Germany

I remember the many 'sightseeing trips' my family went on while we lived in Germany. The countryside was beautiful....we traveled miles and miles and saw so many things. My Mother always packed great lunches for us to eat while we were out...occasionally we were treated to a lunch at a stop....that was a real treat for us. Ferry rides were fun...lots to see and explore. I can still recall the sounds and the smells. I always thought it was fun to park the car and walk up the stairs to the top of the ferry and watch everything pass us by.

When I was in about the third grade my brother Cary pulled off his t-shirt and broke his neck. My Dad was gone out of the country and my Mother and older sister were not home. That just left me...Carl...and the German maid, Blondie. Cary complained about his head and neck hurting so, I gave his an asprin. Can you imagine that? A kid giving another kid medicine. Now that I am older....that was not a good thing. Anyway, Cary survived...we got our first television so that Cary would have something to do while he healed.....and the rest of us thought it was a good thing he broke his neck or we would never have gotten that television set.

While in Germany my sister Carli was born. When the family went to pick up my Mother at the hospital I remember leaning over the front seat and announcing the hospital had given us the wrong baby. Carli had black hair and the rest of us had blonde hair. I think I must have said that thought one too many times because my Father told to sit down and to be quiet. Well, she didn't look like us then, but she eventually did...but that didn't stop me from telling her she was adopted!!

Adventures on the Air Base were many....friends came and went, but brothers and sisters were always there to play with and I was never lonely!!

Germany.......part one

Castle on the Rhine

I am really unclear as to how we got from Japan to Germany......I think we went stateside first, but I will have to check with my parents on that one.

Our time in Germany is clearer in my mind than our time in Japan....I am sure it is because I was older and we spent almost three years there.

We lived in base housing just like we did in Japan. In the service friend's fathers often moved to the same air bases my father was transferred to and we would be able to have old friends in new places. I liked that. Of course my brothers and I were close in age so, there was always someone to play with to pass the time.

My parents were true tourists and they would load all of us kids in the ole Mercury station wagon and off we would go for an adventure. We rode ferries....climbed steps to huge castles...and saw so many wonderful things that some people have only read in books.

I can recall going to air shows.....watching the guard dogs and the service men in charge of the German Sheppards give demonstrations on just how the dogs would react if someone got in their way. I remember thinking......those dogs are mean. That didn't stop me from walking past the fence that surrounded certain areas of the air base and running a stick along the side of the chain linked fence and making the guard dogs go crazy....all the kids did it and we would just laugh. Well, that was just stupid....!

There was a big playground behind our building and I can remember having so much fun playing in the sand and running around with my brothers and our friends. There was always a group of us having fun and getting into things we weren't supposed to be doing. There was a road that butted up against the playground and behind that road was open pastures filled with lots of things to do. Of course we weren't supposed to go there, but we did even knowing that we would be in trouble if Mom and Dad were to catch us!

The big thing was to entice the wild boar to chase us. We would wave our hands and then run like heck to the other side of the ditch. Thought it was safe until I grew up and was watching a program on wild boar and how they really can kill you. I can remember watching that program and the wild boar were chasing someone right through the ditch and up over the other side. That's when I stopped to realize how lucky we were way back then. Again, the stupid word comes to mind!

I remember going to this one German town and my parents buying sugar crystals on a stick. I loved that treat and when my kids were growing up.....I found that treat for them and a couple of years ago I brought that sweet treat for my grandchildren as well. A flood of memories came over me when I found the sugar on a stick and presented the gift to my children.

Lots and lots of great vacations were spent exploring the countryside with my family and those trips are etched in my mind forever.

Memories of living in Japan......

I can only remember bits and pieces of when I was five or six. We lived in Japan on an airbase..... I remember the playground in the backyard of the military housing......I remember being chased by a huge boxer that scared me so badly...maybe that's why I don't really like dogs!! Or is it the mess and 'that smell'?? I remember my parents taking us into the 'foxholes' as the Russians flew over the base. I was too young to know that it was a 'bad thing'.......I just remember it was fun as I poked my fingers into the soil. I remember the smell of tar as the roads were being fixed (to this day whenever I smell tar, my mind floats back to that day I was riding in the car with my Mother). I remember having to get a shot of some kind at school (kindergarten)....back then on the airbase they would come to the schools. I was scared and crying (wasn't thrilled about needles). A little boy in my class tried to comfort me and he gave me the lollipop his Mom had given him as a treat. I still can see him holding out his hand and offering me something he probably really was looking forward to enjoying. If my Mother sent a treat with me....I probably ate it beforehand. I can remember the shopping in the Japanese stores with my family. There was so much to see.....touching was not allowed!! I remember asking my Mother why the man was relieving (didn't use that word!) himself on the road outside the store. She quickly whisked me away and quietly told me to be quiet. I remember my Mother had a Japanese sewing lady who would make matching outfits for my sister, brothers and myself. I thought we looked pretty special. I can remember my brothers and I getting into the medicine cabinet and devouring what we thought was candy....it was not!! That is when I learned what 'E-lax' was!! Not one of our finer moments as siblings. I remember going to a Japanese lady's house and having to take off my shoes when I got to her front door.....when it came time for our nap....we laid down on straw mats. Wasn't comfortable to say the least!! I can remember her name....but I have no idea how to spell it. She helped my Mother around the house and I remember her face and her smile. It is funny about smiles.......no matter what language you speak......the smile is universal.

I had cute little 'socks' called tams...and clunky shoes! I have always thought the traditional Japanese dress was beautiful.......I think it was the colors of the kimonos and the embroidery work that caught my attention....or was it because it was so unlike what I wore???

My parents...Gilbert and Patricia

My parents met at a USO dance back in the early forties....they fell in love and married soon after they met. Their love story continues to this day...over 65 years strong!!

My father was in the military service for twenty-five years. Because of this. I was able to visit several countries and live in many states. What a wonderful experience that was!

Their love brought into this world five children.......Carin....Caryl....Cary...Carl...and Carli.

My parents are retired and living in Virginia. Dad spends his time on his computer, while Mom spends hers in the garden.