Our next installment about cousins’ houses! This time, the girls of Uncle Harold have written their memories of their terrific house in Waterloo--Kathy writes:
We Taylor girls grew up at 2756 Route 96, Waterloo. But when I was in school our address was R.D. #3 Romulus Road. Of course that was fifty plus years ago.
One of my favorite memories was Christmas Day with Grandma and Grandpa Taylor in our living room. We’d get up before daylight (always) and come down stairs with orders of DO NOT LOOK IN LIVING ROOM AROUND THE CORNER GO STRAIGHT TO KITCHEN! Here we would have to wait until 8:00 am to have breakfast with Grandma and Grandpa Taylor. We’d try to rush eating but that never worked.
When everyone was finished Dad would go in and set up his movie camera. We would walk in slowly to ooh and aah at the tree with all its presents. Opening presents meant one at a time which usually took all afternoon but we enjoyed every minute of it.
Of course I always had birthday presents wrapped in Christmas paper that got opened that day from one or another relative that could not come for my birthday .And that has never changed to this day.
Another memory I have was the year I think I was 12ish and decided to repaint my bedroom and furniture. My room was going to be lavender and my furniture white. Dad built me a bookshelf headboard for my twin bed. I painted my headboard, my mirror dresser and a five drawer dresser all white. Then I decorated it with my many stuffed animals. I collected a lot in those days (bad habit I still have today)-- I was very excited with the finished room.
Kathleen (Kat) Taylor Mills
Mary Lou writes:
I lived on Romulus Road as a kid in the house on the hill. Many memories come flooding in, but as a child I had a wander lust and roamed the farmers’ fields and spent as many waking hours that I could in the quarry behind the house on the hill. I would sing to the trees and make up stories about fairies in the trees. I was mischievous and adventurous and probably caused Mom all kinds of worry to where the heck I was. I would lose all track of time and sometimes did not come home till dark. It was a magical time for me.
Another memory is being dropped off by the school bus at the bottom of hill and walking up the hill to get home.
None of this should be a surprise to any who knew me. I am still a dreamer and still writing books in my head.
Love to all-----Marylou 
Annie writes:
Well when Judy and I were younger we shared a bedroom. The older girls (Kathy and Marylou) had their own rooms. Judy and I would jump on the bed (even though we were told not to)-- then one time we broke the leg catch, were very nervous to tell what happened!
Another good memory was when I used to come down the stairway but was not always walking--I had a tendency to slip and make a loud noise flying through the door and land on bottom. Everyone always knew it was me every time!
Judy and I also had another memory of eating supper at kitchen table--eating LIVER!!! Mom would only give us 3 pieces to eat (not a favorite) but it would take us from 6:30 dinner time till almost 9 p.m. to finish eating them!
Girls should remember doing dishes and having wet towels that we would whip at each others’ bottoms with a snap!!! (Just missing Mom sometimes too). Also when we had pasta or lasagna dinners whipping the noodles at each other-- missing Dad a couple times coming home in back door....
Dad also used to have a workshop to the right of the barn that is there now (before the garage was built). Dad had oil pumps that I can remember in the building that I would check out, plus also other tools.
Also remember the family go-cart and mini bike that we all rode? Dad had built the go-cart and we drove on the road in the woods that Dad mowed for us to drive around! I also remember riding the mini bike with our neighbor and we fell and I burned my leg but covered it up so I wouldn't get yelled at-- bad blistered burn but I did put cold on it.
Another good memory was when I used to come down the stairway but was not always walking--I had a tendency to slip and make a loud noise flying through the door and land on bottom. Everyone always knew it was me every time!
Judy and I also had another memory of eating supper at kitchen table--eating LIVER!!! Mom would only give us 3 pieces to eat (not a favorite) but it would take us from 6:30 dinner time till almost 9 p.m. to finish eating them!
Girls should remember doing dishes and having wet towels that we would whip at each others’ bottoms with a snap!!! (Just missing Mom sometimes too). Also when we had pasta or lasagna dinners whipping the noodles at each other-- missing Dad a couple times coming home in back door....
