Brick Wall is one of the recent prompts for 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks. I’ve written about most of my brick wall ancestors before, so I’m taking a different approach with this prompt.
At the house-end of the driveway of my childhood home in Vienna, Virginia, there was a brick wall. It wasn’t there when the house was built. It came to be not long after, though.
My father, Charles L. HEISER (1913-2001), and a neighbor added a screened-in porch to the end of my parents’ house. By extending the length of the house there was now a cement and brick foundation at the house-end of the driveway. My mom, Gladys MARTIN HEISER (1921-1999) saw an opportunity for a flower bed. I’m sure my dad saw an opportunity for a backache.
My mom’s brother, Carlisle E. MARTIN (1915-1977), helped my dad lay the brick wall for the new flower bed. Here’s an unflattering photo of my Uncle Carlisle as he laid bricks for that brick wall.
That brick wall didn’t just keep a flower bed in place, though. It was also a favorite place to sit.
I perched myself there many times with friends, or with dates when I wasn’t quite ready to go to the door.
As the mechanic’s helper for my dad, that wall is where I waited for him to ask for a tool or something else.
And when the neighborhood kids played Dodgeball in my driveway on summer afternoons, those ‘out’ sat on the wall waiting for the game to finish.
Even though my childhood home was sold 19 years ago, memories of sitting on that wall will live in mind forever. That wall will always be my favorite brick wall.
You can see the brick wall next to Joyce’s legs.
Copyright © 2019 Nancy H. Vest All Rights Reserved
Leave a Reply