“Louie, Louie,” the Kraut, and the Strangler
Taboo Rock n Roll It was the dawn of rock’n’roll into my consciousness. The West Coast had Wolfman Jack, but here in the East it was Juicy Brucie blasting out…
Army Days and Cuban Nights
Playing Army Just south of the Salem Willows was the mass of earth that was Fort Lee. In my dad’s day it was called Cannon Hill. Ever since the turn…
I Walk the Line
Down in the Salem Willows As I mentioned before, the smokestacks of the Salem powerplant were visible from my room in the Lafayette street apartment. They were sentinels to that…
Tarzan and the Card Castle
Memories of a Hospital Stay and Tarzan My hospital stay lasted ten days. I guess the doctors wanted to be sure there were no hidden side effects or brain damage.…
The Boys of the Summer of 63
The Great American Pastime Some kids while growing up break an arm or a leg. I broke my head at Palmer Cove Park. The park sat in back of Saltonstall…
Jerry Lewis Slays Me
Weirdness on Steroids From odd to zany, and even more weird. It all played out as a near death experience. Death by laughter. I was on the main floor of…
Freaky Day on Leach Street
A Porch with a View From the lofty height of our back porch we had a breathtaking view of the alley behind, a cul-de-sac really, that I wrote about in…
A Shadow over Forest River Park
The Haunting Shadow One shadow lingers over my memories of Forest River Park. A dark shadow. His name was Albert. He was in the same grade at Saltonstall as me.…
The Guns of Forest River Park
The Mighty Forest River Park There was only one entrance into the park. Cars used the same one, though they were limited to a one way track that circuited the…
Going to the Park
Indoors vs Outdoors Life wasn’t all indoors. I spent a good deal of time out and about. Usually an expedition would start in the alley space in back of the…