Transportation, via snow shoe and ski (Hollis, Monroe: neighborhood, buying, high school)
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When I was a kid in R.I. and Connecticut, many moons ago, it wasn't uncommon to see people going down to the store on snow shoes or cross country skis-- in winter of course! And with a rucksack for the groceries. I was fantasizing about living in Hollis and going down to the little store this way in winter. It would keep me fit, for sure, and it's not too hilly around there (at least, compared to where I live now.) Do people in NH do this?
Hummmm....let's see.....Snowshoes. Nearest store about five miles away.........ummmmm.....nope!
Around here, it's more usual to see snowmobiles streaking down the road til the snow plow comes through. There really isn't much room to ski along the side of the road between the pavement and the snow banks. Maybe the location you have in mind is a bit different then here. Yet, you might just get a trip in now and then just before the snow cover melts off the road side and turns into that salty slush mixture.
When I was in high school, I do remember one or two people (nuts, mostly - go figure!) that did cross-country ski to school one snowy day. They didn't live all that far away and could cut across property (certainly not in the road!). I think my BiL has some snowshoes, but I don't know what, if anything, he really does with them. In Hollis, you don't have to go 5 miles to the convenience store (well - if you're not too far from town center) on a snowy weekend. But it wasn't the norm.
Well, it's true, I was raised by a military man and a nurse-- they thought a little struggle and exercise were good for us. "That which does not kill you makes you stronger." But seriously, we just put on those thin rubber boots, real rubber in those days, strap on a ski or a snowshoe, and go everywhere. We walked to school most days in winter too, about 5 miles each way. It did give me some pretty strong legs. Is that weird?
There were also little "street Arabs"-- before P.C., for sure, with little carts, pulled by ponies with bells. They were sort of jack of all trades vendors, Italian or Eastern European mostly, and would bring you anything you needed in trade for odds and ends. The pony and trap just "plowed" their way right through the snow. This was 40 years ago now...
Hey scone, that's something I would actually do
I'm about 4-5 miles from that little store in Hollis, and there are lots of runners & cyclists here, but I've only seen people on skis at trailheads or on trails, not really on roads. I love the idea of the "street Arabs" you describe, btw. Did they sell food too?
Hey scone, that's something I would actually do
I'm about 4-5 miles from that little store in Hollis, and there are lots of runners & cyclists here, but I've only seen people on skis at trailheads or on trails, not really on roads. I love the idea of the "street Arabs" you describe, btw. Did they sell food too?
Yes, they used to sell little "sweetmeats" that I now know were something like white fudge with raisins and nuts, in silver paper. But only in the summer. The ponies were "different" too, extremely shaggy, with lots of hair around the feet, like miniature Clydesdales. I imagine all that sort of thing is gone now, it's a long time ago.
Everything was so different back in the fifties and sixties, we roamed and played miles away from home, walked to school, visited the farms on our bikes, and no one thought a thing about it. And we always felt perfectly safe. I can't explain it.
P.S. I just googled "street Arab" and found it's a phrase that's almost gone out of use. I means "rag and bone man" or "door to door tramp," someone making a bit of a living buying and selling junk. Which is pretty much what they did. I can't remember which adult first used the term, but it might have been one of the New Yorkers in the neighborhood, because my town, Monroe Connecticut, was quite close to the city. (It was considered "hicksville" back then, I hear it's changed a lot.)
Baltimore apparently still has them! I never heard of it before, but last year it was all over the news because the stable they had been using was condemned and they had to find housing for all the horses... temp lodging at least until something permanent was found/built. Down here they are called 'A-rabs'. not so much rag and bone collectors (as it were), mostly street vendors of some sort. Nothing I ever really had run into before!
oooh, like the White Stripes song Rag and Bone!
My DH describes growing up in New England the same exact way you do, Scone.
And, I'll add that all his neighbors knew each other well.
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) that did cross-country ski to school one snowy day. They didn't live all that far away and could cut across property (certainly not in the road!
). I think my BiL has some snowshoes, but I don't know what, if anything, he really does with them. In Hollis, you don't have to go 5 miles to the convenience store (well - if you're not too far from town center) on a snowy weekend. But it wasn't the norm.
