http://www.flickr.com/photos/brucemuir/sets/72157626893793286/

Back then the diving well at the pool had both a low diving board and a high diving board, the latter of which was around 10-12 feet high as I recall. It was sort of a rite of passage for the younger kids to get up enough courage to go off the high dive. But I notice that now, both diving boards are “low boards.” I’ll assume there were liability issues at stake. Am I correct?

ICE CREAM TRUCKS! One of the most cherished memories of my childhood on Jeb Stuart Road! Sometimes an authentic Good Humor truck (with the little rack of bells in front) would stop by Captain Smith Court, and all the kids would crowd around, deciding what to spend a little money on. Years later there was the “Baker Boys” ice cream truck that would drive through the neighborhood, and they had the BEST snow cones, handmade on the spot, not prepackaged and wrapped in plastic.

The old Horizon Hill mansion was VERY mysterious. I’ve been trying to track down information about that place on the internet, to no avail. But it always seemed a rather gloomy and spooky place. The neighborhood that eventually sprang up on that land is called (you guessed it) Horizon Hill.

Mrs. Tolson, the “Crossing Guard Lady,” had to be well-known to literally thousands of Ritchie Park Elementary students over the years. I remember she also served at the school’s playground monitor during recess. I once got into BIG trouble with her after accidentally ripping one of my classmate’s jackets. Her daughter, Kim Tolson, was in the same year as me at Ritchie Park.

And of course, who could forget the little farm near the big water tower, where the famous shortcut connected Aquaduct and Kimblewick? There were actually HORSES there at one time (mid 1960s).

THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES!