I stand at the top of Huckleberry Hill Lane with my husband, Lance, and our dog, Riley. We have just completed what we call a “Shady Oak Loop” and are in the home stretch. I pause for a second to catch my breath. The walk wasn’t strenuous by any means. But now that I’m pregnant, I find that I need to take little breaks along the way.
As we proceed down the road that I grew up on, and where I now live with Lance and Riley, I pass landmarks that are forever ingrained in my mind. It makes me think about the life our little girl will have on the same exact road her mother grew up on. Of the memories she too will create here.
We pass the former home of my Aunt Jeanne, now where my cousin Celia lives. Just beyond her driveway is a sign made by my paternal grandparents, Herbert and Claire Mercier, more than 30 years ago. It says “Huckleberry Hill” and “Mercier Crossing” in big letters and features two wooden figures — a boy with a fishing pole and a girl with balloons.
Originally, the sign listed all of the names of their grandchildren who lived and grew up on Huckleberry Hill. But time and the elements wore it down. Celia, who loves to craft, refurbished it a couple of years ago. It now lists all of the pets on the road on one side and, on the other, the next generation of the extended Mercier family: Claire, Maisie, Nolan and Cameron.
I smile every time I pass this sign. I can’t wait to see my child’s name next to her cousins.
Lance and I continue down the road. We pass my Uncle Peter’s house and my Aunt Trish’s old house. Across from their lots are the remnants of an old hangout spot the cousins would bike to when we were younger. The area featured a pond that was home to a couple of frogs: Clem and Sam. A sign, also made by my grandparents, dubbed it “Rascals Frog Pond.”
The sign has long since rotted away. Hopefully Celia will refurbish that, too. She did take the claw-foot bathtub that bloomed flowers in the spring and summer and gave that new life for her yard. A tiny bridge that spanned the pond is now hidden in the weeds and overgrowth.
Further along is my cousin Chris’s house, where he lives with his wife, Kellie, and baby, Cameron, the newest member of the family. Riley pulls on her leash, hoping to go up their driveway. She wants to play with her buddy, their dog Tucker. We tell her that she will see him soon and keep walking.
Next is my Aunt Paulee and Uncle Doug’s old house. It’s where cousins Chris, Nick, Matt and Joe grew up. It’s also where all of the cousins would congregate on summer nights to play kick-the-can, flashlight tag and capture the flag. Paulee and Doug moved but not far, and neither did Nick, Matt and Joe. They all reside in lots across from their childhood home.
Our walk continues. We pass my Uncle Phil and Aunt Susan’s home. Cousins Carol, Emily and Celia grew up there. It’s where Carol and Emily bring their daughters, Claire and Maisie, when they visit from off-Island. Soon enough, Emily and her husband, Sean, will welcome another member of the family to Huckleberry Hill.
Across from them is my brother, Justin, his wife, Kellyn, and their son Nolan. It’s hard to believe but Nolan will turn one soon. He doesn’t understand quite yet, but Lance and I like to tell him that his baby cousin is on the way; that she will be one of his best friends; that they will be so lucky to grow up with family so close by.
Our walk is almost over. Our home is next. And just beyond that, the house that I grew up in. My parents, Pat and Christine, don’t live there anymore, but didn’t move far — just next door. We can reach them via a tiny path that runs between our houses.
As Lance and I walk up our driveway, I picture him teaching our little girl how to ride a bike. I look towards the backyard and see where she and Riley will run around, and where Lance will one day create a play area — the perfect spot for all of the cousins.
Huckleberry Hill is special, I think to myself as I walk into my home with my husband and dog at my side. I place a hand on my growing stomach. My next thought is this: I can’t wait for you to have a magical childhood like I did, surrounded by so much love.
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