When I was about 5 years old, we moved… To Seabrook, Texas. To experience a magical location. Over 100 acres, a park, swimming pool, lake frontage – a really good place to store up a lot of really fond memories. Astronauts lived close to us. Hay bales stacked house high that became a fort. A pond for fishing and someone getting a hook stuck in their head. Cows and chickens. My first home built radio. Cub scouts. My brother and I have a shared, and really large, birthday party. All of us boys sharing a room together. A window a/c turned on only for the living room where we all sat and shared homework and family games. Boys coming over for a weekend from the boys home. Pets that were fun, and also scary. A barn that had some really wonderful smells and a hayloft that was fun to jump out of.
One of the things I remember most at this time in my life was learning to read. Somehow I was subscribed to a book delivery system where Dr Seuss was delivered on some regular basis. What fun it was to load up my books and go out into the park and sit at a picnic table and read! Even all the way out to the pavilion where Bozo the Clown skated at company picnic’s, my books went with me. From that time I found a love for the written word – Hardy Boys, Tom Swift, all those SRA reading labs in school,and just about any story that was full of adventure.
I read today that Dr Seuss’ first book, “Green Eggs and Ham”, celebrated it’s 50th anniversary – today, 08/12/2010. Dr Seuss was bet that he could not write a childrens book using 50 words or less and be intelligent and enjoyable at the same time. He won that bet! And went on to write story after story that opened up a great big world to a lot of kids. Before there was “hooked on phonics”, he helped us learn to read by rhyming words and making sounds that were fun to read.
Gone now, and better known as Dr Seuss, Theodor Seuss Geisel will always be remembered by me and others as someone who made reading fun. Thank you!
I’m not sure I have ever thanked mom and dad for helping us enjoy that magical place called “Champion Park” in Seabrook, Texas, so much, but I want them to know how much fun it was! And I thank you both from the bottom of my heart.