In the midst of the Alleghany hills – amongst the green and lush valleys – sits a little community-

Population – around 800 souls – and back then – I knew almost every one of them!

The town sits on the Alleghany river which eventually flowed into Pittsburg – but – it flowed North first!

Yes – it left Pa. and flowed into NYS before flowing once again South through Pa.

It ends up in Pittsburg some three-plus hours away.

I helped a friend of mine growing up with his paper route – his name was Brent – and we hung out.

He bought a go-cart with his money and he would let me ride on it.

He was two years older than I and eventually married my cousin.

Funny how that worked out – he graduated and I lost track of him.

I would ride my bike everywhere – I had to be home each night for dinner and before the street

lights came on. Every night at 10 o’clock sharp – the siren from the firehouse would blow-

You could hear it all over the town – that was “CURFEW” for the streets –

I think no one under 18 could be out and about!

Sharon and I were like brother and sister – we would watch Lassie together – play on the front porch –

sneak a corncob pipe and gather silk from the corn and smoke –

puff it – in the big red barn behind the house.

We would walk to school together – and our route always was behind the main street along the tracks.

Behind the Eldred Garage and then on the tracks themselves.

Just before the creek – Lynches lived and behind their house was a tree –

like a little island raised up on a piece of land.

We would sit there and play our Kazoo’s together –

“THREE BLIND MICE”

That was all I knew how to play! LOL

She moved away and my sister and her husband moved in right next door!

Over his shoulder is the greenhouse I grew up in – my bedroom was the two windows on the second floor –

after my older brother Roger left for college.

Every morning I would wake up to the birds singing in the tree outside that window –

the Sunlight would come streaming in –

There was the main street – highway right out front –

and I would sleep and hear the sound of cars – trucks rolling by –

and then – the accidents that happen right there –

crashes would hit the cars parked there.

Some – I sept right through – others – would jolt me right out of bed.

That curb was where my best friend and I were sitting one early morning after midnight –

he was sleeping over and my parents had gone somewhere –

we got into the hootch under the sink.

My sister came out and grilled us –

“ARE YOU GUYS DRUNK”?

No I said and right at that time a car came

and the lights showed right on my friend – and he got sick –

and threw up all over the place!

” HE IS,” I said! LOL,

my sister always laughed at that and would tell the story many times over and over!

We have reconnected about fifteen years ago at a class reunion –

he spent about a week here last October –

and we played golf once again – after some 55 years have gone by since we last played together!

He was my hero growing up – ten years older than I –

named WHOS WHO in American colleges

OFFICERS TRAINING SCHOOL and a Lt. in the navy.

His bedroom became mine – when he came back I would sleep on the floor.