Take a walking tour through my backyard which inspired big ambitions throughout childhood… Once through the back yard, and into a short wooded area, you come to a small, 6-8 foot inclined path. Look left and you see a child’s vision for a log cabin. Take a moment to breathe in and appreciate the sticks laid out on the ground marking every room. Climb the small hill and at the top you see old, forgotten tracks with railroad ties embedded in the earth. From this vantage point, look around. You might find a golf ball at your feet. These were often sold to golfers putting on the green below. “You wanna buy some golf balls???” A chorus would chime from this very spot. Bless the golfer’s hearts for not running those kids right out of here. After looking right, to be sure there are no golfers coming, step onto the golf course and skip over to the creek. Plum Creek, that is. You can see it from here. Peek under a rock to maybe find a cray fish or “crawdad” as many of the locals call them… Ok, now imagine dropping a rubber raft into that creek and riding from here. If you were a kid, who had a raft, that’s what you would do. But for now, move along the creek edge through another wooded area. When you come to a bridge look to the right to see devils hill, one of 2 sledding hills in Oberlin. To the left there’s the reservoir, where a child was told to never swim because of the undertow. That child was tempted anyway, but while standing on the bank, saw a snake’s head bobbing up and down as it slithered through the water and never considered it again. Look up to imagine the fireworks that were held here every year. They explode over the water to curb fire danger. The creek continues under Professor street and through another little wooded area. To the right, up a small path, a girl experiences her first kiss. A little further down, another bridge and you’ll see Puffers floral shop. Now you’re in the middle of town where more adventure awaits!
