This is another shot 'through the window' from the other evening. For several days, I kept running across pictures of trains and/or railroad tracks when I visited other blogs. And I was going to scan a picture from some of mine, but never got around to it.Anyway, any time I see RR track pictures, it takes me back to childhood. Instantly. We walked railroad tracks most of the way to school, almost every single day we went to school. At that time, what they used to go between the railroad ties on our tracks was old coal cinders. Maybe a few of rocks at different spots...I cannot remember for sure. But I know most of the way was cinders. And where my socks would wrinkle would always have black dust settle into them.
Our tracks were more grown up with briars, bushes, etc along the sides, and the sides were steep--about 4 or 5 feet higher than the surrounding for part of the way. Anyway, if the train happened to pass we had to hurry and find a way to get off the tracks. But there was always the hope that they would throw out some kind of candy to us. I really only remember it happening a time or two to me, but still a kid always has hope. But that made train men kind of hold a special place in my heart. And of course they always waved to me...they actually waved to everyone. But being young I thought I was special.
But back to the socks--I also remember trying to wash them out at night and laying them over the heat register to try to get dry before morning. When in high school, I had 3 or 4 pair of the knee high socks, and that was it. So I always had to wash them. And to keep them from falling down, I used a rubber band up near the top and folded the top inch or so of sock down over them. And others I knew did this, too, it wasn't just me.
