As a kid living in a small town in northwest North Carolina near the Virginia border in the late 50’s and early 60’s brings back some very special memories. In winter as a kid I loved the days when it would snow. There was a certain magic about those little white snowflakes gently falling downward to the ground and then, over time, forming a beautiful blanket of white over the land. For me, a new snowfall meant it was time to go outside to play in the snow, maybe build a snowman, and to go explore everything that it covered.
When I was six years old I remember this one snowfall that I think really captures the essence of a snow day when you are a young kid. It was the second snowfall of the season, and it was a very long lasting one. As the snow blanket grew in depth, I asked my mom if I could go outside a play in the snow. She said “Yes” and outside I went full of excitement. But I was not just going to play outside near the house, I planned to go explore the woods nearby. That was because I was a curious kid, and I liked to explore everything around me to discover new things. I remember we were at my grandparent’s house which was next door to the small apartment house where my mom and I lived.
Mount Airy, North Carolina, is the town where we lived when I was a young kid. Back then is was not a very large town, but it did have many attractions nearby and it did have a famous personality who came from the town. My grandma would babysit him when he was a kid and his family was close to my grandma. He went on to have his own TV show and he closely copied the character of our little town in his show. Maybe you have heard of the fictional town of Mayberry, North Carolina? If you have then you probably know the main character of the show, Sheriff Andy Taylor. Yes, my grandma babysat Andy and of course always had stories to tell. That was how small our town was.
Ok, back to my snow adventure. I headed down the snow-covered street to where the small creek came out from the wooded area. I decided to follow the creek into the woods and that would be how I would find my way back, just follow the creek. I remember the trees being tall and without any leaves. The creek made a gentle sloshing sound from passing over the rocks whenever it appeared out from the blanket of snow covering the patches of ice. For me, I was exploring a new world, and I was not fearful of anything ahead in my journey to go deeper into the woods.
Back in the late 50’ and early 60’s we did not have helicopter parents or electronic devices to play with. As kids we only had our imaginations and dreams coming from what we had read or had been told by our elders. We also had an energy to go beyond the limits to discover what we could. Of course a 6-year-old kid has much to learn, and this is how I learned. I am grateful of this time to be an explorer free from any parents and grandparents.
As my journey went further into the woods I began to realize that the day was getting on and I had been gone for some time. I decided to turn back and follow the creek back to the street where I had entered. The snow was still falling and my footsteps were disappearing quickly. At least I had the stream to follow. Now I see the street, and when I say the street, I mean a smooth blanket of snow with no ruts from car tires. Back then they just didn’t plow the small side streets in little neighborhoods for days, so if you needed to go anywhere you used your tractor or put snow chains over your car tires.
I made it back to my grandparent’s house just in time for one of my favorite winter delights. My grandma was outside in the snow with a big glass bowl filling it with some freshly fallen snow. Yea! She was going to make some Snow Cream. Her Snow Cream was the best. Her recipe somehow was the perfect one. No one in Mount Airy made it better. Of course, that was my opinion. And inside on the stove was a big pot of pinto beans and cornbread in the oven. It doesn’t sound like much, but this was considered a meal in northwest North Carolina. And it was perfect meal for a snow day.
The next morning my grandpa put snow chains on the car tires so we cloud drive up to see the snow cover on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The highway was plowed and so was the access road to the parkway. The parkway was not plowed. My grandpa tuned onto the parkway and we didn’t get far. The snow cover was deep. He said “Sorry, we can’t go any further”. He turned the car around very slowly and then headed back towards home. I was sad, but the drive was still very beautiful for me. I was with my grandpa and that was special. And he told me that this summer would be an exciting one.
I now knew we would be coming back to the parkway in the summer because I was getting to go to TWEETSIE RAILROAD. As a kid getting this promise now before the summer was so exciting. I can’t wait…
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