I remember as a small boy growing up in central Texas, my grandpa called his pond a tank. Not sure why. But it was small and lined with cattails or reeds of some type, a sand bottom, it was firm, not soft. And we would wade out so the water was just below our chins and splash water on each other. The first time a small sunfish pecked on me I thought it was a snake, screamed and swam as fast as I could. But my grandpa only laughed and sent us back out there, telling us to be still and watch the sunfish come up to us and peck. Said they were cleaning the parasites off our skin. Lol. I don’t know about that now, but the memories have remained fresh in my mind.

This was back in the late 1960’s or early 1970’s when life was much simpler. I miss those times for sure.

I remember walking down the red gravel country roads in the heat of summer, still, no breeze, hearing the sounds of people and dogs across the railroad tracks, wondering who and where they were.

What is interesting to me is that I have looked at google maps to see where the people and dogs may have lived, but can’t see anything that resembles a house or even a foundation nearby.

Like a lot of young kids, we used to put pennies on the tracks and let trains run over them, flattening to copper ovals. Wish I still had some of those.

Trains used to stop on a side rail, we’d climb all over the cars and into the caboose.

Those were the best of times, I miss them.