I had a lot of toys, growing up, although I’m not sure I would have told you that at the time. I had a nice collection of marbles that I have to this day. I would play marbles with my neighbor and best friend, Bruce. I also played with yo yo’s and tops. I practiced enough that I could do a variety of tricks. Some of my favorite toys were ones that I made, including a skate board, a flying arrow, and kites. I also remember getting a bull whip. My dad was very stern about not snapping the whip at any living thing, especially my younger brother and sister. I would practice for hours in front of our garage, and got proficient enough to snap it where I wanted. I also practiced for hours in front of that same garage learning how to cast with a fishing rod. I would put a weight on the end of a fishing line and see how far I could cast it, I then turned to casting to certain spots. That aided me greatly when I actually went fishing in real water. I remember playing with toy trucks as a young child, but my main “toy” as I got older was my bicycle. I rode my bike all throughout the neighborhood, even to some places I was told to stay away from.
Brian
My favorite toys when I was young were baby dolls, stuffed animals and my pekingese dog Sandy. I liked to feed the dolls a bottle and change their diaper, just like a real baby I thought, ha ha. I played board games with my stuffed animals. They would be my opponent, I usually won! My dog, Sandy, was a good sport. I’d dress her up in doll clothes, put her in a doll carriage and wheel her around. I’d mash up her dog biscuits, mix some water with them and heat them up on a toy electric stove I had. Then I’d put her in a high chair and spoon feed her the dog biscuits. She’d also ride my bike with me. She put her front legs over the handlebars and her rear legs stood on the top bar of the bike. She was very special to put up with all my ideas!
Mary Lou
Swagerty-Aldrich Family Web Site 