I'm visiting my dad. He's sleeping now while I watch baseball and read 3rdLander stories.
Before he fell asleep, we had a good chat about his early life in Boston, Mass (b.1929). When he was in 4th grade, he lived near Blue Hill Street. Street cars traveled Blue Hill so it was way busy with humanity --- shops, synagogues, Yiddish every where you hear. Fun Fact:
.... between 1930 and 1940, the Jewish population in the Dorchester and Roxbury neighborhoods was nearly 80,000, half of Greater Boston’s Jewish population.
Another fun fact: Boston is currently #7 city in terms of Jewish population in the world. Check that out.
Along with his brother Jack, Dad delivered ice and milk along Blue Hill Street. On Shabbat, day of rest, people would sometimes ask him to turn on a light or turn on the oven for them. He and his brothers had many Jewish friends. One such friend accidentally shot my Uncle Bob in the leg which is a tangent we can go into later. After a doctor visit, Bob was fine. No hard feelings.
When he went to Boston Latin School (oldest school in U.S.) in 7th grade, Dad got to school by hopping on the back of the street car, in order to avoid the ten cent fare. Whenever he was caught, the street car driver would chase him down the street. It was the danger, not the fare, that riled up the street car staff. Dad did fall off the streetcar once and hit his head on Blue Hill Street.
"Was it bleeding, Dad?"
"You bet it was. Went home and my mother patched me up. I had a bump on my head for years."
Talking with my Dad makes me keen for a trip to Boston, land of my birth (1960). Blue Hill Street is being renovated right now (2024). I'm looking forward to walking Blue Hill Street from Roxbury to Dorchester one of these days. Hopefully sooner rather than later.
