Fresh Air Camp.

[Towntalk]

Ours was a different world iwasthere, If their fathers caught their boys raiding gardens, they got the strap (literally) where it was most effective.

The families in our neighborhood shared the products of their hard labors with each other because there was a war on and money was scarce, so that food had more importance than it does for folks today.

The ladies would get together for canning bees and the results were split up between them.

If any of the kids came home with bags of vegetables out of the blue, you'd better believe that they'd better have a good explanation, because their explanation would be checked out, and if it didn't pan out, they got the strap when their dad got home.

Yep, those were the days when parents were strict and the neighbors kept out of other people's business. Better dad's belt than a visit from the Chief of Police.

[iwasthere]

sarge mom knew and other moms of the neighborhood knew but they were happy that it was food that was taken instead of someone's personal property or life. moms of my neighborhood knew what the boys and girls were up to in their little turf of the world too bad it does not hold true in today's society.

[sfc_oliver]

We raided a few gardens when I was young, But all the food went home. Mom never asked where it came from.......7 Kids on a mechanics pay........

[iwasthere]

oh no what kind of hospitality is that for a foreigner?

[Towntalk]

That brings back memories.

The boys in my neighborhood when I was a child use to raid gardens at night to gather green tomatoes and the next evening have a tomato fight with the boys from another neighborhood.

That was back in the 1940's during WW-2.

[sfc_oliver]

I suppose that depends on if you can dodge the tomatoes they are throwing at you while giving those directions.

[iwasthere]

i wonder if one is lost in this neck of the woods will the zombies give the right directions to go to Rome, or Lowellville or Ytown?

[sfc_oliver]

In this case all roads lead to Youngstown.

[iwasthere]

they say all roads lead to Rome does that include Skyhill road?

[sfc_oliver]

Yes and if you travel west on sky hill it becomes New Castle road and brings you out almost back to Wilson Ave at Rt 616.

[iwasthere]

the steep hill's name is Skyhill goes into rt 224.

[sfc_oliver]

Oh yes the Eternal flame still has some gas in it as when we lit it it did give us a whoosh. Sort of like the old days when we would light an empty whiskey bottle.

[sfc_oliver]

Ok so I made it to zombie land today and it was not at the Church off 224. According to my neighbor it is on New Castle road. between 1 and 2 miles into PA. there is a big down hill as you come up to the Bridge which sits at the bottom of a valley where there is a creek. That area is known as Zombie Land.

Now, the legend as he told it was that somewhere before or near 1900 there was a family who lived near the bridge who had a genetic trait of having a bit larger than normal head. The kids of the day took to calling them Zombies. The entire family would come out and chase them away throw tomatoes and whatever at the kids to run them off. the house is gone, I was told that my neighbor remembers finding the foundations once as a kid but could not remember where it was exactly today.

Anyway I am going to try to post pics of the bridge and the eternal flame area. Only about 25 yards or so from each other.

[sfc_oliver]

And that running downhill is a lot harder than running up.

[iwasthere]

sarge you are in the minus years of your life.