100 It Happened in Iona

against the barn one would have to scamper to catch it in full flight or field it on the ground. Throwing the ball back and forth over the barn roof was in turn a great pastime for two. Our large back yard provided ample room for a neat infield and outfield. Pick up games there were frequent among ourselves or with neighboring youth. The sponge was eventually replaced by a softball and at times by a baseball. While we were still young an old football made its way to our place and even though it had to be quite often patched, it provided us with untold joy and exercise over many years. For a long time we had an informal horse-shoe court along the hedge in front of the garage. A pair of large and another of small horse shoes from the barn were used for this enjoyable competition. Some years later we graduated to purchasing official shoes and stakes and set up a more finished court in Farrell’s field behind our house. At this spot a number of neighbors often came to play. Trout fishing, limited pretty well to the little creek in the front corner of our farm, added its share of recreation and excitement with every— thing except the hook being readily available near at hand.

In winter, sleigh riding was the order of the day and often of the night at full moon. Dad made all our little sleighs which we commonly referred to as “hand sleighs”. One in particular was getting old and quite loose all over, but it was by far our fastest sleigh, the Bluenose of our fleet. We were especially proud of our set of double sleighs or “doubles” as we called them. They were connected by a long platform which could accommo- date four or five people. Our front field was by far our most preferred spot for sleighing. The road hill from the railroad to the bridge was also quite good for coasting at times. On a single sleigh the rider usually knelt and steered with the toe of his boot. Since this ran the risk of wearing a hole in that part of the gum rubber, occasional parents decreed that their kids must sit on and steer with the heel of their boot! For the years covered here, Iona youth did not have real facilities for skating or hockey. J ust the same, a number did learn the rudiments of skating, most often with dull, hand-me-down or makeshift blades. Patches of ice in open fields or low-lying corners provided quite well for this outdoor fun. Still we did have a couple? of sought-after ice surfaces, one being Callaghan’s Creek on the Valley Road, the other Wilfred McKenna’s pond in Iona East. These small but smooth surfaces were often invaded by groups of young p60ple, especially on Sunday afternoons and at night during the Christ- mas holidays. A kind of hockey was even attempted there with