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Larry Keeran
Many congratulations to Barb for the frequent tickling of the memories of Bloomington as she does. Our (my memory) is of times old and fun in Bloomington. The changes as the city grew were transparent until I moved out of town then returning left me with strange intersections and stop signs. I'm glad to see Bloomington expanding but the center town has lost its focus. The walking distances of old (my home was just 6 blocks North and 3 blocks East of the courthouse. About the same distance that we, here in France, do every day for exercise. Here we get to see the seasons change mildly and we miss the tree color change each fall. We don't miss the gradual hum of traffic increasing as the the day started in Bloomington. The infrequent hum of traffic is replaced by a farm tractor passing. The days in Bloomington of looking West on Locust Street and seeing the sun set was a pleasant replay each year at a certain time. That was the only time I ever saw a sunset in Bloomington. Here I am spoiled seeing the sun rise over the fields and light up the room as well as a sunset in view changing the sky color every non-cloudy day. That opens a bucket of stars that were rarely seen in the Bloomington night sky. The surprise in the French night wakening to a Flashlight above the bed only to discover the full moon is directly overhead shining in the skylight. The sounds of Bloomington are not forgotten; the sounds from my preschool days hearing children laughing at Jefferson Grade school just three blocks away where I would attend later, the rumble of the semi-trailer trucks crossing Main Street and Locust with a vibration that was familiar (Locust Street was a main East-West highway then), the whistle of a train in the distance just a block East of Hubbard's Cubord crossing East Locust Street, the aroma of burning leaves along the street curbs in the Fall, the stench of garbage burning frequently in the neighborhood, the excitement waiting for Bob Knapp to pick me up each (most) mornings on the way to the new BHS (where I would fly model airplanes 6 years before in the open field), the wait in Homeroom on tall uncomfortable chairs for class to start ( watching some late arrivals run toward school was the only excitement ), the near accidents of driving in the snow while experiencing icy roads as a newbie, the excitement of walking across the stage to graduate instead of a 'hand wave' , so soon after graduation does a person grow up with habits that remain the rest of one's life, and being thankful for the experiences and friends that contribute to a long career. Thank you everyone whom remembers me in either Jefferson. Bent, or BHS for the memories. I believe "they" say when you get old that you have more recollections of early years than the present. That is probably because those were the best days of our group experiences. Thank You All. Another day now... the sun just peeked over the horizon. Another day of new experiences is ahead.
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