57 Cleveland Avenue, Saugus, Massachusetts

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This was where my mother's parents lived. It was in a neighborhood known as Lynnhurst, half of which was in Saugus and half in Lynn. Nevertheless, everyone identified very strongly as Lynnhurst. Next door to the house was the two-storey Lynnhurst elementary school.

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This is the back of the house. The window at the back of the porch was Bibi's room. The window above is the room where my Uncle Ray (1926), my mother (1932) and I (1951) were all born. My cousin Lenny now lives there. I visited him in 2008 with Bonny, and he related that fact to her. He also added that on the day I was born "there was blood everywhere, on the walls, on the ceiling". The story of my birth had become a legend!

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The porch was added when I was probably about six or seven years old. Previously, there had been a bulkhead under the window. This opened up to the cellar, and was the access for delivery of coal for the furnace. My grandparents updated the furnace to run on oil.

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Grandpa built the porch, including the ironwork. He had a brazier and an anvil in his garage. I remember watching him heat and hammer what I think were water pipes. I thought it was magic. He also fashioned the low rail between the asphalt and the grass in the backyard. When I was back in the States in 1973, there was a big family day at the house. It might have been the September Labor Day holiday, and everyone was outside. Grandma picked up a large china plate to take into the house and replenish and she tripped over the rail. The plate broke and made a gash on her forehead near the corner of her eye. I was close by, and I went to her, knelt beside her, and pressed her head against my side to stem the bleeding. She was obviously going to need stitches. I really don't think the railing was a good idea.

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The little ships on the shutters were made by Grandpa. He also made some small knickknack shelves in the shape of sailing ships. These held little treasures in ceramic or copper, and hung on the wall out of reach of small hands.

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At one stage there was a shuffleboard court painted on the asphalt in the backyard. Sometimes, we'd play with our cousins, but I especially remember Uncle Herb and Aunt Betty playing when they visited from New York.

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To the left of the house was another grassy area which boasted a flagpole. Climbing the flagpole was one of the challenges of our childhood.

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There was also a large garden area where Grandpa spent much of his time during the warmer months. Mostly, her grew vegetables, but he did have a double row of flowers, as well as flowers around the flagpole. There were tulips, violets, roses and peonies with their delightful heady fragrance.

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There was also fruit – an apple tree, a pear tree and a cherry tree, as well as a vine of Concord grapes that grew around the summerhouse.

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It was a truly special place.