No neighborhood story would be complete without romance. My middle school romantic interest was Jeff Zanola (sorry Jeff!) At some point during one of those amazing summers, we were finally “going out.” In truth, it wasn’t much different than when we weren’t going out, except that after dive practice, we would sit next to each other on the front desk of the pool office. This was when the front desk ran the entire width of the office, and it was a few feet after the front door. You had to lift part of the desk on the right side to get into the office, and anyone could see a ways into the girl’s locker room. We sat next to each other on the left side. It was the summer of Jack and Dianne, or for me, Jeff and Joanne. I can never hear that song and not change the names on at least one verse. It instantly transports be back in time to an endless summer. I also remember playing kick the can (as usual) one summer evening. Jeff and I ended up on the north side of the Moore’s house alone. We stood there staring at each other for a few seconds (seemed like hours). I was terrified that he was going to try to kiss me, so I eventually said, “we’re going to get caught” and ran away. Nobody ever got caught on the north side of Moore’s house (too far from the ball), so I’m not exactly sure what I was referring to. As summer came to a close, so did our romantic alliance. I’m sure his friends (Scott Long comes to mind) teased him mercilessly. I was a tomboy of the truest caliber. I ran straight from stem to stern, without a curve to break the plane of my clothes. That was the summer of 82 or 83. My first boyfriend without a kiss being exchanged. Sorry Jeff, I just drug you down the rabbit hole.
On another day in that timeframe, I remember walking home from the meadows park with the Smith sisters. It was just another endless summer day. Debbie thought it would be funny to unsnap the decorative snaps that ran up both sides of my shorts (that’s what she later claimed anyway). She grabbed my shorts on both sides to achieve the unsnapping, but (not shocking here) she actually pulled my pants down instead. I think my underwear came down too because, as I mentioned before, I had no curves to hold anything in place. I remember screaming and yanking my pants back up quickly. I was so mad!!! Everyone else was laughing mercilessly. Eventually, I had to laugh too. I don’t even think there was anyone else around to see it.
Fast forward a few years and I was coaching diving. I think that Eileen and Meaghan Hennessy would teach water aerobics during that same time slot. I remember that I was glad to be otherwise occupied because I never wanted to sub for them if they couldn’t make it. I would have no idea how to instruct those ladies. I’m pretty sure the ladies’ kids were either with me in diving or running roughshod in the court yard. Someone was always running roughshod in the court yard. Sometime in that time frame, 355 was put in. That was the summer that we were all covered in dust. It was also the summer that we lost the dirt road through the corn field. That was a huge loss to me. I remember endless hours on that dirt road or playing in the wooded area across the street from the pool, or in the creek, or in the tube that ran under 59th street (yuk!).
My youth wouldn’t be complete without a nod to Julie Bremner and Teresa Fuzak. If you lived in the Meadows back then, your best friends lived in and around the Meadows too, because our parents did NOT do driving play dates. The three of us, all Joaners, (with others added from time to time – Suzanne) were the best of friends through most of our childhood. Julie was my backstroke rival too, before she moved on to volleyball full time. Teresa’s dad would whistle for her when it was time to come home for dinner. He would refer to us as “the gulls.” I’m not sure if he called us that because we had a short attention span and would flit from place to place (like a seagull) with no defined purpose, or if it was girls with an accent. No matter…for us, it fit.
Please feel free to share more stories in the comments. That’s really my favorite part of these look back musings. I am missing so much! Thanks for joining me on the blast to the past. Have a good week everyone!