In 1955 my parents took their three kids to see a big hole in the ground. This is where our new house was being built. It was on a very long block at the top of a hill. It was in a classic post WWII housing development. New homes, new schools, new almost everything. I do remember that it was hard for a six year old Mark to comprehend that the hole could become a house. There were many trips in the family station wagon to visit the progress of the building. I was given a very special job. Because the house was not going to finished until November, and they had to put in a lawn, I was given the job of walking four blocks up there after school to water the front yard. I remember one of the yellow spray nozzles and a rubber hose of which I was given charge. About the time I would finish my mom would magically appear to take me to our “old house”.
I can still remember the smell of fresh paint on the night we moved in. Thus began a 50 year saga of the most hospitable, welcoming, fun, memory making home known to Pueblo. There were so many things about the home my parents made and maintained. The wood in the house was entirely knotty pine. I memorized the unique patterns and “knotty” faces that they made. There were three features of this house that made it distinctive.
1) The backyard was a dream. My dad had installed flood lights on poles that ringed the perimeter. This meant that anything from touch football, badminton to croquet could be enjoyed there to all hours of the night. The backyard was also graced with a very large covered patio, complete with gas grill, and the coolest patio furniture that was picked up from the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, when the hotel decided to upgrade. There were speakers that connected to a stereo in the basement. In the summer almost every night, sessions of “patio therapy” were convened, and on rare occasions my very classy mom would pull out a cigarette and smoke one. The parade of people that found their way to those gatherings was epic. You needed no invitation and your entry was always signaled by the sound of the opening on the metal gate.
2) The double garage driveway also had a regulation basketball backstop installed. I could go on and on about the number of games and players who graced that court. Yes, my dad also installed lighting which meant that while my family might be eating or doing homework, any arrangement of friends would play until 10pm. My dad had limits. “Okay guys its time to wrap it up”.
3) Our living room and formal dining room, complete with a rustic fireplace, could easily accommodate 20–plus people. What the patio provided in the warm months, this space worked in the cool times. The door was never locked. The routine was simple—knock, stick your head in. My dad would almost always say, “What’s the password”? We all knew it was SWORDFISH. Worked every time.
As I sat here today watching the CU/Nebraska game by myself, I was remembering my mom who went to the University of Nebraska. She would put on her U of N red sweatshirt. Once again the house would fill up with folks who knew that that 1532 was open for business and better than any sports bar.
Onward and Upward,
Mark
Lyfting Me Up 