A Life of Joy

Thomas Hesch

Description

A Life of Joy is a collection of short stories packed with humor, mischief, adventure, reflection, nostalgia, and fond memories of growing up in old Santa Fe in the nineteen sixties. 

In Part One, a young lad named Thomas tells us about the glorious mischief he and his cohorts concocted growing up. He takes us into the terrifying world of his worst nightmares and he describes the love and kindness shown to him by complete strangers.

In Part Two he takes us on an exhausting one-hundred-mile bike ride, a motorcycle journey, a hitchhiking adventure, and a long road trip in a VW Bug with his buddies. Each is filled with humorous anecdotes, unexpected challenges, useful lessons, and plenty of fun. He reflects on the tumultuous 1960s, the Vietnam War, the political assassinations, the protests and the riots. And he recalls his powerful memories of the magic of snow falling on his beloved Santa Fe.

Finally, in Part Three he takes us along with him and his wife, Nancy, on a magnificent journey through coastal towns of northern California and into various state and national parks. His vivid descriptions put us right there beside them as we feel the spray of the surf, listen to the whispering giant redwoods, and peer cautiously over the edge of granite cliffs. Turn the pages and join him!

Sujets

• Essays
• Humor
• Form
• General officer
• General

Informations

• Publié par: Outskirts Press
• Date de parution: 22 avril 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781977264152
• Langue: English

Extrait

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A Life of Joy The Simple Joys of Growing Up in Old Santa Fe and the Adventures of the Happy Years That Followed. All Rights Reserved. Copyright © 2023 Thomas Hesch v3.0
The opinions expressed in this manuscript are solely the opinions of the author and do not represent the opinions or thoughts of the publisher. The author has represented and warranted full ownership and/or legal right to publish all the materials in this book.
This book may not be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in whole or in part by any means, including graphic, electronic, or mechanical without the express written consent of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Outskirts Press, Inc. http://www.outskirtspress.com
ISBN: 978-1-9772-6415-2
Cover Photo © 2023 www.gettyimages.com .
All rights reserved - used with permission.
Outskirts Press and the "OP" logo are trademarks belonging to Outskirts Press, Inc.
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Dedication
I have gotten most of the inspiration to write this book and other compositions from my wife, Nancy Davis. I have observed the passion with which she spends countless hours in front of her easel creating remarkable stories with the strokes of her paintbrush. Her relentless pursuit of the right expression has, at least in some small way, rubbed off on me.
My children, Sara, Jesse and Myra, Brian and Angela, have also been the source of inspiration for me with their goal-driven approach to their own lives. It has been a wonderfully uplifting experience for me to witness their individual growth as each of them have blossomed into kind, thoughtful and empathetic adults.
It is to them that this book is lovingly dedicated.
Table of Contents
Part One, An Idyllic Life in Old Santa Fe
Introduction
Where It All Began
An Entire Summer Spent Barefoot
Bottle Rockets Done Right
To Auntie’s House… On a Sled!
A First Grader Kicks the Habit
The Ol’ ’57 Chevy Station Wagon Part I, The "Coop"
The Ol’ ’57 Chevy Station Wagon Part II, Mysteries Explained
The Ol’ ’57 Chevy Station Wagon Part III, The Carmelites
The Ol’ ’57 Chevy Station Wagon Part IV, The Lamy Train Station
Infinite Kindness Part I, An Unsung Hero
Infinite Kindness Part II, Come In! Come in!
Another Lesson
A Hanging at the Roundhouse
The Chase Is On!
A Mummy Comes to Life
The Mysterious Hole in the Kitchen Ceiling
Bone Ghosts
A Most Unusual Meal
Snowballs, Chimneys, and Old Cars
Brief Accounts of Daily Life
My Flight From the Swing to the Emergency Room
New Clothes Every Spring and Fall
Stretch That Rope!
Pass With… Care?
Jingle Bells
Richard Sans
Mr. Donzerly
A Cat Visits the Public Library
Who Are Those Guys?
Tuna Corder
Magic
The Coming of the Snow
Epilogue

Part Two, The Simple Joys of a Life Well-Lived
Introduction
A Joyful Sound
Dimples Catches A Thief
A Hitchhiker’s Tale
A Time Both Scary and Beautiful
A Thrilling Adventure on Two Wheels
Three Friends, Six Thousand Miles, and Sixteen States
A Mistaken Identity
Epilogue

Part Three, A Road Trip to Remember
Introduction
A Joyous Occasion
Heading to the Coast
Serenity on the San Juaquín
Mendocino Coast
The Emerald Forest
The Cascade Range
Yosemite!
Kings Canyon and the Majestic Sequoias
Afterword
P ART O NE A N I DYLLIC L IFE IN O LD S ANTA F E


Tales of a Young Mischief-Maker, Amusing Shenanigans, and Growing Up in the Late Fifties, Sixties and the Early Seventies.

