Circleville, Ohio

I was talking to Carol tonight and she mentioned that her and Tom are going to Circleville tomorrow for an auction. That brought back the many good memories of the time I spent there with my family.

Most of my friends went to Florida or Myrtle Beach for their summer vacations, but my family went to Circleville, Ohio, every year from the time I was three until I was 13 (or 14). And I am not complaining. My brothers and I would have a free reign of 200 acres. There was a raging creek, stocked pond, horses, chickens, and the occasional goat. Needless to say, it was a dream for us. The pond was a source of endless pleasure. Fishing, boating, swimming, frog-gigging. Yes, I have had fresh cooked frog-legs. Pretty good I might add.

Every morning we would go horseback riding with the Kerns, who owned the ranch. After we unsaddled and brushed the horses down, we would sit around and shoot the breeze. I should say my parents gabbed along. The kids would chase the semi-feral cats that roamed the tack house and barn. The best part of this was the bottle of coke that we each received out of the ancient coke machine. It was vacation after all, so the 'rents were okay with the occasional splurge of sugar on us kids. Plus, we would burn it off by mid-afternoon, with the berry picking, creek exploring, and egg collecting or whatever would be our activity of the day.

I did a little googling of the kerns and I found that Cliff (the dad) is still active with his brass playing. He led the Pickaway Brass for some Christmas show this past December. He was a Band Instructor at the high school and is still very active in the local scene. I don't think he has ever missed a Pumpkin Show performance.

Those were the days.