Page 15 - Winterling's Chasing the Wind

CHAPTER 02 - Expanding My World

Our house was a mile from the
Toms River with mostly woods
between. There were a couple of
gravel pits and a trash dump on
the west side of Motor Road.
The main activity was along the
Atlantic City highway adjacent
to our house. I thought it was
interesting to hear and watch the
chains under the heavier trucks
moving as they drove the rear
wheels.

One day I saw a truck stopping by each telephone pole. A man was hammering glass
reflectors into the pole to reflect the car headlights at night. Most of the time, I loved to
roam through the woods on the east side of Motor Road all the way down to the railroad
tracks. I’d discover paths and trails and paused occasionally to snack on some
blueberries and huckleberries in the native vegetation. Every once in a while I’d
discover a special treat…a delicious teaberry!

I enjoyed strolling along the shore of the river that had a bank lined with a short wall
consisting of concrete-filled bags. I watched the water as miniature waves that rolled
and disappeared into the gravel beach, and especially the larger ones that arrived
following the passage of a speedboat offshore.

I liked watching people catch crabs from the dock. One day I asked my grandmother
for a piece of meat and string. Taking a bucket and net from the basement, I joined the
others at the pier. What fond memories I have of bringing in a bucket-full of crabs and
watching my grandmother dump the crabs into the scalding water on the kitchen stove.
Eating the sweet crab meat at the end of a day at the river was the high point of my
summers in Pine Beach.

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