Having left the planet of Wyandotte, never to return, we arrived in the New World of Flat Rock, and the first thing I noticed was structure rising into the sky, apparently built by the civilization that had previously inhabited this part of Walnut. I could hear the strains of Richard Strauss' "Also Sprach Zarathustra" as I approached it. . . wait a minute, "2001-A Space Odyssey" hadn't been made yet. . . anyway, it was built of rigid pipe, over 2" in diameter, and sunk deep into the ground. One end had an angled pipe bracing it, but the brace was never installed on the end showing.

The monolith had two ejection seats originally, later converted to only one in the center. You can see that there wasn't much else to play with, so I spent a lot of time learning about this mysterious structure. The open end where the brace should be was for English sparrows to nest in. The seats were to swing in, ever higher and higher, and attempt to break the world distance record in the frontal bail-out. The rear bail-out was to prove one's courage as a warrior, and to demonstrate how quickly one could duck one's head before being clobbered by the seat coming forward.

It took be several years to accomplish the feat, but once I could shinny up a vertical pole to the top, I could see enemies coming for miles.

Dad taught me to love Rust-Oleum, and the original silvery color was later replaced with his favorite; green.

Another pastime was twisting the seats until the chain was coiled and riding them as they untwisted, until one was too dizzy to walk.

It was a gathering place, too, much like the front porch, and the seats later became a measuring stick to register the growth of my siblings, and later, of our own families.

The swing has survived a tornado that removed the 25 ft. walnut tree that grew just a few feet away, and I have no doubt that it will still be there for future civilizations to ponder unless someone purchases the land who has no respect for the Sacred Swing.

Streetlight

Here is the what the streetlight looked like...I actually would be ready to go in but be down the street by the firehydrant, just sitting on the easement waiting for the light to go on...you wouldn't want to come in too early!! Thanks to Lou for the picture..google images perhaps?

Play on Walnut St.

Memories of play on Walnut---

Going to Mittlestat's to make chocolate chip cookies with Cynthia and eating most of the cookie dough! UGH!

Spending hot overnights in Cynthia's bedroom on the 2nd floor with the fan blowing out the window to try to circulate air. Stifling!

Making blanket tents over the clothesline in the back yard, weighting it down with bricks, and using maple "helicopters" as pretend food.

Playing pool tag in a square swimming pool that had metal seats in each corner. Most of the water ended up outside the pool.

Making forts of snow in the winter after a big snow.

Playing Capture the Flag with Thom's friends.

This photo was before the "sub" was there, and located in Cynthia's backyard.

A 1992 letter from Mom to Dad

Here is a letter from mom to dad that I found with their 50th wedding anniversary stuff. I would have scanned it if it had been handwritten...but, you know mom, it was typed.