T HOMAS E H ESCH
Introduction
THIS IS A story of a young lad growing up in Santa Fe when the city had a population of only around 25,000 residents. The downtown area was much different in those days than it is today. There were numerous dilapidated apartment buildings, outdated gas stations, run down bars and stores, and numerous alleyways all littered with broken glass, cans and assorted junk. Later on, however, a forward-thinking City Council began a multi-year renovation program. Ultimately, they would succeed in their attempt to improve the city’s standing as a world renowned art center and tourist destination.
To shed a more positive light on the city, Santa Fe had the very homey feeling of a small neighborhood. It was not at all uncommon for a stranger to strike up a conversation with another pedestrian on the sidewalk. What’s more, it was completely normal to exchange friendly greetings with total strangers.
Large families were the norm back then and there was no shortage of other kids to play with in the neighborhood. With few exceptions, many of my schoolmates walked to and from school, while some of us chose to ride our bicycles. They were seldom locked and theft was a rare occurrence.
The characters in this book include many people outside of my immediate family. But it was them, my brothers and my sisters, that made up the framework of my upbringing along with all the rich experiences that accompanied it. Aside from introducing my parents and a brother that we lost as a child, I will avoid using my siblings’ names as a means of protecting their… shall we say "innocence?" Also, the names of my friends and classmates have been changed for their protection.
Many of the following chapters are only brief anecdotal descriptions of simple singular events that are told for their humorous or nostalgic value. There is no specific chronological order to this collection of tales. This book is dedicated to our parents, Reuben and Bernadine Hesch, to whom we all remain eternally grateful for our wonderful childhoods. I hope you enjoy reading them.
Where It All Began
HAVING BEEN BORN in 1954 I have at least a fleeting memory of some of the experiences I had back when I was three or four years old. With each passing year, of course, the memories became much more numerous. The more recent the memory, the clearer the details stand out in my mind. An example of an early memory is Dad’s old black Oldsmobile sedan, an early 1950s model. Its replacement came a few years later when I was only three years old. It was a brand spanking new 1957 cream-colored Chevrolet Station Wagon. Oh, the stories that car would tell, if only it could!
Around the time when General Motors first introduced the 1959 Chevy I had begun developing the ability to identify most cars by name and year of manufacture. Even to this day my wife, Nancy Davis, is fascinated that I can correctly distinguish a 1965 Volkswagen Beetle from a 1973 model and every one in between. I jokingly tell her that "it’s in my DNA." Every fall season, when I was old enough to ride my bicycle, a bunch of us boys in the neighborhood would ride to the various car dealerships to check out the new models. It was delicious eye candy to us youngsters.
There will be more stories in later chapters involving the ’57 Chevy. For now let’s return to the story of my upbringing.
I can, to this day, recall crawling out of my bed, going into the living room, and climbing up onto the couch to sit next to my dad. I couldn’t have been more than three years old. It was probably around 8:00 or 9:00 at night. And although I don’t recall what was showing on TV I do distinctly remember Dad’s individual smell, a mixture of his own personal self, along with the fabric of his clothing combined with the mild scent of cigarette smoke. I absolutely loved it! For me, it was very familiar and as comforting as an old blanket or a favorite stuffed animal.
Dad was born in Santa Fe in 1912. He had two older brothers and two younger siblings, a brother and a sister. His mother was also born in Santa Fe. We have documentation of her lineage dating back into the 1600s, although I am unclear about when her predecessors first arrived in the "City Different." She had never learned to speak English probably because, in her world, there really was no need to. I never got to meet her because she passed on before I was born. But I suspect that she spoke proper Spanish beautifully because Dad and his siblings did exactly that. When I was a little older I used to love to listen to the magical flow of the latin language whenever they spoke it which, unfortunately, was not very often.
In his father’s lineage, there were many craftsmen and carpenters, some well-known. His great grandfather, Phillip August Hesch, is credited with designing, building and installing the spires and the curved handrail on the world renowned circular staircase in the Loretto Chapel. It is located on the Old Santa Fe Trail just a short walk from the historic downtown Santa Fe Plaza. The Hesch House, which he also built in 1888, is listed in the registry of the Historic Santa Fe Foundation. It is located on Read Street within walking distance of the Santa Fe Rail Yard, and just a stone’s throw to the east of the popular eatery, Tomasita’s Restaurant on Guadalupe Street.
Dad and two of his brothers served in the military during World War II. An entire book could be written about their experiences in the European Theater. I am certain that many of the details would not be easy to write about or to read. Most fortunately, they all returned home safely, alive and well.
Bernadine Dorsey was born in Georgesville, Ohio on December 9, 1921. Her lineage traces back to Ireland. Her parents raised nine children including two sets of twins. Some of her siblings also served in the war. They, too, returned home safe and sound to enjoy long, full, and productive lives.
Shortly after the war had ended, "Bernie" moved to Santa Fe to work as a lab tech at the old Saint Vincent Hospital on Palace Avenue. It was located just east of the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi on Cathedral Place. She met Reuben, as a patient, on one of his regular visits to the hospital to donate blood. It is believed that she was assigned to do the blood draw. Aside from the intricacies of phlebotomy, there was clearly some chemistry in the room. Friendly conversation ensued and, as I unde