My mother and father, Janet and Nick Nichols, taking us out for a winter walk. I'm in the basket on the sled; my sister is strapped onto the pack-board on my father's back. We are on Nichols Street (the segment later called Conifer Hill Drive) right in front of our home.
Given the way we are dressed, I'd say we're probably headed to a family gathering, perhaps at my grandparents' home around the corner to the left, or further along that road to great-grandfather's house, where several "Great Aunts" still lived (98 Preston Street, known as "Pine Knoll").
This photo of our home at 120 Nichols Street, Danvers, under a heavy blanket of snow, was taken in February 1945.
A few winters later, my little sister was old enough to stand and pose on Mommy's big skis in front of the house.
Note the very large baskets on the ski poles.
Below is a winter photo of us with our dog Heidi.
We're playing in the front yard; the snow-covered tent behind us is the Army-surplus tent we used as a garage. In my hands is a fuzzy round "muff", while my sister Jean has mittens hanging on a string through the sleeves of her jacket.
3 comments:
I bet those Great Aunts were the Bill sisters!
My great aunts were my grandfather's sisters, Mary Eliot Nichols ("Aunt May") and Margaret Nichols ("Aunt Margaret"). Sharing the house with them were two younger women -- "Cousin Annie" and "Cousin Marion" also known as "Ma'on"-- though to me as a child all four seemed very old.
Okay, I am hooked on this blog. I was referred to it by my sister, and just knew if I took a peek I wouldn't be able to stop!
I remember spending many many many winter days skiing (or rather falling and sliding) down Locust Lawn. The Nichols Farm was one of my all time favorite places to play. My father and neighbors spent much time on the tow ropes, I learned (a little) to ski there, and playing with the horses and feeding the cows was a lot of fun. I lived on Durkee Circle til I finished college and unfortunately was right there during the bursting through of Route 95 and was so very sad to lose all of our playing area. I took violin lessons and piano lessons and square dancing lessons and WOW, thank you Sandy, for bringing these memories back to life.
PLUS, I see you are a retired librarian! I am a not yet retired librarian, working in education and museums and such. It is a pleasure to see your blog!!!
--David Jank (now living in NYC, as is one of the other posters here, and she is right, there are no cows here)
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