LOOKING TO THE SOUTHWEST

The story of Curry can't be told without telling the story of Johnny Barzoski. He was a summertime BandB ("Bridges and Buildings") worker, who loved kids. Summer wasn't the same without Johnny. He started a scout group, with Cub Scouts, one Boy Scout and a Girl Scout group. We did a few picnics and got the books and pins – and that was really cool stuff. Yep, I was one of the Cub Scouts!

Johnny had a Golden Retriever, "Queenie." She had a green velvet sleeping pad. Really a neat dog.

The BandB gang lived in their own train-car setup, with their own mess hall. The living quarters were converted troop-train cars. Johnny would sneak the food for our picnics. And he introduced something quite novel to my taste buds – actual butter, versus margarine!

I think it was the summer of '57, that Johnny took all of us "scouts" into Anchorage for a Boy Scout Jamboree. It made for an interesting overnight adventure. I seem to remember that we stayed at the Parson's Hotel.

Should I mention that Anchorage had Television! I loved the Hamms Beer commercials,with the bears –"From the land of sky blue waters! …. Hamms – the beer refreshing!"

Johnny was great with kids stories, also. Naturally there were some 'spooky' stories told at a few 'scouting' nighttime bonfires.

I guess one can't tell stories of Alaska without a personal 'adventure story.' Okay – there was my history-making appendicitis attack.

I'd been feeling badly for a few days. 'Sympathy' wasn't a feature of my growing up, so I spent the day away from the hotel. I felt so sick, that I was ashamed to be seen. I spent the day wandering all over Curry. I can remember being so miserable that I was crying, by the time I got too cold to endure the outdoors; I finally went back to the hotel, that evening. It must have been a weekend, if I was out all day.

By chance the PHS "TB" team was coming back through, doing 'readings' on the PPT tests, of two weeks before. When I walked in the hotel, I ran straight into the traveling nurse. I didn't feel the least bit sociable, but she picked me out as being in serious trouble instantly. Talk about an angel! After that, I wanted to marry a nurse. (In fact, I did – twice to the same gal. Not the 'love' I anticipated, though. "Hurt me once, shame on you, hurt me twice….")

Anyway, the nurse figured out that I was having an appendicitis attack – but the train wouldn't be back until the next day.

Time to call in an airplane. My mom decided to call the best – Don Sheldon, in Talkeetna. Bummer, it was after dark and the airstrip had no lights; Don declined the flight. So, mom called Cliff Hudson – who promptly flew in and took us to Anchorage. It was a cool trip, even as sick as I was. Damn, I loved airplanes!

Yes, there was the proverbial 'story-behind-the-story.' As it turned out, Cliff was previously courting his sweetheart, Ollie and wanted to impress her. That meant movies and Friday-night BINGO, at the Curry Hotel! He'd figured out the railroad switch-light pattern and keyed-in on the switch at the "Y;" just south of the airstrip. All he had to do was hit that light, turn north and turn on the landing light.

So, Cliff took my mom and I to Anchorage. I remember it was a full moon, besides. Fortunately, they didn't need to operate, so I got a couple nights at the old downtown Anchorage Providence Hospital and a stuffed Panda bear. (More on "Panda," later.) AND – Alaska being the smallest town on earth, I met the nurse who took care of Rudy, following his bear attack! Brown eyes and long brown hair – that look got around, a lot.

Come to think of it, I had a couple more medical emergencies – an infected cut eyebrow (from an accidental snow-shovel strike), and a case of blood poisoning. Those were only worth a train trip to Anchorage, though. Doc O'Malley was the Anchorage walk-in doctor of those days. One shot of penicillin and back to Curry.

AND THEN – there was the time I was playing a little too hard, and pushed my older sister off the railroad flat-bed car and broke her arm. SHE got to spend a whole week in Anchorage – and got all that attention! That was one time I didn't get a spanking – (surprised me!) We were just playing; it got out of hand.

I got 'mine,' though. She had an arrangement with Mr.George to mow his lawn, every week. Guess who had to attend to that! Guess who still got paid for it! "No fair," as kids always say. At eight years old, a kid can hate a push-mower!

REAR VIEW OF HOTEL