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An Autumn Sunday Afternoon
"Armistice Day." As it falls on a Sunday, this year, there are no "public" celebrations, except in the churches, but -- listen -- hear that "Boy Scout" sounding "Assembly" - just "practicing" - - but -- the sun is shining brightly and has dried up the pavements, after last nights showers, everything looks "newly washed," a pleasant breeze is blowing and the temperature is 57 degrees, just right for a long walk, probably the last one we will take together.
Have to go slowly and make frequent stops. Legs are pretty bad, today.
Come across the street here and take a look at this patch of corn. It was planted on the 26th of August, just as a "noble experiment." The planter wanted to find out if such a late planting would come to maturity before frost. All the local opinion was against it. We have had no frost yet and the ears, some of them, are in the "roasting ear" stage., others are "coming on" finely. The stalks are green and he may "make a crop, after all.
Now let's go along Emmons Place; a street of, what is called, here, "apartments"; really groups of 4 -5 family houses grouped under one roof. Each with its own front porch and lawn and back yard. Now we turn into Alden Avenue with its lawns and houses with varicolored walls and roofs, there, on the right, is our red brick large "County" school building. Facing it stretches Prospect Parkway lined with cottages and ending at Dahlgren Avenue (four blocks away) at the edge of the fringing pine woods.
Keeping on along Alden Avenue we find it curving, sharply, to the left. Cushing Street curves left here, with the result that we are, apparently, in a park of all kinds of trees, willows, maples, poplars, cottonwoods, magnolias, crepe-myrtle, with the background of the dark green pines, the cottages seem rather incidental instead of being on highways, Aylwin Road curves down here and makes this the prettiest part of Cradock.
We will cross over and get on the far side of Aylwin here go on along it to Afton Parkway. Now out Afton to the George Washington Highway and the gateway, and the only one, to "Cradock, The Garden Spot of Tidewater." Rather an impressive "entrance" with its red brick "posts" topped by the frosted glass light globes.
Come across "The Highway" (Shell Road, locally) and look through this 10-ft high hedge of California Privet, used as a windbreak, at the "hot-bed gardens" of the trucker who grows lettuce, beets and cucumbers for the early Spring market. See how the fields are "broken-up" by more "windbreaks" of Privet. The "open ground" trucker has "no chance" against this fellow in the Spring market.
Back to the sidewalk and the "gateway." Here is our local trolley terminus. The best looking cars about here. Red body, white above the "rubbing strake" to the roof which is blue. (We identify it at night by its two red signal lights.)
Let us take the car and ride, quietly, along Afton Parkway. There on the left is the Masonic Temple, at the corner of "The Highway" and Afton. The car runs through the grassed "Parkway" lined on both sides by varied colored, sides and roofs, cottages; each set down on lawns and flower beds with all kinds of trees. Flowers waving in the breeze, and these street corner stops give us hasty glance along them at still more of colorful Cradock. Cottages of yellow with red roofs, white ones with green roofs, gray walls and vari-colored roofs, and other combinations, and, always the backgrounds of pines. At Prospect Parkway, Afton widens out and becomes "Afton Park" through the center of which we are sliding. At Farragut is the "Car Stop" and we have time to glance at "The Crescent" our quite complete "shopping district" (the only one in Cradock.)
This is Gillis Road, next is Harris Street and here we run through "Afton Woods," with the "Boy Scout's Cabin" almost hidden among the trees.
