Around the (Port Allegany, PA) Area....in 1991

Josh on the back deck with "Nama and Papa" having their annual "mustard and cheese party". I think this picture was taken more like 1994. I was allowed to photograph this sacred ritual, but then retired to the back of the house as not to intrude on this grandchild/grandparent rite. Josh made it clear that I had never attended one before and it just wouldn't be the same it I were to stay. I understood completely and was happy he had this close relationship.

My step Dad was the editor and chief of The Reporter Argus....our home town newspaper for most of his life. He always wrote a column......for years it was called "Yea Ramblins" and later years "Around the Area". It was the equivalency of blogging only you were sure to have quite a few readers and it was a hard copy delivered door to door. Neat. I wish I had copies of all those old columns. Now they are difficult to find. They would make a good book for those people familiar with the happenings of Port Allegany, PA in the late 50's, 60's and 70's.

As I was looking through boxes and drawers of memorabilia I found one of the later columns I had saved. I saved if for Josh to have.....well, I guess I am the keeper of the memories in my family, so I have it. Here is the 17 year old column:

If there 's a more seasonal topic for early August, yours truly can't imagine what. And as of 7:00 this morning, Nama and Papa Boller saw the finish of five weeks-plus with an extra person in the Katherine St. hillside home.

Grandson Josh joined us back on June 22 (seems a long time yet not a long time ago) for several weeks' stay in the Pennsylvania hills, away from his actual residence in the piney hills of nothern Louisiana.

The very pressence of this eight-year-old young lad in the homestead made if feel very much like vacation time to both of the grandparents, as it does each summer season about this same time.

Somehow, a boy or girl in pre-teens can really take one back with memories of earlier years when several in this category blessed the homestead. Been a decade now since youngest gal "left the nest". Matter-a-fact, she'll be back this very weekend for her tenth year reunion of ther PAHS Class of '81.

So it seems that having youth in the household for a significant period of weeks does indeed rejuvenate the grandparent figures.

'Twas indeed a joyous experience to transport Josh to things like swim team practice at Community Park pool and to watch all the young swimmers in the various competitions of the Tri-County Swim League.

Climax of all that ws the Tri-County Championship Meet at Bradford's Barcroft Pool this past weekend. Spent a delightful day in Callahan Park there witnessing and cheering for the Port swim crew as they took a significant share of the honors to come out in third place over all the competition of nine teams from a three county area.

Swim team practice and competition were not the only "back-to-youth" happenings of the past few weeks. In addtition, there were many afternoons at the park pool with Joshie, his parents and/or aunts who came visiting. And a couple of these visitors including grandgal Maura from Sharon, a little fem favorite of this writer whom you've heard about before. Possessing few water skills, yours truly and missus need such incentive to frequent any water recreational spots.

There were a couple of brief forays into the forested area which surrounds the home property at the east end of Baker's Acres, limited this summer by extreme heat of most of the five-week period. (Didn't manage to visit as far up as "The Rocks", which we vow we're gonna reach sometime this summer season, after the fruitless effort to do so last vacation time).

Yes, they joke about how great it is at this point in life to have the kids and/or grandkids visit, then what a relief it is when they depart. Somehow, relief isn't the emotion yours truly feels as he bats out thies week's comments in the almost deafening silence of the house this morning.