I remember staying at my Uncle and Aunt’s place during a few weeks every summer when I was eight.

Mostly, I hung by myself, then sometimes followed by my Uncle, then finally my Aunt.  My Uncle was a Judge, so he was pretty busy during the day.  Unfortunately, my Aunt was an alcoholic (and actually died of liver problems later in life), so she never felt like playing much.

My Aunt and Uncle lived in a cottage directly beside the Delaware river (salt water not fresh).  I enjoyed waves, watching ships and the occasional submarine float up and down the river.  On the river (and beach), there were constantly excellent sea life to watch (blue fiddler crabs, eels, snapper turtles, fish, etc).

My uncle would walk his dog ever evening down a deserted road to an old lighthouse that was now owned by a hunting club.  Sometimes on the way, he would pick blackberries for the elderly woman at the end of the street.

Occasionally, when he would come home from court, he would pour himself a glass of Scotch (Glenlivet), and light his pipe, then go out on his enclose porch.  Next he would read the paper, or just look outside towards the river.

I thought, wow, what a great lifestyle.  I wanted to have a cottage on the Delaware river too, and do as my Uncle did, except the smoking of the pipe.

That was a long time ago, and now that I’m grown up…  I’m nothing like that.  I do have sitting chair that’s pretty close to what my Uncle had, but that’s where the similarities end.  My Uncle lived well but overall had a pretty frugal existence.  After he passed (my Aunt passed years earlier than he did), he had ended up with over a millionaire dollars in net worth.  But nobody was really surprised in my family.

How did you imagine your adult life being like when you are pre-teen?  Mine is different, but still good!

-MR