We had a tower for the tv antenna. One of those spindly kind stayed with wire. I used to climb to the top.
We had a tree that had a limb that you could use to swing over to the roof.
We had an outside storage room that became my ‘clubhouse’
There was nothing at all special about my childhood home. However, grandma used to live in a very old home that had a steep, narrow staircase leading up to a dark and dusty attic that was full of treasures. We could only go up there with permission, and that was not always granted. This, of course, made it even more special.
mmm
Our backyard - It had a big Koi pond full of Koi fish and a little rock waterfall. We also had an aviary that held our doves and a smaller outdoor pen for our rabbit. We had a big wooden deck with a giant tree that grew right up out of the middle of it. Our backyard was like a little secret garden
This sounds like something I Would have loved to do!
Oh I did. Believe me, I did.
I grew up in Hollin Hills, and it will always be a part of me.
What did I like about our house? The floor-to-ceiling windows looking out on the woods behind the house. Forty years since we moved out of that house, I can still see that airy view from the living room rear windows.
The woods behind the house, with a creek running through it. I and the other kids on our street spent hours, each summer day, in those woods.
The pool in the backyard.
The hill on one side of the house, which became a great sledding hill in the winter.
When we moved out nearly 40 years ago, we sold to some friends of the family. They’re getting up in years now, but they’re still there. It’s comforting to know that we’ve still got a connection to the house.
Nothing really special about my house but as I’m reading these I notice another trend other than “special hiding place”. A lot of people are mentioning the woods.
I don’t even really like the outdoors all that much but when I was little we were always playing outside. There was a little lot in the center of our neighborhood that all the kids would go play in. Behind it there was a GIANT sinkhole/valley with one of those big open pipeline things. In our neighborhood it was the cool/brave thing to go down into the valley and walk into the pipe. I guess we imagined it to be this big scary monster and we were standing in it’s mouth.
We also had a bunch of woods behind the neighborhood where there was a playhouse that we all shared. That place was pretty magical. There was something about those woods when I was little. I always expected either a magical fairy to show up or some disgusting snake. Whatever I imagined it was always exciting. Damn now I’m sad.
The snooker table and deer head in the basement; the basement floor was slanted so at almost any time in the game 75% of the balls would be up against the one rail.
My first summer back home from college was the last summer before my parents sold the place. My old room had been reclaimed by my parents, and the spare bedroom had been turned into miscellaneous storage, so I spent that summer in the basement on the most comfortable old couch on which I will ever sleep. The basement used to terrify me when I was a kid, especially with the door closed, but it was the best part of the house when I grew up.
The custom holes in the walls for shortcuts 