29 Dover 6 1-16-2020 The Aura

Hi Stacy,

I loved the images of your pet squirrels and bunnies. The home was indeed unique. It had an aura that

can't be matched. Our home in Anchorage came close but nothing surpasses the feel of '29 Dover'. There was a sense of safety and security in the midst of the chaos of the neighborhood - houses so close you could smell them, cars coming by day and night, commuters always walking by, children of all ages making noises kids make (shouting,crying screaming, laughing, shooting off caps), bicycles, motor scooters, hand lawn mowers, leaves burning - but all anchored by your own count-on-able family in the home.

One domain that helped create this ambiance was the closeness of the railroad. Having grown up forever by the tracks the sound of the train going by was like hypnotic music to me. Many times I was asked by a visiting friend, "How can you stand that noise coming by all the time?" And I would routinely answer, "What noise?". The only time it ever bothered me was at a time in my life when I was sleeping in the Pine Room (off the central bedroom). In the early 1940's we had one radio, a large tabletop Philco, which my folks would listen to in the living room and when I was supposed to be asleep. When the train would go by I couldn't hear the radio in the most exciting part of what they were listening to. It never lasted too long. I really miss it. I can hear distant trains go by now where we live but its not the same.

On the landing shelf above the living room we had a clock that played the Westminster Chimes sequence all day and all night. But the most compelling tone audible at '29 Dover' was the sound of the gong from the clock in the LTHS Bell Tower at Cossitt and Brainard. I can still remember the 'feel' of the sound coming in at one in the morning - "Booooom".

During the war the neighborhood was especially close. My dad was too young to fight in WW I and too old to fight in WWII. He was the neighborhood Air Raid Warden. He had a special hat and a long flash light and would go out on designated blackout nights to make sure that all lights were out. One time the Chicago area had a test Air Raid. It was during the day and bombs were sent down from airplanes. The bombs were rolled newspaper about 3" wide and 3" long with several strands of red crepe paper attached like a kite tail. We were supposed to stay inside but one came down in our yard and I ran out and got it. It would have been a direct hit near our house. I kept it for years but it somehow disappeared along with my classic collection of trading cards.

The memories of our home at '29 Dover' get better with age. More to come.