05/20/2026
As I was driving home from work tonight, my mind went back to better times. Leaving the Consolidated school, I drove past Mallye's Pond where we spent hours skating, Aunt Maude's house, Zulma Higgins corner, Maude and Dellie's house, the Odd Fellows Hall where events happened that I never wanted to miss, I went by Ross & Mildred Kent's house and around Dewsnap's Corner where we used to have a meal in their restaurant occasionally. Heading toward the crossroads was an area called "The Flats" or Eddie Scott's Flats then at the bottom of Crossroads Hill there was a dump on the left where we would just open our window/door and toss out a bag or two of trash beside the road (it got quite high sometimes)! As I headed toward Minturn, there was the Poor House and on through Ghost Hollow where the ghost was seen walking near/on the water in the cove. Eddie Stanley lived in a tiny house just before City Point Rd. Kathleen Stanley lived across from where the Store was, then Johnny & Louise Martin's home where Dolores (Martin) Roberts lived, Bud & Melita Staples (my childhood home) was where we played so hard and always outside with the neighborhood kids. Across the road was Ricker & Beulah Ranquist home where we played. Across the road from them was the area where we chased the smell of cigar/cigarette smoke that was surely Indians. We had no doubt at all.
If I had gone into Atlantic to our 2nd home, we would have gone by the Tar Barrels where tar was heated to patch the roads, around Cottles Cove corner and on to Central Office Corner and then the Telephone Company before pulling into Dad's garage parking lot.
Am I missing any noteworthy area? Clint Staples, Jean Ranquist, Dolores Martin Roberts, Linda Ranquist Reinhardt? My next trip might go further into Minturn or Atlantic before going into the Harbor.
