James Laird - Lark Ellen Home for Boys Grow Gardens- Page 3

Taking a deep breath you leaned forward rapidly to get your body in motion over the top edge of the slide. About the first ten feet was straight down which got you moving fast in a sort of free fall with plenty of speed to take you around the first curve and a nice long ride to the bottom. Without the big gunny sack you skin would get burned rubbing against the slide. It was well worth the long climb up with little or no wait at the top because one look down that first straight drop made most kids chicken out and they would not slide down preferring to be called chicken instead.

A little further down the beach was Venice which had large indoor swimming pools. We got driven there as it was too far to walk and we went at night. They had fresh and salt water pools and hot and cool ones. You could go in all of them for one price and we would keep going from one to the other all evening as we felt the whim to change to a different pool all of us racing one behind the other in a long line. With a final freshwater rinse before going home who needed a bath that night?

Jim Laird