Page 68 - REALLY What A time Book IX

REALLY SO WHAT
What A Time

A FORT IN THE WOODS

Shirlington was built just after we arrived, and was one of the
first, shopping centers in the country. There were many
stores along a gauntlet. A double lane road lined with stores,
with lots of parking behind them. I remember a couple of
them, a drug store, and a grocery. The latter because my
mother broke her wrist when she slipped on some spilled
vegetables. But the most important thing about Shirlington
was at the end of the gauntlet. The Movie Theater.

If you wanted to get to the stores, you could either drive the
long way around, out of North Fairlington, around to King
Street, and South Fairlington, and down Quaker Lane. It was
a long way. Or you could walk the couple of miles from the
apartments through the woods down along the Shirley Valley.
Pop often took the hike. He would grocery shop with a
couple of bags that he hauled back. I doubt if he loved the
idea, but he did like the woods. He and mom had spent a
couple of years camping around the United States during the
Great Depression. He knew the woods and would come
home with wild persimmons or other forest delicacies

Deep into the woods, beyond sight of the apartments there
was a dense area that rose above the grounds. It dipped down
into a trench and then climbed up above the rest. Because of
the undergrowth, it’s thick bush and vines, it was difficult to

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