Summer was great as a kid

It would be great to be a kid again in Hills?boro during the summer months.

The pool has a water slide (but no high diving board) and is way classier than the old one that was brand-new in 1955?the year we moved to Hillsboro when I was 9 years old.

Baseball or softball is available for all ages, both boys and girls. T-ball, machine-pitch and fast-pitch softball for the older girls, plus baseball for the guys, which we had too.

?

I just realized we moved to Hillsboro from Mountain Lake, Minn., 60 years ago. What an adjustment that was for me. The words I used for some things made people laugh.

Such as a ?heine? for a short haircut and ?knak seeds? for sunflower seeds and ?nectar? for Kool-Aid.

?

One thing, or place I should say, we had here that we don?t have today was the Dari-Ette. It had the famous Tasty Burgers, which never will be repeated because the seasoning that was used is no longer available, I was told, by the guy who used to make them.

It was the place to stop on the way home from the pool for a drink or an ice cream cone?or practically everything.

?

We had nothing like the Igloo back then. although snow cones were available, but I?m not sure where.

?

I went to bed Saturday night?or should I say to the recliner?feeling pain in my shoulder and woke up Sunday morning without it. I?m thinking it?s about time.

Then in church I was asked how I was doing and I said the pain was gone. The person who posed the question then asked if Nancy had left on a trip or something.

If you know me, that is my kind of humor.

Definitely I am glad she is here to help keep me going. Although I have detected occasionally that her patience may be waning.

?

Back in the old days, we had a swimming hole south of here called ?Yentrouc,? which was the owner?s name spelled backward. I believe his name was Courtney Davis. I recall it as a man-made pond where the teens and younger adults gathered on hot summer Sunday afternoons.

I know for sure there was a 30-foot high diving tower where I decided to try a two-and-a-half flip. Turns out I made only two-and-a-quarter before smacking the water with my face and belly.

Water is quite hard from that height. If I remember correctly, my eyes swelled shut for a while.

With the liability that would come with it these days, no one in their right mind would ever have a 30-foot high diving platform that was open to the public.

?

The high diving board (10 foot) at the old pool was a great place for a teen to try new daring feats, like double flips and half and full gainers. We always wore old sweatshirts so a mistake wouldn?t sting as much.

If you wish to share your comments or ideas, my e-mail address is joel@
hillsborofreepress.com.

Written By
More from Joel Klaassen
Skiing tale didn?t hold up
I told my physical therapist Friday that I went water skiing during...
Read More