I grew up in a tumultuous household in South Shore. All of my mother’s family lived in walking distance of our house. At times, my cousins, aunts, and grandmother lived with each other or lived as neighbors in the same apartment building. Three out of four Sundays, the family would gather at our house or our Aunt Silvia’s home. But, once a month, we would all go on a family outing. During the warmer weather, our family enjoyed picnicking in Jackson Park. But, my favorite memories were the adventures I would take with my brother Al, my sister Elaine, and my cousin Dorothy.

The four of us roamed the streets and alleys of South Shore like hellions. We travelled as far south as 103rd and Doty and as far north as the Museum of Science and Industry and the Promontory Point. Our many adventures included bringing home a wounded bob-o-link in the basket of one of our bikes and fishing in the Jackson Park lagoon with bamboo fishing rods that were given to us by our Uncle George. I remember one time when we caught three fish and carried them home. We were determined to keep them alive so we made several “water” stops along our route and immediately placed them in our bathtub as soon as we arrived home. But, unfortunately, the fish did not survive the night so we buried them in our back yard family “pet cemetery” along with our deceased cats and other deceased fish.

In the summer months, you could also find us at one of our many swimming destinations. We enjoyed swimming at Rainbow Beach or off the Promontory Point. We also loved to go to 74th and the lake. There, at the Traileo Park, we were allowed to use inner tubes. This was a treat because inflatable toys were not allowed at the public beaches. But, our favorite adventure was to go to the lakeshore by 76th Street. That was the location of the South Shore Country Club. We were not members so we were denied entry at the front gate. But we knew how to sneak in on the lake shore side. We reveled in the knowledge that we managed to get past the County Club barriers and happily spent our days collecting stones and sea shells, swimming in the cool water, or resting on the warm sand.