Jackd... yes, I would agree that we had a perfect world to grow up in. I used to marvel at the Mars Water Bomber which seemed to brush the tree-tops on its landing approach up the Sproat River where it would touch down just past the load-out in front of the petroglyphs. I remember waving to the pilot... and I'm sure he waved back, I mean... he was close enough to see us kids on Dickson Drive below... I could see his head-set. Living at Sproat Lake on Dickson allowed for opportunities that maybe Jackd didn't enjoy. I'm talking about the neighbourhood kids getting an opportunity to actually get inside those planes... there were three planes back then. In 1961 the Marianas Mars crashed while fighting a fire... I think at Northwest Bay... my sister was friends with the daughter of the pilot who perished... well, it was a sad time in our house. I think the last name was Ross but can't remember her first name. The tour of the Hawaii Mars was memorable... like, we were just kids and they let us walk on the wing. You'd never get away with that now. I don't know about you living on McCoy Lake Rd, but anytime the Mars flies and I hear it before I see it... I know exactly what is coming because those four radial engines have a distinctive roar.
Oh... figured out who I am yet? How about this... the property that Dad purchased to place that old house moved from Great Central Lake was the original homestead of the McDonald family. I remember Dad burning the old homestead house down to make room for our $1 house - oh yes, folks that moved their house away from Great Central Lake?... got them for a dollar. And the old Mackenzie mansion of a house on the waterfront was just below us.