My earliest honest memory is of waking up in a sunny room, the eastern sun porch of my grandparents' house whose address was 2926 West River Road, Minneapolis. I was not yet three years old and this is where, surrounded by family, parents, brother, grandparents, uncles, and a changing cast of visiting relatives, I formed my first impressions of this planet and its rules. The Ellertsons, my mother's parents, were an abiding presence all during our growing years.
Every day was a discovery then, something new and exciting: Grandma's electric car, the Victrola, the canary, the butter and eg
g man with his l
eather apron, the iceman and the milkman. Even coal delivery held a sense of wonder for a three year old boy. I was enchanted by the comics page in the newspaper of course, and when my uncle Sal drew those characters for me, I knew that drawing was what I loved and must do. Paul and I played constantly with our coaster wago
n. I remember my very practical grandfather promising me fifty cents if I would learn to push with my other foot. The reason; only my left shoe was wearing out. I never mastered the switch, so I didn't earn the bounty!
I'm not sure how long we actually lived there before we settled in Saint Paul, because our visits were so frequent. The West River Road ho
use seemed to have room for any and all of their visiting relatives. My grandfather was the head of the Russell Grader M
fg. Co. during the peak years of road construction in this country. His position was certainly a boon to members of his family, as was his affluence. My grandmother was the sweetheart though, so loving and generous. As children, we went on trips with them. Grandad always drove a big car. In later years, one of us drove for him. That was several years, and moves, for them from the West River Road house!
g man with his l
eather apron, the iceman and the milkman. Even coal delivery held a sense of wonder for a three year old boy. I was enchanted by the comics page in the newspaper of course, and when my uncle Sal drew those characters for me, I knew that drawing was what I loved and must do. Paul and I played constantly with our coaster wago
n. I remember my very practical grandfather promising me fifty cents if I would learn to push with my other foot. The reason; only my left shoe was wearing out. I never mastered the switch, so I didn't earn the bounty!I'm not sure how long we actually lived there before we settled in Saint Paul, because our visits were so frequent. The West River Road ho
use seemed to have room for any and all of their visiting relatives. My grandfather was the head of the Russell Grader M
fg. Co. during the peak years of road construction in this country. His position was certainly a boon to members of his family, as was his affluence. My grandmother was the sweetheart though, so loving and generous. As children, we went on trips with them. Grandad always drove a big car. In later years, one of us drove for him. That was several years, and moves, for them from the West River Road house!
