Sandwich at Christmas, Part 1

A couple of weeks ago, I was on my way out the door to meet up with my girlfriends for lunch.  As I was getting ready, I grabbed my camera as kind of an afterthought.  I hadn't intended on shooting anything but every time I don't bring it, I end up regretting it.  We had a great lunch at Uno's Grill in Hyannis, and on my way home, I drove through downtown Sandwich.  There is construction up on the bridge that has traffic crawling for 4 miles on the highway, hence the trip through town.

I was on Rte 130 and as I approached my old elementary school, the weak winter sunlight was lighting it up in such a way that I had a flashback to the 1970s when I went there.  The decorated & lit tree in the lobby (back in the days before "political correctness" robbed schools of that cheerful holiday tradition) that appeared after Thanksgiving break.  Teachers setting aside time for us to decorate our classrooms.  The Christmas gift or ornament projects we worked on in art class. The end of year class party with gifts and cupcakes and cookies and punch.  That excited buzz as we boarded our buses in the dark afternoon, high on sugar, clutching our art project ornaments and gifts for the last ride home till after New Years.  Yeah, I had to stop and take pictures.  

H.T. Wing was built in 1927, and it held grades K - 12 in one building, up until 1976 when the high school was built.  The front part of the school was K-6 and this part seen here was the high school.  When I attended, the only times I ever entered this part of the school was to go to lunch or the nurse's office.  There were 2 separate gyms too, till 1975 when one was turned into the elementary school cafeteria and stage.  

Those arched windows are in what was the old cafeteria and stage area.  It was ancient.  There was a bit of insulation that showed in the ceiling and the older kids teased the younger ones that it was the rat or mouse stuck and could drop on your table at any minute.  Everyone, and I do mean everyone, I grew up with remembers this. 

Those are the doors that opened into the old cafeteria.  We lined up against them to get our food.  Opening them was forbidden but it always happened, especially on nice days.  One time there was a bloodcurdling scream that silenced everyone at the tables.  The heavy door had shut on a classmate's fingers which were in the hinged side of the door.  He damn near lost his fingers and was rushed to the hospital.

This was the entrance to the high school.

This was the elementary school.  My kindergarten and first grade classes were within those rows of windows.  This is also where the buses dropped us off.

This house is right next to the school.  

To be continued...