Sweetheart,
Going way, way, way back in my memories--I remember telling my friend, Rosemary once that I thought Dick Calkins and I could really get along. Then when Ken Bond asked me if I'd go out with you, I remember saying "I'll try anything once"--knowing full well that I'd hoped for that time to come quite some time before. And then you did ask me if I'd go for a ride with Ken and (was it Jean?) to go to see the Christmas tree decorations. We had a great time though I tried to keep you from knowing I'd been out to Palmer Woods to see the Christmas trees a few nights before with ? --maybe it was Don Huffman. Little did I know you guys would get together and exchange information about your holiday dates and you would all find out. Then that winter when the Y leaders club had a party at Ted Krause's cottage at the lake planned and you and Bruce decided to flip a coin to determine who was to take me to that party (rather than make a dash to the phone). Bruce thought the coin flip was best as when you proposed the idea, he was nude, getting ready to take a shower after working out at the Y. Anyway, the coin was flipped and whether you won or lost I never was sure but you took me to the fun day at the lake. It was really the beginning of many happy years. Remember that day at the lake when we carried lanterns when it got dark and walked across the frozen lake?
And then on April Fool's day in 1942 you gave me an engagement ring and we set the date for June 26. We had a great week at Glen Eden Hotel at Glen Arbor, Michigan. I remember when I posed over a beautiful look-out spot so you could take a picture--only to find out I was sitting on an ant hill. Remember the dessert we were served in the dining room--Sailor's duff? Remember the canoe trip we took down the winding stream, taking home movies all along the way and then at the end of the day as we put up on shore and waited for the Hotel to come for us, we unloaded the camera, dropping it on the ground and watching it roll? What a bummer!
Our family began in December of 1942. After experiencing a miscarriage early in the year of 1943, we were excited to have Tom arrive at Wyandotte Hospital. A flu epidemic at the time kept me from all visitors--and I didn't get to see you for five days. If they hadn't brought Tommy to me every four hours, I would really have been lonesome. I guess you were busy trying to keep warm, having to reheat the house when you got home from work--not easy when you had to keep a fire going in the furnace. You were so helpful after I got home from the hospital because Tom was a colicky little one and we had to take turns sleeping so one of us could be on duty in the wee hours.
And then 3 1/2 years later, we were blessed with a little girl. Not only did we have a pretty little girl, we were blessed with another smart child. Marie was just a year old when we moved to Flat Rock. I remember your mother came to help out when we were bouncing back and forth with the moving between Flat Rock and Wyandotte, she kept Marie happy. Tom started Kindergarten that Fall and that was our beginning of 27 years with student in the Flat Rock School system. I was proud of you when you served for 12 of those years on the school board.
Then in 1952, when we learned your dad would be retiring, we felt the only answer was to provide a home for you Mom and Dad with us. I remember that summer when we raised the roof and built two rooms and bath up in what was the attic. The roof had been torn off and we had the most awful downpour. You were up on the roof untwisting the tarp from the chimney to pull down to keep our walls dry. What a traumatic moment. I was pregnant for Lou and despite the running from the basement to attic all went well--our little nest didn't wash away and I didn't suffer any ill effects. That summer your parents moved in with us thought their rooms weren't quite finished. Plastering in that little linen closet in the bathroom was a bit difficult for me since my tummy took up much of the room in that closet.
When Marie was just 3 years old and Tom was nearly 7 we experienced the first real worry when Tom was diagnosed as having Polio. He was hospitalized for 8 weeks Your support to me during those weeks kept me from going off the deep end. And then while he was in the hospital, your calm and cool caring carried me through when Marie fell out of the car while we were driving at 60 miles an hour. I remember what a relief it was to see her running to catch up to us as we turned around and our headlights shown on her. One of the many thing we have to thank God for.
The January of 1953, after your parents had moved in with us, Lou came into our life. Lou was not a colicky baby so the adjustment to your parents moving in and a new baby, wasn't too traumatic. Your parents never interfered so the merger of the two families went quite smoothly. I know you must have had mixed emotions about the outcome and I will admit I felt that perhaps since life had been rather quiet for your folks, especially after you left, the noise and especially a crying baby might be really disturbing to them. If it was, they never complained.
Your mother had been very helpful after Lou was born. I remember hiding the ironing from her as she would iron and I'd see her holding her back with the pain from standing over the ironing board. So, when I told her in 1957 that I was pregnant, she had a frown come over her face. I said I thought she'd be happy and her reply was "But I won't be able to help you like I did when Lou was born". I assured her that we'd manage somehow. We did manage very well. Linda was a joy to all of us. We felt real fortunate to have a "millionaire's family" (boy, girl, boy, girl). We enjoyed watching Linda grow and she was a happy child. Not only did we enjoy watching her, we enjoyed watching the older ones enjoy her.
God certainly was good to us--providing 4 very healthy children who were also blessed with plenty of "smarts". And then as they each married and had children, to be blessed with 8 grandchildren was an added bonus. Fifty years hasn't really seemed that long. The saying "Time goes fast when you're having fun" is fitting for our marriage.

Cramped Quarters

Mealtime must have interesting at our house.  Funny, I don't recall that we ate in shifts but this photo suggests that we might have, at times.  Here we were eating dessert after Thanksgiving or Christmas.  I had forgotten the can opener on the wall and the Laurel and Hardy salt and pepper shakers on the window sill.  I remember there were a few years when someone would knock over their milk almost once a day.  Probably because the metal rectangular table was "tight" with all of us.  Can't believe Mom still made room for candle holders and a centerpiece.  Great picture of Thom and Lou!  This picture was obviously before the kitchen was remodeled.  Don't know what year that was.  Remember the vine curtains?  

Grump Family

Couldn't figure out if this was just a day when NONE of us wanted our picture taken or if it was taken the day of Grandpa Waelde's funeral. I was rather young at the time so I will defer to my elders...The photographer obviously thought that our knees were more important than dad's head!!