508 Kingwood Street/Parkwood Beach

(This one is from Dad...I can't remember the password I assigned to him so I needed to post this on my name. He says I'm getting like Glenn with the bad memory! Enjoy)

Several weeks ago, my neighbor and I were talking and he mentioned that he and his brother had purchased a house in Parkwood Beach. They bought it as an investment. They plan on fixing it up a little and renting it.

The following week I saw in the Wareham newspaper,the notice of the real estate transaction. It listed 16 Kingwood street as the property. My curiosity got the better of me as I couldn't figure out where # 16 would be. My father's old house was # 508 and it's a pretty short street.

Anyway, I took a ride over and to my suprise I saw that the street had apparently been re-numbered at some point and it actually was my father's old house that my neighbor had purchased!

I spoke to my neighbor about it and he told me to come on over and walk through the place, if I wanted, as no one was living there and the house was open because they had started to do some repairs. I drove back there last Sunday and took a "tour" of the place.

I was absolutely amazed!

My father sold the house in 1988, and the people who bought it have lived there for 18 years but it looks like it did when my father was still there. Almost nothing had changed.

The crummy 1950's sliding doors on the bedrooms were still there, the horrible carpets were still there; the kitchen hadn't changed at all.

The downstairs bathroom still had the bright orange flowery wallpaper on it. In the garage my father, and probably my brother, had put posters and decals from the 70's and 80's on the garage walls and they were all still there. Even the "elect Charlie Decas" posters !

In the attic over the garage was the manger figures that my father set up on the front lawn every year. I think he brought those from Needham when he first moved down to Wareham. There were some suitcases and old furniture up there as well, but is was getting dark and there never was a light up there so I couldn't explore any further.

I told my neighbor that my father was wealthy and that there might be millions of dollars packed in those suitcases. If there was I wanted a finder's fee. My brother would probably hang himself if he thought there was anything of value left behind!

Many of you might remember my father's gardens out back. They are pretty well grown over but some of the rasberry bushes are still intact as well as the New Zealand spinach, which just re-seeds itself every year I guess.

The little cement donkey was still in the back yard sitting in the weeds in the same place that it was since my father was there. I went into the old tool shed and all my father's gardening tools were hanging up just as they had been so many years ago.

Other than the fence around the property, it looks like my father was still living there! Kind of spooky in a way.

I told Donna about the donkey and she wanted me to rescue it. My neighbor told me I could have anything I wanted so I went back and rescued the donkey. I will deliver it to Donna's yard at some point.

My neighbor offered to deliver and set up the Nativity scene on my front lawn but I declined the offer. They threatened to do it anyway. If that happens I will have a yard sale and any of the Tocci's can have first bids on it ! Maybe young Ed would like it for the holidays !

I remember some good times as a kid in Wareham,when uncle Pat lived next door,uncle Jim out back,the Jarvis's on the corner,and of course the DeBellos.

Maybe I'll post some more about my rememberances of those times at a later date.

Al Tocci, Jr