We moved to Masonboro Sound around 1963. It was quite a change from city living but I took it in stride and actually still had every thing the city had to offer a kid just entering his teen years and more. One of the things I would do in the evening just as the sun would go down when I lived in town is get a pocket full of rocks and go find a vacant lot and go Bat hunting. Bat hunting was an easy sport that did hurt any thing especially the Bats that were being hunted. I don't think anyone can throw a rock fast enough to catch a bat by surprise. The process when something like this. First rock is thrown in front of the bat so that he follows it down and as the bat got close to ground the second rock was thrown. This is the one that was suppose to take him out of the air. I can't remember me or any of my friends ever hitting a bat, but it sure was fun watching them follow that rock to ground. The great thing about our house on Masonboro was there was a field straight across the street and there was no limit to the number of bats to be seen.
Burnt Mill Creek was replaced with the Intercoastal Waterway, Whiskey Creek, the sound and the Atlantic Ocean. Guess this is were my love of aviation (no more airport to visit) and ships and water were merged. Only a few years later I would join the U.S. Navy and earn my green stripes of and Airman.
Schools changed instead of a Chestnut Street Bear I was now a Roland-Grise Black Knight. Later long after I left that campus some weak kneed administrator got scared that someone poor weak minded soul would be offended and dropped the word BLACK. Even though my grades were not the best I was allowed on the track and field team and ran in the 440 relay, broad jump, and high jump. I was just average and by high school I dropped the idea of sports.
Mrs. Lynch was my art teacher and I feel in love with art. Actually I was getting pretty good in Jr High. having a good teacher sure helped. To bad I could not have had a teacher like her in high school. My high school art teacher should have tried any profession other than teaching, she could make a kid hate ice cream. Nice lady but not a teacher. After one year with her I dropped art.
Then there was my first girlfriend. She lived in Harbor Villa about a mile away. Her family moved to Aurora at the end of the 8th grade. Long distant relationships just don't last with 8th graders. By the middle of the 9th Grade to other girls were in my life though not at the same time. Paula came first and then I met Eva Pierce probably one of the sweetest girls I have ever known.
Then there was my first girlfriend. She lived in Harbor Villa about a mile away. Her family moved to Aurora at the end of the 8th grade. Long distant relationships just don't last with 8th graders. By the middle of the 9th Grade to other girls were in my life though not at the same time. Paula came first and then I met Eva Pierce probably one of the sweetest girls I have ever known.
