"Sweet childish days, that were as long As twenty days are now."

So I was reading some of my old friends from good ol' ML (Moses Lake for you outsiders ;) And it made me really miss the small town life. This is my tribute to Moses Lake. A town where literally everyone knows your name. It was a great place to grow up and some of my fondest memories of it are still near and dear to me. I think to really appreciate ML you have to live there a quick stay will give you no appreciation of the wonder of it. From a visit you probably feel what my brother-in-law felt "exposed" by all the farm land. And in driving wonder why a town of 15,000 people needs 25 water towers. (don't ask me I still don't get it). But it had so much to offer. So here is my list of the great things about growing up in Moses Lake, WA!

1. Being a Duvall in decent you get the great discovery in High School that you are related by at least marriage to half the town.

2. Lybbert's Pond - litterly a hole with water in it but add a diving board and rope swing and you get pure summer bliss for us country folk.

3. Pot Holes - no it's not a place to do drugs (although i'm sure the football team did) It's a place for cliff jumping from exhilerating heights.

4. Franks Candy - Easy store to walk to from elementary school the hang out for 3 grade to 6th

5. Incas - I don't care if you had Mexican in Mexico nothing competes with Incas!

6. The Fair - we in ML did this right! I've been to the state fair in Raleigh and it did not beat Grant County fair by a long shot....I mean at the end of the Demo Derby a car is supposed to be on fire and one car left standing, period!

7. Sherry's - the place to be after any activity. In our small town the only thing open after 9:30

8. Canals - I almost died in one but man were these fun. No pools, no beaches just canals, I went back and visited with my friend Court and we swam in one and his only comment was "man it must have been great to grow up like this" and yes it was.

9. Playing with no adult supervision - I was surrounded by family growing up so on Saturday's when I went out to play it was really to play....no adult eyes on you worried you're going to be kidnapped, I mean this was Moses Lake. Play in the gravel pit, canals, chicken coop, pollywog pond all was free game as long as you were back by dinner. My neices and nephews will never have that.

10. Friendships - How many people can say they are friends with someone still they met in the first grade! and you don't even live by them anymore. My friend Em is in ML and we still talk. My friend KT just moved to NC, exciting but we were still in touch before that. This is what Moses Lake built!

So that's my list given those who read this may not truly appreciate it and i'm sure it's all glamorized now that i'm older. But i wouldn't change my childhood for anything!