My new neighbor is very clever.

[calimary]

58. Reminds me of some "cousins" who grew up a few miles from me when I was a kid.

My parents and I lived on a cul-de-sac in which all the homes were owned and occupied by quiet retired couples who kind of kept to themselves. Only occasionally did some grandchild or grandniece show up, and I'd invariably go play with them. But it was rare. And it wasn't conducive to much play outside since the street level was blow the houses. Each driveway went up a hill to the house at the top, from the pavement of the circle below. I remember my parents always gritting their teeth about driving up and down the driveway during the winter. Lots of rock salt all over the pavement. So it wasn't like you could ride bikes around there - it just wasn't kid-friendly.

So whenever we went over to Aunt Anne's and Uncle Moon's, they had six kids and at least one was my age. And their whole street was lined with houses where there were other kids around the same age. There were kids all over the place. Up the street, down the street, across the street, up the hill to the next street over, and in the next blocks beyond that. There was noise and squealing to be heard for blocks from people's back yards. Boisterous activity all over the place. Packs of bicycles with eight-year-olds and ten-year-olds coming down the street. Kids running across everyone's back yard. Nobody had fences. And always the noise, the din of lots of outdoor activity and balls bouncing and the little ringing bell on somebody's tricycle handle and hollering and squealing and stuff.

I LOVED it. But I barely knew what to do with myself. It was like going from a desert island to Honeydukes.