Here's the walkway around the pond at the Oaks. A thin layer of ice has begun to form, and by January kids will be attempting pirouettes and scoring goals here. Our favorite place to throw the puck around was the swamp at the end of Mayfield. It froze over early, and by Christmas afternoon it was the perfect place to try out those new skates and sticks. There was one place that was pretty wide open, at least enough for a small rink. We'd shovel it off, put out our goals, pick teams and play till well after dark some nights. We had quite a few choices to skate at nearby, but this was close and ours, and that made it special. Most winter days, we were outside doing something. Livingroom couches, occupying our butts, were alien environments to us. And as for 'thin ice' I've skated on it a lot, just ask my friends... then and now. Goal!Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Thin Ice
Here's the walkway around the pond at the Oaks. A thin layer of ice has begun to form, and by January kids will be attempting pirouettes and scoring goals here. Our favorite place to throw the puck around was the swamp at the end of Mayfield. It froze over early, and by Christmas afternoon it was the perfect place to try out those new skates and sticks. There was one place that was pretty wide open, at least enough for a small rink. We'd shovel it off, put out our goals, pick teams and play till well after dark some nights. We had quite a few choices to skate at nearby, but this was close and ours, and that made it special. Most winter days, we were outside doing something. Livingroom couches, occupying our butts, were alien environments to us. And as for 'thin ice' I've skated on it a lot, just ask my friends... then and now. Goal!
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i bet your patience was sorely tried as a boy, waiting for the ice to be thick enough for skating.
ReplyDeletede beaux souvenirs, ici c'est interdit de faire du patin sur le lac gele, trop dangereux
ReplyDeleteLiving in an area where we do not have outdoor skating, your stories seem like storybook tales. I imagine that over the years there have been more cases of "goals!" than skating on thin ice. I wonder if Ms. Bird will comment today... hummmmm?
ReplyDeleteBises,
Genie
Our long lake is beginning to freeze in patches - always amazes me to see that. When I was young, we slid and skated on an unintentional 'pond' (low-lying big puddle) -- sometimes I was there alone after dark and it was safe and it was bliss.
ReplyDeleteI was the one attempting the pirouettes... when as a kid I lived in Helsinki. Oh yeah, no being a couch potato or glued to the screen back then! But like you, I'm prone to getting on thin ice!
ReplyDelete[Again a favorite author popped up on your literary quotes: now it's Robertson Davies, "A truly great book should be read in youth, again in maturity and once more in old age, as a fine building should be seen by morning light, at noon and by moonlight." Reminds me to read his books again; and I'm pretty sure I've read ALL his fiction. Did you ever get to any Paul Auster?]
Would you believe I have never ice skated? Wow, I just realized that.
ReplyDeleteI plan to investigate P. Auster, Francisa. Interested!
ReplyDeleteThat's some very thin ice. Nice memories.
ReplyDeleteI"ve been on "thin ice" a few times myself Bird. Thanks for taking us down your Memory Lane again. I love these trips.
ReplyDeleteV
simpler times.
ReplyDeleteNot many who haven't 'skated on thin ice', this is a fascinating shot for me Birdman, I just can't imagine it ever getting cold enough here to form ice!!
ReplyDeletethin ice.. scary.
ReplyDeletenever skated much, it was usually not cold enough. or the skates would be too big one year, and too tight the next.
as for the butt-sitting... i agree. i was appalled to see an advertisement for some fancy computer on which little kids can make their drawings. really?! is that what we became? even children's drawings should be electronic?
We had a big park behind our house that had 2 natural rinks with lights so every night was skating time - until your toes were frozen!
ReplyDeleteGreetings from the Amish community of Lebanon Pennsylvania. I'm just stopping at Radom blogs and checking them out, and wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and New years. Richard from Amish Stories.
ReplyDeleteHi There, I have only walked on ICE once in my life... We just don't get that much of a possibility down here.
ReplyDeleteWhen I did walk on ice, we were on vacation in Virginia during a VERY cold winter. The year was about 1975 or so... The lake at Hungry Mother Park was completely frozen and we walked across it... That was a memory of mine which I will always have.
Merry Christmas.
Betsy
To Genie, Paris and Beyond's comment..
ReplyDeleteBoy, when I saw this, I thought to myself, "AHA, I'm sure Mr. Birdman is on thin ice about SOMETHING!!. But, Dang it, I could not think of a thing.
Good job, Birdman..... <3
I grew up next to one of the two ponds in my home town, so winter ice was a big part of my youth. But, I was a basketball player, not a hockey player, so I never became a very good skater. Thin ice? On the advice of counsel, I regret that I must exercise my First Amendments not to incriminate myself . . .
ReplyDeleteAlways had an outdoor pond (courtesy of the air force base neighborhood I lived in) to skate on as a kid. LOVED it and would spend hours in the freezing cold with other kids. Great memories.
ReplyDeleteThat's a different world. It rarely froze hard enough for long enough when I was a kid in Queens and there sure weren't many ponds. We did play roller hockey on blacktop we shoveled clear. That had so much more friction than ice that we used a roll of light electrical tape for a puck.
ReplyDeleteBEAUTIFUL photo..
ReplyDeletecool!
ReplyDeleteAloha from Honolulu
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