Philip Wilcox: Forest Grove Memories
Phil Wilcox: Forest Grove Memories
In the 40's
• Earliest recall was around 1947, as a 5 year old. Arch and Priscilla were the people who had the store and, a boy my age I could play with.
In the 50's• Catching hell for digging tunnels in a sandy bank below the old store, said because we got so grubby, the reality a concern for our safety.
• Priscilla playing the piano at school concerts
• Getting the tractor stuck in the field (deliberately, as often as not)
• A generator and real electric lights (pretty novel to this farm boy)
• Tons of books to borrow and read - rich beyond my dreams
• Swinging on ropes in the barn (also frowned on)
• Feeding turnips to the cows
• Ruth Lake, a second home, a second set of parents.
some of the happiest interludes in a teen-age life.
always welcomed, never a frown.
Rowing a duck punt around the lake.
Building a diving board, more nails than wood, functional in spite of its appearance.
Driving Dads pick-up truck down to the lake, unlicensed of course.
Hiking around the lake to catch the school bus. Really did spend a lot of time on the lake,
really was a second home.
• Being encouraged to do something beyond grade 8. That extra needed incentive to push beyond Forest Grove.
• When the time came, being encouraged to move beyond grade 12.
• A good decade, made better by knowing the White's.
In the 60's
• The university years, a little less contact
• Trying out navy cadets and the officers bar (See editor's note below)
• A blind eye turned to the late night carrying on of certain cadets
In the 70's• Even less contact in this decade, unfortunately. Working in Ottawa is terribly remote from Ruth Lake.
In the 80's
• Still in Ottawa (Nepean really, but who knows where that is), with occasional visits to BC. Family raising time.
• The entire family, Bev, Aaron and Alana have enjoyed several visits to Ruth Lake and we all look forward to seeing Arch and Priscilla on every possible occasion.
Editors Note:
Micmac Division – HMCS Cornwallis- 1962
Wilcox
The whereabouts of Wilcox’s jacket will forever remain a mystery—except he still owes 75 cents on the scran locker. And then he could never figure out why he couldn’t wear his work boots to noon musters. As far as that goes, his good boots weren’t any better. Rumour had it that Wilcox joined the Navy because White had. For more detail see the latter’s article.
White
Bobbo thinks that just because he doesn’t lock his locker, the scranman can’t repossess it. Cabin 131 (White and Wilcox) was known for the Bobsy twins. For further details see the note on Wilcox.
