New Hampshire

This is a small but pretty state

It is green and lush and mostly friendly

There are some small lakes and a tiny sea shore with a nice boardwalk

I lived in Manchester for a brief but full time with my Mom and Dad

Dad was stationed at Grenier Air Field which I understand now is the Manchester Air Port

I formed a baseball team and played baseball all summer

Danced and "made out" with lots of young girls I barely remember

Went to Club 96 with an older friend named "Beanie" and

Drove to Concord and Portsmouth with him

Ran across the runway on the Air Base and turned over trash cans and

Had a glorious growing up summer

I had a nice part in "The Mikado" while at Manchester Central High School and

Worked so hard to pass Latin

I went to the Seminary that fall but did not last - no girls - and

Came back to Manchester before we moved on to Michigan

The only picture I have of New Hampshire is one of me and the whole cast in the Mikado

Later in life my wife and I drove from Brattleboro through Nashua and

Even through Concord again

We drove from Keene to Dover and from Manchester to Littleton and to Lebanon

In the autumn the colors strike out and grab you and hold you in complete awe

I remember ice skating on a huge lake or pond near where we lived and

Having an incredible rash which was just horrible

I think it was Pine Island Lake and amusement park but it was so very long ago

Dances at the local youth club on base, making out with your best friend's girlfriend,

Just being dumb and young and full of vinegar and knowing nothing with everything to learn

My sister went to a girls Catholic School in town and

We went to dances in the place I began to come of age in

This is what I mostly remember about New Hampshire