. I surveyed the deep aquatic setting with no diving mask but bare-eyed. This was not Eldorado it was an unseen world. In the murky waters, I could see the Creature From The Black Lagoon little fish and catfish with their massive feline head. There was Captian Nemo and his submarine Nautilus. Blackbeard the pirate was there with candles in his beard.

Those who did not accompany us to our summer retreat knew little of the adventures we had. Seeing the world from a different point of view was exhilarating. Understanding that there was more that is unseen than what is seen. Feeling the provincial reality that the clock did not rule our reverie. No one was our master. Adventure was our banner. Possibilities were our pursuit…