Memory Lane

One of my favorite childhood memories, before the parents hated each other etc, was when I was about 6 or 7 was on Saturday's my mom and dad would take me out antiquing", that's what we called it..Around 10am or so, we would get in the car and drive out to the country and go to these little out of the way places looking for treasures. My mother's treasures consisted of finding a piece of furniture that had refinishing potential. My dad's goodies were usually something a little off the wall, his best find was an old pie safe. My mom hated it, which made my dad love it even more. My thing was old books, comics, and little knick-knacks. I got my first comic book at one of those antique stores. That is how I acquired my Nancy Drew book collection. I got The Diary of Ann Frank at an antique store, and because the book was so old and tattered and musty, and cost 5 cents, when I read it I secretly daydreamed that maybe it was really HER diary. I was an avid reader as a child. The best gift my parents ever gave me were probably those Saturdays, and the love of books. Those old haunts won hands down over The Smithsonian trips. Although the Air and Space museum was cool, it couldn't compete with going thru stacks of old books to find the 3 that I was allowed to purchase. The ending highlight was stopping at one of those side of the road produce spots. Silver Queen corn, peaches, and Dad's favorite, cherries; he spat the pits out as we drove home. Alas, my parents divorced when I was 13, my mom gladly gave him his pie safe when he moved out and my father is deceased. I still have my Saturday mornings tucked away in my memories and God, do I love peaches and cherries.