We are fortunate. See how the setting sun throws out the Autumn coloring of the maples, oaks, poplars and cottonwoods against the dark trunks and foliage of the pines. Did you ever see more gorgeous reds, browns, yellows and greens? We have been swinging in a wide arc and as we leave the woods we are on a right angle to our original course. Now we pick up the salt marsh which borders Paradise Creek; sand, salt grass, cat-tails, reeds, and sparse underbrush. Over Paradise Creek, which, now at high tide looks like quite a small river, but, at low tide is only a rivulet navigable only by a very light canoe, this is the boundary of Cradock and we are in "Norfolk County" now. Mills, factories, oil storage, shipyard, "terminals," and , although you can't see it, just across the "Branch" of the "River" the buildings of South Norfolk. This section is marked on the map as "Navy Yard Extension" but has been relinquished, evidently, by the Government. Here, is the "approach" to the Portsmouth-South Norfolk Bridge, Concrete, Leads from Portsmouth. At the double tracked railroad crossing we come to Gate No. 13 (Cradock Gate) of the Navy Yard. Towering buildings, roads, tracks, and a little further along, here, is the huge "Marine Barracks" of red brick, fronted by lawns, trees, parade ground and a golf course.
Running along beside the woven wire, 10-ft high fence we come to Gosport Road, concreted, (and following the turn of the fence to the 4th Street Gate of "The Yard." We, however, keep straight on. Just before we came to Gosport Road we were at the lowest level of the line, and in "flood" time we have to leave the car here and transfer to the bus to continue to Portsmouth. But, as this happens only once or twice a year it is not a "hardship."
At this point we run through a "colored district." Some of the houses are as nice as you would see anywhere, others, of course are "shacks," with surroundings to correspond.
We will soon be through this "district" and come out into "Old" Portsmouth, with its ante-bellum houses set up on brick columns about 9 feet above the street level, below being the "basement" and used for stores, the servants quarters" or kitchens. Now we turn into South Street, then into the "old" business district of Middle Street, past the Municipal market, turn into Washington Street, with its parkway center, swing into South Street, then into the "old" business district of Middle Street, past the Municipal Market, turn into County Street, swing left to Crawford Street and thence to High Street, the Portsmouth terminus of the "Cradock Line."
Here we will leave the car. Down one block, is the ferry to Norfolk and Berkley. Again we are fortunate. The "Great White Way" of High Street is just lighted up.
You think you have come a long distance? Not so, my dear, it is about four miles from the Cradock terminal to this in Portsmouth, and the "running time" was about 18 minutes. Some variety of "scenery," however, don't you think so?
Let us cross High Street, the store windows are all lighted and "dressed up for Thanksgiving." This is quite a modern little city, Portsmouth, plate-glass show windows, congested traffic, clanging trolley cars, a "Woolworth's", a "Kresge's", furniture, women's and men's clothing, drug-stores, restaurants, etc., etc. and, as far as the eye can see, the "Great White Way" stretches off to pin points of light. We will only walk up to Court Street, three blocks, and see the Confederate monument, the Court House, and, crossing High Street, go up court one block to the Post-Office.
'snough. I'm tired and I guess you are too. Back to High, down to Middle and take the car for "home."
The town is rather poorly lighted, off the main thoroughfares, but, we saw it all coming down so it doesn't matt. After we leave the town, proper, we see only distant lights until we "pick up" the Navy Yard, which, of course, is aglow with the light. Then another "dark sector" until we approach Cradock when, here and there, "through the cottonwoods the candle lights are gleaming" and, then "The Crescent," we get off here, walk the two blocks and we are back at "The Casa de Freed." The thermometer on the porch reads 48 degrees, but, inside, the "Arcola" has the temperature up to 75 degrees. Roast chicken dinner, cigarettes, (sorry, old man, but the "18th Amendment" you know prevents "True Southern Hospitality.")
Come out on the sidewalk for a minute. Isn't this just a quiet country village? Lighted windows as far as you can see. That bunch of lights at the end of Bainbridge Avenue is on the "George Washington Highway" and is one of the five "filling stations" close to the "gateway" of Cradock. Bright starlight, an occasional automobile, otherwise the quiet of the deep country. So very different from Portsmouth only 18 minutes away. Do you wonder that the "Missus" and I are trying to make the town's slogan
Cradock, Cradock, Safe, Quiet, Clean
The Invalid
November 11, 1928