Snowman

Olaf?
Agfa Clack
Ilford FP4 Plus
LegacyPro L110, Dilution B

2021

I seldom have nice things to say about living in this vinyl village. Here’s one nice thing: plenty of families here do fun things together, like build snowmen.

I suppose families are the whole point of neighborhoods like this. For far less than anywhere else in this surprisingly wealthy town, you can get your kids into good schools. This neighborhood overflows with children. In nice weather, lots of them play in their yards and sometimes in the streets. One family down the street wheels a portable basketball goal to the curb, and the kids shoot hoops for hours. Another family on my block rents a bounce house at least once a summer, which brings in kids from far and wide.

It reminds me a little of the neighborhood I grew up in. There were so many kids, the parents took to calling it Rabbit Hill. Families on Rabbit Hill weren’t nearly as well off as families in this neighborhood, so we didn’t have bounce houses or portable basketball goals. But we still made plenty of fun together. Those houses were cheaply built, as are these. It didn’t matter to us. It was grand to have so many kids to play with. I’m sure the kids here feel the same.

If you’d like to get more of my photography in your inbox or reader, click here to subscribe.


Comments

9 responses to “single frame: Olaf?”

  1. brandib1977 Avatar

    I was an only child and grew up in the country where there were no kids my age for miles. Consequently, I’ve always wondered what it would be like to grow up in a neighborhood like this. It also makes me question if I’m really an introvert or if I learned my attitudes and behaviors because I was always alone.

    This is a nice snapshot of a fun life for kids!

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      I grew up in such a neighborhood and turned out an introvert anyway!

      1. brandib1977 Avatar

        Haha. Maybe it was all the commotion that drove you to the dark side!

  2. Nancy Stewart Avatar
    Nancy Stewart

    I was also an only child growing up on the farm and since both parents also worked jobs off the farm, I was alone quite a bit. And I know that I am an introvert but I’ve always kind of pushed myself to get out and get involved. There were quite a few other kids on the farms around us and most of us belonged to the 4-H club for our district and so that brought us together. And as one of the neighborhood moms back in the time that you were a kid on Rabbit Hill, if I remember right, one time I counted all the kids from the top of the hill to the bottom on Miami Street, and I believe it was around 45. (That was from high school age down). I still remember you telling me that your mom’s macaroni & cheese was better than mine.

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      Oh my gosh, Nancy, I have no memory of saying that! But I totally believe I did, because I had all the social graces of an angry hornet when I was a kid. I’m sorry! For the record: my mom’s macaroni and cheese came out of a box. It was just the stuff I was used to!

      Rabbit Hill was an amazing place to be a kid. There was always something to do!

      1. Nancy Stewart Avatar
        Nancy Stewart

        Oh Jim … don’t feel bad about the comment about the Mac and Cheese … I thought it was funny because you were so serious about it. Mine was homemade, learned from my mom. The funny thing is … my kids liked the school Mac and Cheese better !!

        1. Jim Grey Avatar

          Thanks for letting me off the hook, Nancy! I was so serious about everything as a kid. I thought the school mac and cheese was dreadful and I wouldn’t eat it!

  3. Darts and Letters Avatar
    Darts and Letters

    oh my gosh, that is an enjoyable and charming reminisce by your neighbor Nancy (your contrite response also cracks me up, haha). On the subject of Olaf, inflatable Olaf’s seemed to be ridiculously popular in Seattle around Christmas time, this winter. I’m not familiar with that character and the boys were always having to remind me of who it was, I think it was starting to really drive them up the wall, a little. Have a good Thursday, Jim!
    -Jason

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      I’ve known Nancy since 1972! I remember the day she moved into our neighborhood with her family.

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

%d bloggers like this: