O A K F I E L D ,   N E W   Y O R K

However, the middle-high school is a bit different. Seems they have added an addition to the front of the building, needing more space for an expanding student population? I remember grades 7-12 pretty well but rarely think about them. Being a loner I never felt a strong connection or affection for the school. Nor did I have close connections with any of my classmates. High school was just a right-of-passage for me. It wasn't a bad experience, but then again I don't hold many fond memories of it either.

And that's really my fault. If I had to do it all over again I'd try to be less shy and uptight. I would have gotten more involved. But I have no real regrets. My time spent there so long ago just seems like a void in my distant past, something that I never really experienced. My memories feel like half-forgotten TV episodes of someone else's life viewed long, long ago. I guess you can say I've really disconnected from it all.

After passing by the school I encounter Farnsworth Avenue. Our family friends, the Pailles, lived there and in the summer we would frequently go to their house to swim in their above ground pool. I used to hang around with Mark Paille, I even worked with him at the local pizzeria, Tony & Maria's Pizzeria.

The street looks pretty much the same, the homes here have always been well-maintained and it's good to see that that hasn't changed.