The Walker Girls 2.0

The Walker family moved to Rochester, Michigan and lived in a house on a hill.  I believe they moved because of Uncle Jack’s job.  It was either that or Aunt Emma simply wanted a different house.  The place in Washington was vintage.  The Rochester home was new.  I don’t know how long they lived there, but it wasn’t long, because I have a single memory of the place.

We went there one winter afternoon and stayed into the evening.  The hill they lived on was great for sledding and tobogganing.  That afternoon was the first time I rode on a taboggan.  I thought such luxuries were meant for the Olympics.  We went up and down their hill dozens of times.  The sled rides were fun, but I preferred the toboggan.

Uncle Jack warned us that there was a wire fence at the end of the property that we should avoid.  The girls told us to lean to the right if we got close so we could turn before reaching the fence.  If we got too close, we’d have to jump.

During a late evening run, we were going too fast to turn and were about to hit the fence. The girls yelled, “JUMP”, which meant roll off the toboggan, and everyone did just in the nick of time.  The toboggan continued on into the fence.  After that we called it a night.

Uncle Jack transferred to Kalamazoo after what seemed  a short stay in Rochester.  I didn’t ride on another toboggan until I got to Western.

After Rochester, the Walkers moved to Kalamazoo.  That move proved to be an important part of my life.   They moved into a tri-level house on Boswell Lane.  I believe the number was 1111.

The girls went to Kalamazoo Central where Elizabeth and Ruth Ellen became cheerleaders. The summer of my thirteenth   year, Mom, my sisters, and I went to Kalamazoo for an over-night visit.  Elizabeth and Ruth Ellen were getting ready for the fall football season and practicing their cheerleading skills.  The cheerleading team had some guys  that helped the girls do flips and tumbles.  The girls recruited me to help them practice.  We spent the afternoon of our arrival, and the following morning, flipping and tumbling in the living room.  I had a great time and loved being with the girls.

We needed to leave around noon of the second day so I could get home in time for a baseball game scheduled for 6:30.  St. Dennis Church sponsored several baseball teams, and I was the starting shortstop for one of them.  The girls wanted us to stay, and I did too.  The ultimate call was up to me, because it was my game that was going to be missed.  We called my coach and told him that I wouldn’t make it back in time for the game as we were spending the night with my cousins in Kalamazoo.  That’s the only game I ever missed.

Here’s a few early recollections about Boswell Lane.

• Uncle Jack took us to play miniature golf.  I was in my early teens and played in his group.  As we neared the end of our “round”, he said, “Rob, you’re a really good putter.  If you ever take up golf, your putting skills will be put to good use.”  Putting has proven to be my strength.
• When we went to the movies with the girls in Kalamazoo, I enjoyed the outings, but preferred Royal Oak.   The theatres in Royal Oak had double features.  Kalamazoo showed a single film.
• Diane dated a guy named Mike, Elizabeth had Dave, and Ruth Ellen dated Milt.  I met them all. Diane married Mike, but the other two guys were tossed aside like yesterday’s news.
• I thought Aunt Emma was the greatest cook in the world.  Many of her dishes featured what I called “special sauces”.  Her pork chops were especially good.  Later I learned the sauces were various cans of Campbells soup – mushroom, cream of chicken, cream of celery.   Soup never tasted so good.
• Diane was the first to marry.  During one visit she shared the news that she and Mike had set a date.  I asked how old she was.  “Twenty-four” was her reply.   I don’t know if I said it, but I know I thought it.  “It’s about time. Twenty-four is pretty old.”
• The Walker girls had an Aunt Sharon.  She was the sister of Aunt Emma.  Sharon attended several gatherings and was a welcome part of my life with the Walkers.  One day we were having a conversation about somebody’s something and I used the word “irregardless”.  Sharon corrected me, “You mean regardless. Irregardless isn’t a word.” She was right.  Even autocorrect can’t find it.

The Walker girls went off to college, married, raised three children each, and continue to live “happily ever after”.  Diane and Mike live in Oregon, Elizabeth and Dom in Florida, and Ruth Ellen and Ken are in California.  Ruth and I ran into Elizabeth and Dom a few years ago in Marshall, Michigan.  They were well and proud of the fact that each of their  children, and their families, were doing great.  It’s been several years since I’ve seen Diane or Ruth Ellen, but I know  they sometimes read my blog, so this is my way of saying “Hello, I hope all is well.”

The picture below was taken a couple of years ago.  As you can see, they’re still very pretty.  Time hasn’t changed that.

One final thought.  Mom, my sisters, and I made the drive to Kalamazoo from Royal Oak to visit the Walkers during my “drivers training years”.  Mom pulled off of I-94 near the Detroit airport, turned to me and said, “You’re driving the rest of the way.”  So I did.

I didn’t know it at the time, but that was the first of hundreds of such drives that I’d make over the years.  I lived in Kalamazoo for twelve years – 4.25 while I went to college, and the balance while I taught in Plainwell.  The second of those years, I lived at 1111 Boswell Lane with Uncle Jack, Aunt Emma, and my “big sister”, Ruth Ellen.  (Diane and Elizabeth had moved on.)  I have dozens of stories to share from that year, but I’ll save them for another day.