Coming from Garfield Elementary grade school in Faribault, MN I was, like, totally surprised to enter the old Jr. High downtown. Downtown, wow!, I was growing up fast. Our first day was filled with papers, folders, pencils, and….lockers?! Man, I thought I was really living large when I had a friend ask me to share and then we added real wood shelves (which we made ourselves thanks to wood-shop class with Mr. Putman). I was coming down the main west-side stairway after the first day and “WHOOSH” the wind took my folder and spilled all the papers into a fifteen foot sem-circle. I abruptly left in anger and embarassment. The next day I was called in to “The Principal’s Office” only to have my folder and contents returned to me. Minnesota Nice, indeed. The halls and stairways were perfect for hiding, pranks, and cigarettes. Needless to say I was in the Detention Center after school, sometimes during, all too soon.
Lunch was AWESOME! Where else could all of your friends join you in support of humor, food, etc.? The building itself was set for demolition in the middle of our school year and then we would be able to attend the new one on the south side of town. Literally, a mere 200 yards from my back yard. I could walk to school on the old railroad tracks and dirt trails within minutes.
I was born and raised in Faribault. On the south side of town was the smallest and cheapest trailer park of all in the city. Sunrise Mobile Home Park. This was the best place for a child to grow up due to the Straight River and other River Bend Nature Center outlying forests. Check it out on Google Earth sometime. I swear you will be able to see me and my friends from the trailer park running up and down the hills, swimming in the river, and camping out in what seemed like the neverending forest.
More to come………
The Wrong Mistake 