The duck pond by my grandfather's house still holds a feeling of adventure and fun as well as calmness that I have never experienced anywhere else. It has crystal clear water and trees that have grown just so perfect for climbing. When I was younger I would climb these trees, tying to reach as far as I could before getting too scared and returning to the ground. Then there were days I would climb to a spot in my favorite tree, my "Pooh Tree" as I called it, which leaned out over the water just right. From this spot in my tree, I could sit there and stare at my reflection in the perfect water, looking at my face with a beautiful background and not have a care in the world. For some reason, I could always go to that spot, sit in that tree and be as far away from all the problems I had in my young life at the age of thirteen.
The duck pond was originally dug in 1915 when the trolley tracks that connected from what I remember, Albion and Medina. My grandfather Ronald Haylett dug it to supply water to his orchards and it was also a rest stop for the trolley to pick individuals up for travel. There are still rocks and rails from the old trolley track surrounding the west side of the pond, but it is no longer used for anything, except the pond for spraying orchards, and fishing. Even so, my cousin Stephen and I spent countless days adventuring around there. Our days always began with Stephen sprinting out the front door and me following right behind him yelling for him to slow down and wait as he darted through the backyard. Stephen and I were only two years apart, so it seemed natural for us to be spending our summers together. This was the way summer began for us, early mornings and late nights, from fishing to helping grandfather fill the orchard sprayer. .
The east side of the tracks held lots of entertaining things to do: running through the pond agitator, games of hide-and-seek, and taking the occasional day off to take a nice refreshing swim with the ducks.
