When I was a young girl, my family had to move from Massachusetts and downsize to apartment living in Newport, Rhode Island. Our home in Massachusetts was a marvelous structure, built in 1792. That old a home comes with a very long set of issues and quite honestly, I think my father was not so unhappy to be uprooted. I, on the other hand, was heartbroken to lose the only home I had ever known. The house was in a neighborhood setting, but sat on a very deep 2 acre lot. My father mowed a “normal” sized front and back yard and everything behind the barn was free to grow, and it took this direction well. A majority of the land was covered in bamboo, with a blanket of thicket as high as I was. My friends and I would spend entire days, until the street lights came on, building forts, having picnics and hiding from any boys that we thought were beneath us. The bamboo was great in the summer. You could just snap one off and drink the juice in each section when you were thirsty. We would even take the sections and peel the skin off and chew on it when we were hungry. I wasn’t surprised when I googled “the eating and drinking of wild bamboo” and saw that they are a recommended addition to your diet!
That bamboo jungle was where I spent most of my summers, unless I could catch a ride to Wessagusset Beach with my older sister or brother. The only bad part about heading to the beach was that I had to keep my eyes peeled for my ride home. Often I would be out on the float and see Chris or Marijane waving at me as they headed to the parking lot. They even left me there a few times, but that was the good old days and I just caught a ride with some adults I somewhat recognized.
Moving to Newport meant multiple beaches in walking distance to our apartment so it had that in its favor. I was a hard customer though. I thought I would never meet any new friends, because we moved at the beginning of the summer, so no opportunities to meet my classmates. I shouldn’t have worried because the apartments had a pool in the back and I was able to meet some wonderful friends who lived in the same building who I still have contact with on Facebook.
I think about those days more often now that I am living in the loft apartments upstairs from my office in Cheney. There are 4 of us who live up there and catch up with each other in the laundry room or hallway. As an adult I appreciate the lack of maintenance to perform, as a renter – especially the mowing. The only downside that I have found is that as I get older – the stairs seem a little bit longer at the end of the day. Wish we had an elevator like in Newport!
