Swimming, Ice Skating And All The Friends Along The Way...

We grew up along the banks of the Neponset river.`Where we learned to swim in the "Point" and ice skate in it's marsh land. Mrs Halpin's yard was the cut through to the river, and we were always careful not to disturb the Pheasant and their families. The river was filled with snapping turtles, eels, and a variety of fish who let us know the Neponset is their home. I remember the summer of 1960 our first swim of the season and not hearing the usual warning shouts to look out for the turtles or one of us shrieking because an eel slithered by our legs. Strange, the next day we looked for them, and the next...We asked about their disappearance and no one had an answer. We didn't know about pollution. Who would want to dirty the river we loved so much.