Dad also used to have a workshop to the right of the barn that is there now (before the garage was built). Dad had oil pumps that I can remember in the building that I would check out, plus also other tools.
Also remember the family go-cart and mini bike that we all rode? Dad had built the go-cart and we drove on the road in the woods that Dad mowed for us to drive around! I also remember riding the mini bike with our neighbor and we fell and I burned my leg but covered it up so I wouldn't get yelled at-- bad blistered burn but I did put cold on it.
Judy writes:I have great memories of tromping through the back woods along the trails that Dad made. They led us to the quarry that is just a bug-ridden pond with lots of pollywogs. It was fun to explore with the dogs. We always had a dog. I was never scared, we could hear Mom call out for us or hear the triangle bell she rang. I also remember when Dad would clear the quarry of snow and we could ice- skate.
I still love the outdoors-- The Pacific Northwest was a great wonderland to explore. Now we get to explore Florida, just as cool.
I so remember "the play-house" It was so much fun to have a place to pretend. We would make-up plays and be silly. The neighbor kids would come over. And of course the "cousins"-- time to hang out. A very fun time to think back on.
I also remember harvest-time and our garden! Wow, as a kid I thought it was as big as a football field. I was in charge of picking beans and cucumbers. Mom would get us up early and put on grubby shoes and bug spray. Out we would go with our buckets. I can remember the assembly line of tomatoes and corn with Mom telling us what to do!!! HaHa, it was a lot of work but the reward of eating the canned veggies was the best.
My love to all, Judy
I still love the outdoors-- The Pacific Northwest was a great wonderland to explore. Now we get to explore Florida, just as cool.
I so remember "the play-house" It was so much fun to have a place to pretend. We would make-up plays and be silly. The neighbor kids would come over. And of course the "cousins"-- time to hang out. A very fun time to think back on.
I also remember harvest-time and our garden! Wow, as a kid I thought it was as big as a football field. I was in charge of picking beans and cucumbers. Mom would get us up early and put on grubby shoes and bug spray. Out we would go with our buckets. I can remember the assembly line of tomatoes and corn with Mom telling us what to do!!! HaHa, it was a lot of work but the reward of eating the canned veggies was the best.
My love to all, Judy
4 comments:
Oh my gosh, how we Kinsellas loved to visit the Waterloo Taylors!
Their house had such character--no room was the same, and the playhouse out back was fun to disappear into and see what costumes we could come up with.
I do remember the quarry out back, and playing on the side lawn.
Always lots of barn kitties.
And, of course, Uncle Harold, Aunt Barb, Kathy, Mary Lou, Ann and Judy--
Love you guys!!
Thanks for the memories,
I always found Uncle Harold and Aunt Barb's house to be mysterious. When we visited, I sometimes tried to peek into the bedroom downstairs across from the living room, but it was small and crowded and the door was often closed. Each of the rooms downstairs seemed to be its own world, with a doorway connecting it to the next "room world."
The girls' bedrooms upstairs seemed like such tiny rooms and yet they seemed to have everything stored in them that might be in bigger rooms.
I loved the playhouse out back and the swinging vines off by the side of the property. I loved exploring there, although I don't remember the quarry out back. It felt like being out in the country while still connected to a village.
Does anyone remember the hole in the wall above the fireplace mantel in the living room? Uncle Harold told you kids that it was caused by a cannon ball that went thru! The smart [?] kinsella boys used to go looking in the field to the left of the house for the cannon ball! [Pipe to chimney?]
Gosh how we all loved to go to That house!! And even grandma Taylor used to drive that doon buggy!
I just got to visit Uncle Harold again on July 1st. While we were at his house, I peeked in that front room again. Oh my goodness, it was even smaller than I remembered it, but there were wonderful pictures of Uncle Harold as a kid and then early pictures of him with Aunt Barb. They were wonderful to see!
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