Posts filed under 'The Old Neighborhood'
Map of the old neighborhood.
Here’s a quick and dirty map of the neighborhood. I made it with the help of “google earth”:http://earth.google.com/.
Map Key:
# CJ’s House
# Mike and Ginny’s House (Ghostbusters/Track)
# Ryan and Melissa’s House (Fort)
# Christian and Duane’s House (Pool)
# Joe’s House (Tree Fort)
# The Alley (a.k.a. Woods Base 1)
# Papa and Gramm Thomas’s House (Joey’s House)
# The Hoslett’s House
# Danny and Katy’s House
# Eric’s House
# Big Kid House 1
# Big Kid House 2
# Big Kid House 3
August 16th, 2006
by duane
During our regular adventures, we discovered that the over-grown vegetation in the alley at the end of the block made a great place to set up a “base.” We put on our best camouflage outfits, hopped on our bikes, and drove right into the bushes. I’m sure a half dozen 7-10 year-olds dressed as a special forces unit riding brightly colored Schwinns wasn’t especially inconspicuous, but we thought we were just about on par with a ninja squad. We fashioned tunnels through bushes, made an area to hide our bikes, and formulated an escape plan in case we were discovered.
Occasionally, one of the neighborhood dogs on the other side of the alley fence would discover us, bark a bit, and then be on it’s way. The real excitement happened when the people who’s garages lined the other side of the alley started backing out. We tried our darnedest to keep from being discovered. Occasionally, we would be chased off because it was “too dangerous” in the alley. However, minutes later, we would be back, planning world domination one alley at a time.
August 16th, 2006
by duane
Once of the great things about the BRAT Patrol was that each family had a different “attraction” at their house. Ryan had a fort built on 4 foot stilts, Mike and Ginny had a racetrack (initially for bikes, but later for RC cars) behind their garage… plus they hosted “Ghostbusters Central” in their garage, we had a pool, and Joe had a tree fort.
In the summer we would usually start the day with skateboarding or bike riding, then end up working on one of the forts or racetrack, then eventually cool off around mid-day in the pool. There was nothing quite like building a fort or digging a hole then jumping into the pool.
We al lived just a few doors from each other, all on the same block. That was our world. We rarely went “around the block”… especially when we were younger. It was the DMZ of the area. The overall area was better then. Not the stereotypical Detroit you hear about on the news.
Our neighbors were mostly police and firemen mixed with the average blue collar jobs in the auto industry and factories. We were all on the same schedule, starting with a 9:00 all clear to go outside and play…
August 9th, 2006
by duane
I grew up with a great group of friends on the East side of Detroit. We called ourselves the “Brat Patrol,” but were sometimes known as the Hillcrest gang.
Many years have passed since that time. Eventually, we all moved and went to separate high schools. Then all of us went to different colleges. We’ve kept in loose contact, and even had a reunion about 7 years ago. This site is an attempt to get reunited, tell our stories, and remember all of the good times we had.
The Brat Patrol Is:
* Joe Boyd
* Mike Fashoway
* Ginny Fashoway
* C.J. Peterzack
* Ryan Plunkett
* Christian Leinninger
* Duane Alan Leinninger
August 4th, 2006
by duane