Mr Sam and Gramma Sam were a GOD sent in my life. He was a short Italian pudgy guy always wore a white long sleeved shirt and a fordora hat. He had a laundry business in the front of the house and a small gas-station/deli somewhere . ( I was a little kid so I didn't know directions). We use to go crabbing on a pier he had and got bushel baskets full of crab that he would sell at his gas-station. Gramma Sam would sell snowballs (snow cones)out of the side of the building of the station. she made her own syrup. She stayed home alot and He did all the running. Sometimes he'd take me to the hugh Catholic church with him and I was awestruck by the beauty of the place. and the quiet. He took me but no one every told me about GOD or Jesus. I just knew it was a beautiful, peaceful place to go.

Mom worked nights and by the time I got home from school was gone and asleep when I left in the morning . So the only time I saw her was weekends and sometimes we'd get on the city bus and go to Ponchatrain beach for the day. On Saturdays when she had to work I'd go with her and sit in the back room of the bar/restaurant till noon and the porter that worked there would walk me around the corner to the movie house and drop me off for a few hours. great stuff.two movies and cartoons. Gramma Sam wouldn't let me watch cartoons at home cause they were too violent. Boy what would she thing now?

I got myself off to school every morning. I caught the city bus at the corner in front of the drugstore. One day my friend and I decided to take our bus fare and buy ice cream and walk home. On the way we stopped at the pet store and a couple other places. Needless to say it was a long time before I got home and when I did my mom was there cause gramma called her and told her I didn't get back from school . So she took off from work to come look for me. Ouch I remember that spanking! It's funny when your akid and you make a decison you really don't think of the consequences of your actions. Of course after having your own then you know what your parents went through. It not only scared her to death but cost her money for taking off of work.

That drug store on the corner was also where the doctors office was in the back of the store. And I'd come home from school and gramma Sam would say, your mom wants you to go get your shots. So I took myself off to get them by myself at 6 or 7 years old. This tells my age but I remember the soda fountain in the front of the drug store. Those were really neat, too bad they did away with them. ok more later.