Wednesday, October 06, 2010

Ode to my Road

Stanton Road is pretty much the best road in the world.

Not literally, though. The road itself? It's terrible. Years ago they put down that crushed-rock-over-tar crap that, after driving over it for years, eventually turns into a poor excuse for asphalt.
Currently, the road is decaying. Absolutely falling apart. Filled with pot-holes and crumbling away at the edges. It warrants a visit from the Municipality's road repair crew once every few months with their shovels and trucks full of cold patch.

It got worse during the past year, as the bridge was being re-built on the Mill Road, so traffic was diverted to the other arteries in and out of town, one of them being Stanton Road. The heavier traffic and large trucks and equipment that travelled it caused pretty severe abuse to the poor little half-assed road.

But I digress. The physical state of the actual road is neither here nor there.

The fact of the matter is, Stanton Road is the best road to live on. Hands down. No doubt in my mind.

Even though I no longer actually live there, I still call that quiet little street in the suburbs of Quyon "home". I am just two minutes down the street, and I spend a lot of my time there still at Mom & Dad's, so it really is home to me. In fact, living right on Clarendon, in the middle of town, has made me realize just how much I miss that road, and how much I'd love to somehow get back there someday, permanently.

Back there, I don't have to worry about listening to people shouting on the streets outside my bedroom window, and listening to crazy drivers squeal their tires or rev their dirt bikes at all hours of the night. (Ahhhh the joys of downtown Quyon!)

It makes me miss home. It was a great neighbourhood to grow up in.

In some ways, I got a raw deal as a kid. When I was little, the neighbourhood was full of girls, and they had the run of the place. I was just a little pest that couldn't keep up to them on my bike and who talked too much, so they were much happier to just leave me at home to pout.

By the time I was in my "childhood prime", all of those girls had grown up or moved away. And the street was filled with boys.

Literally.

Whether they were on bikes, rollerblades, playing street hockey, or shooting hoops - Stanton Road was all about the boys.

It wasn't ideal. I was older than them, and once again, I think they may have seen me as more of a pain-in-the ass than anything. But most days, they humoured me. They let me supervise their wrestling matches or referee their street hockey games. (Not sure why, because they never listened to me. I still have nightmares about the time I tried to give Bucky two minutes in the box for swinging his stick at Kenny's head, and he then turned and swung his stick at my head). They used to have "concerts" in Patti & Randy's garage, and while I was never actually invited to take part in their lip-synching performances of Backstreet Boys songs, I was allowed to pay the 50 cents to get in and watch them. (Best 50 cents I could have ever spent - I wish there was video footage of those performances...)

And then there was the pool. Kenny & Bucky's in-ground pool was the source of many great summer days. Races and obstacle courses and diving competitions and never-ending games of Marco Polo...those were good days. Patti would often have to drag us out of the water against our will. (And Kenny & I were the "fish" - we usually pushed the limits and she'd have to threaten us with something major to get us out!)


By the time I was a teen, the neighbourhood boys were conducting epic games of Rat Race that attracted kids from all over town to our neck of the woods. Deep ditches and gullies, cedar hedges, bushes, play structures, fences...perfect for hiding in the dark! Back in those days, warm summer nights on Stanton Road were filled with shrieks and laughter.

The dynamics of the road have changed since then. There aren't many kids left on the street, and it has now turned into what we fondly call "Stagger Road"...where the neighbours rotate from garage to garage, sharing pints and stories and good times. (And sometimes, when a few too many pints have been shared, you only have a few feet to "stagger" home).

Canada Day Committee Party 2010 - waiting on fireworks

Canada Day Committee Party 2010

Texas Horseshoes 2007

Stagger Road Party 2007

Stagger Roaders for Life


It's a great place to live, and a great group of people to call neighbours and friends.

Heaven truly is Stanton Road.

5 comments:

Lindsay said...

Aww....Rat race. I have some really fond memories from those days...As a kid growing up in the middle of no where I was so jealous of all the quyon kids who could see their friends whenever they wanted!! I have yet to stagger on Stagger road but maybe I will have that honor someday...ha ha! :-) Great post! xo

Papi said...

Stanton Rd. I always thought we should some day make that place a gated community! I'm still thinking it would be a great idea!!

Stacy said...

I'm not sure you participated at Rat Race much - i believe we always had to be quiet near your bedroom window cuz you would be in bed....haha!
Well I do see a house for sale on Stanton Road - maybe you should invest, buy your own house on Stanton Road and live there forever and ever - bring the traditions all back - get married there, have kids there and let them experience Stanton Road!
Just a thought...

Stacy said...

and for the record...maybe you should write an article to our GREAT MUNICIPALITY and get Stanton Road paved and i mean, really paved! It is seriously brutal driving on that road...if you lived there and paid taxes you could formally complain about where your tax money goes...LOL

Jill said...

I actually didn't participate in Rat Race much, because it seemed like as soon as I left the garage, I was caught. I just couldn't (and still can't!) run. So sad. I sometimes hung out in the garage and waited for caught people to come hang out with me. But in later years, yeah - I often went to bed and wished the Rat Racers would go the heck home! LOL

As for Stanton Road - not sure how soon I'll be getting back there, but hopefully someday!! And trust me, SOMEONE oughtta complain about that road. WICKED!!