The black ice skates

[oneighty]

On the way home from Christmas shopping four things happened. The sun set, a great blizzard swept in off Lake Erie, Dad's old Studebaker skidded into the ditch and ran out of gas.

The five of us abandoned the car, struggled half a mile through the blizzard to home. WW 2 was going on. Money, food and gas were in short supply. Because of the money shortage the black ice skates were to be my only Christmas present. They were a size too small.

In January that winter Lake Erie in our area froze to a slick glass surface. The thick ice was transparent also like glass. Carl and I donned our skates and skated and skated and skated, my toes scrunched up and freezing cold in the hard toes of the too small ice skates.

The only time I ever used them, my black ice skates.

180

[Lars39]

1. I remember the family going ice skating at some lake that always froze

up in Elgin. I remember my little 2-bladed training skates and the hot chocolate we drank because it was sooo cold. We had fun. We got back home and Dad had forgotten the housekey, so one of my brothers had to break a basement window out to let us in. Good memories. :)

[Digger]

2. Wow!

So touching and profound.

Thanks