| As kids, we used to "hang around" various places, as kids will do. One place we spent more than enough time was about 1/4 mile down the road at the local "beer joint", called "TEACO". No one seems to know the origin of its name. Some say it was named after "Tillinghast Corners" because we own the land right upto where the building used to stand and our mailbox was located there for many years before we came along. Up until the early 1960's, we had to walk 1/4 mile down the road to get our mail. The only reason I always figured was that we were the only house between 2 roads for about 2 miles and the Post Office didn't want to go out of their way to deliver mail to just one box. Another theory as to the origin of the name (the one I hold to), was that "TEACO" stood for Tea and Coffee, since before becoming a "beer joint", it was a gas station/store combination. It was sort of an early Mickey Mart. Alas..., "There's nothing new under the sun". Tim and I spent so much time at "TEACO" mainly because our Father and Uncle Ned did! The owner was a very eccentric sort and didn't at all enjoy 2 hyperactive kids running under his feet (and under everything else too). I'm now sure, as a result of a major conspiracy master minded by the owner and our Father and Uncle Ned, that we were told one day that there was a "new law" that you have to be at least 16 years old to go into a "beer joint"! My goodness, were we ever crushed! We didn't want the "Beer Joint Police" to come and arrest us, so we sadly stayed out (well some of the time anyway...). When we weren't at "TEACO" (before the "new law"), we were across the road at the corner country Sohio (remember those?), gas station. Shortly after the "TEACO" conspiracy, the gas station owner did the same thing, only he said due to new "insurance regulations", we couldn't "hang around" there anymore! Hey, when you're around 12 years old or so, you believe everything a "grown up" tells you! Looking back now at age 53 and being very "worldly wise", I wouldn't be surprised to find out there's no Santa Claus either! ;-) |
