Papa Stories: 3. Many Places

My dad liked to remind me that he was a Korean War veteran with an honorable discharge. Have you seen the American flag in my office? It was given to me by the United States for my Dad’s service to his country. While he was in the Army Air Force we lived in Illinois, Florida, New York and Texas. After his discharged we would live in numerous places in Massachusetts and Maine. By the time I was twelve and my parents had divorced we would settle in and around Brunswick, Maine.

Our family roots are deep in the coastal area of Bath and Brunswick. At least four generations of our family have worked at the Bath Iron Works located on the Kennebec River in Bath, Maine. This extensive shipyard includes a plant a few miles south in East Brunswick. It is here “behind the Harding Plant” where I have my first significant memories of growing up in Maine. It was this formerly rural two square mile area between Old Route One and present day Route One that housed my universe. It was a place with many magical adventures and where a few things that were not so fun, happened. Today Route One cuts across my memories.

Between this four-lane freeway there is still a small pond depression that we used to skate on, about a half mile before you cross the New Meadows River. On one side of the pond driving in one direction and on the other side of the pond driving in the other direction, are the two places where I lived “behind the Harding Plant.” One home was newer but both were primitive by today’s standards.

What would you like to hear about now: blueberries, pancakes, pine groves, neighbors, bicycles, dogs, bullets, coats, hornets or adventures at the reservoir? Do you have memories of the when you were younger?