I spent my early teen years growing up on Clermont Drive in Homewood.  My dad used to say we grew up under Vulcan's ass.  The grand statue of Vulcan was at the top of the hill on which we lived, overlooking the valley  where the city of Birmingham is found.  His ass is turned towards Homewood, possibly representing  some form of symbolism that was lost on me all those years.  My dad sure seemed to have caught on to that one, though.  We had Vulcan's ass facing us from one side and three large churches at the bottom of our hill.  We were surrounded, no way out, Dawson Baptist, Trinity Methodist and Our Lady of Sorrows.  

My running buddies were the guys on the street, my neighbor Ricky Seales, Clifton McRoy and Keith Roberts.  These three were my friends, all fun, yet all so very different.  Ricky was the bully, the one who never was excited and always seemed bored with everything.  Keith was the a fun loving fella who was a great student of the Three Stooges.  He was the sound effects guy that could mimic anyone or anything.  He was our neighborhood prankster.  Clifton was a pretty smart guy, a rock specialist and the only Ole Miss fan I ever knew.  Archie Manning was his hero.  I would be shocked if he didn't pursue his love of geology at some point in his life.

It was a safe neighborhood with neighbors that we all knew.  We knew everyone on our street, the Zeiglers, the Grays, the Whites, the Glass family, the Donahoo family, the Cook family with Marty and Chris, two of the fastest guys I ever chased. The Runyons behind us and the incredible Robin Adams at one end of the alley behind our house, with the Fogleman family, with Wesley and Brenda, on the other end. It was a place that was safe to play, with many summer nights being spent out in someone's yard till late in the night. 

We did all of the stupid things that kids do, chasing each other, wrestling, fighting, talking about life.  One summer we built underground forts with connecting tunnels in the woods behind Keith Roberts house, a great accomplishment and a great secret club that we enjoyed.  If we had to go anywhere, we were quick to jump on our bikes and ride for miles for any and every reason available.  We spent a lot of time exploring the woods behind the junior high school, which had yet to be cleared to make Valley Avenue and the many apartment complexes that were built there over the years.  I remember the day the bulldozers showed up clearing our woods, trails and caves.  It was a horrible sight to witness.   I did all I could to stop the progress, but the machinery was bigger than I would ever be.  We loved to explore the woods.  There were many rock formations overlooking valleys that were great places to hang out.  There were also the old entrances to several of the old Red Mountain ore mines from years before.  It was an act of courage to pass through a dark entrance and walk into the center of the earth.  It was a great time of freedom and exploration for all of us.  It was the beginning of an end to my innocence.  The move from childhood through puberty.  The beginning of the complicated life that we all find.