Visiting Uncle Joe’s Home During the 1930’s 275 D Street, Salt Lake City, Utah When I was six years old, January 31, 1936, my Grandfather Anderson died.  The day they had the funeral in Salina, my Uncle Joe and Aunt Ethel had a terrible accident while driving from Salt Lake City for the funeral.  Aunt Ethel had always had a fear of cars.  When the car started to spin on ice, she tried to get out of the car.  The car turned over and partially landed on her.  She lay in the hospital with a broken back for six weeks until she passed away. My parents were heartsick for Uncle Joe and his children, Kay, Maxine, Betty Ann and John Homer.  When summer came, Daddy, Mother, Jean and I went to stay at their home for about a month. One month in my life of memories: I remember a friend of my teenage cousin, Betty Ann, tickling me so much out on the front lawn I thought I was going to die.  If I ever saw her coming I hid.  She had red hair and really frightened me! I remember sitting in my cousin, Maxine’s, bedroom and asking if I could watch her put on her makeup. My cousin, Maxine Anderson Maxine was a beautiful, young lady in her late teens or early twenties.  I sat behind her on a stool, hoping I was out of her sight, while watching her through the mirror.  I could see her gracefully applying her makeup.  I was so fascinated! I remember the houses on the avenue were very close together.  I felt I could have leaned out of a window upstairs and touched the house next to us. I remember walking down the steep (to me) sidewalk, to the corner and playing with a little girl.  I was so amazed because she had a pond in her backyard with lilies and fish in it.  I dreamed about it for years. One day, I went to the swimming pool with my sister and cousin.  As I was walking around the pool at the deep end, a kid pushed me in.  I couldn’t swim.  I knew I was drowning.  I would fight my way to the top and down I would go again, at least three times, when a woman sitting on the side of the pool noticed me.  She exclaimed, “ I think that little girl is drowning!”  I was finally rescued! I must have made friends with a little girl from around the corner because I was invited over to her house to play.  When we got there, she wanted to play in the lawn sprinklers.  Her mother said we should take off our tops while we were playing out on the front lawn!  I was horrified!  I didn’t want to do that!  She made me.  How I suffered with humiliation. One evening, Uncle Joe took us for a walk from his house to the edge of a canyon overlooking the Utah State Capital building and down into a wonderful Grove (Memory Grove).  This beautiful place seemed to go on forever.  There were beautiful trees, lawn and colorful bushes. In my whole six years of life, I had never seen so many lovely trees with lawn beneath them.  Being able to look down on the Grove seemed even more magical to me.  This place also became a recurring dream of mine for years.  I was always searching for the Grove. Mother would bake bread for the family and we would have cake for dessert.  We never had cake at home unless it was a party; bottled fruit was good enough for us.  One day, Mother went up the stairs for a nap.  She asked Betty Ann and her friend if, after the bread rose, they would knead the bread down once more and put it in the pans.   Later, Mother heard something downstairs.  Quietly walking down the stairs, she looked around the corner and saw Betty Ann and her friend throwing the bread dough to each other, back and forth, like a ball.  She quietly walked upstairs again.  That night at dinner, Mother was eating her bread and then said, “This bread tastes different.  It tastes like it has been thrown around.”  No one said a word as a startled glance was passed between Betty Ann and her friend.  Mother just smiled. I believe memories are heightened when life is altered by changes.  I was raised in a small, little town, often lacking in color and beauty.  I had freedom in my limited area for my adventures.  Provo, Salt Lake City, the mountains and canyons were the color and beauty I so craved.  It has been a blessing for me in my life to have had it all!