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There is so much I can remember and tell about snow, sledding and the Farm, it's hard to tell where to begin. There were so many wonderful times in the winter. Perhaps it's best to start by giving a rundown of the various sleds we had at various times in my childhood. I should probably first mention the handmade, non-steerable sleds that were in the Farm originally. These were discovered by my grandfather, John P. McGrail when he bought the farm in 1951. They were rough-hewn, old, dating from the 19th century, even older, perhaps. These sleds didn't work well, they dragged in the snow, and left orange rust marks in the white snow. I was fascinated by them, however, and wondered if they were better in the 1800's. Next, came my father's beautiful Flexible Flyer from the 1930's. It was 30 years old in the '60's, but still was in excellent shape and steered wonderfully. It had a larger bumper than today's models, and was made of steel and varnished oak. It was rather small, however, and only one person could ride on it at a time. I had a long, Sears "Champion" runner sled at one time. I took this sled very seriously. I once even gave it a fresh coat of paint! It was long enough for me to lie down on at age 12, like an Olympic luger. It was steerable, and it had a rope on it to pull it. When I was 7 and my brothers John and Mike were 5 and 6, we all got sleds for Christmas. John and I got red metal rocket-shaped sleds with the "Sno-Wing" name on them. They were beautiful and I still remember the joy on Christmas morning in 1964 seeing them leaning against our dining room table. Mike got an aluminum "saucer" sled that year, still seen today quite often. Finally, there was a huge, green fiberglass toboggan which could hold the whole family. I don't know how many years we had this thing, but I do remember my dad pulling all of us kids around on it. There were several places on the McGrail Farm which afforded good sledding. When I was very, very young, I used to just sled down the short drop of the lawn in front of the house, to the right of the circular driveway. Later, I began to venture across the street to the Wachusett Aquaduct, which had a perhaps 15-foot drop along its length. The Sno-Wings did well here, but the steerable sleds were best. Sometimes, in those days before global warming, the snow was so deep that the sleds would sink down in it. For these conditions, of course, the Sno-Wings and the saucer were best. Other times, the snow packed down well, and it was not unusual for us to spend 8 hours sledding up and down a small hill, or the side of the aquaduct. One day, I remember, the snow had an ice coating on it. This was thick enough to walk on, and we went out with our sleds. John, Mike and I went to the edge of the aquaduct. John didn't want to go, but I insisted that it would be OK...He then got on the Flexible Flyer, primly sat down, and slid sideways down the hill, without creating the slightest mark on the ice. His expression on the way down was priceless. We were never supervised in these activities, a no-no today. Sometimes the sled would go down by itself, sometimes the kid would go down without the sled. No problemo. A few times we attempted to slide down the long sloped apple orchard of the farm. This was difficult, because of the underbrush. The toboggan performed well here, however. As a child, sledding was intimately woven into my experience of winter. I remember putting on my shoes, then my rubber galoshes, called "overshoes", with 4 buckles on the outside, the tucking my pants in, the the sweater, then the knit hat and mittens, and finally, the overcoat. No other clothes were ever needed. The scraping sound of the snow six inches from your head. The feel of the frozen canvas handles of the Sno-Wing. Almost hugging the Sears Champion as I slid face down the side of the Aquaduct. The wind, the snow in your face. A day spent sliding, coming in wet, cold, exhausted and snow-blind. What could be better? Return Home --James A. McGrail (copyright 2005) All rights reserved. I hope everyone enjoys these stories. As always, please contact me with any comments. Click here for story comment Bedtime Story #2 | What's New | People | Pictures of the Farmhouse | Pictures of the Barns | Pictures of the Grounds | Odds and Ends | Souvenirs | FAQ | Contact Us | mcgrailfarm.com web log | The Sale of the Farm | |
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