It was the summer of 1968 and I was in love with Joe, the older brother of one of my best friends, Lyn. We all were in the same grade in high school and to Joe, I was just his little sister’s friend so I had to keep my unrequited love a deep secret. Joe’s family was the only family that I had ever met who had two homes – a winter one and a summer one. They were only about 25 miles away from each other, one being in the countryside of Starview and the other along the Susquehanna River in Long Level. As soon as school was out for the year, their family migrated to their life along the river and I was a frequent visitor that summer of 1968. Their house was close to the river, only the road and a narrow strip of shore separated them and we would spend hours sitting in their yard, just watching the boats go by. Sometimes we would walk over to the marina which was always a hubbub of activity, with boats constantly coming and going. We would often buy ice cream at the snack shop there. Other times we would go over to the park which was right on the northern edge of their yard and walk around a bit, swinging on the swings or just hanging out on the picnic tables – again watching the river go by. When it was time to go home, Joe would pile Lyn and me in his teeny little MG convertible (these were the days before seatbelts) and we would race along the river roads with the top down to my home in East York.
A few years ago, Lyn and I were reunited after 35 years at our class reunion. Unfortunately, Joe was not able to join us since he had passed away several years previously from pancreatic cancer. The day after the reunion, Lyn’s mother prepared a wonderful brunch for several other of our high school friends and me at her home in Long Level, which was now her permanent home, and we did a lot of reminiscing about Joe and how much we had all cared about him. Sadly, it will be the last time I ever visit that home because Joe's mother died a few months later when she never recovered from a broken hip.
I have placed a box in Joe’s honor in the park next to his home in Long Level. To find it, go to the south west corner of the park. Here you will find several picnic tables and an intersection of several fences. Northwest of the tables is a rotten stump and about three steps from the stump is a rough barked tree with a nook in its base. My box for Joe is in this nook.
1 comment:
Hooray! E man and I were first finders on this little gem. What a beautiful day to be down at the river. And what better thing to do on Earth Day than go letterboxing?! Thanks, Jan!
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