Vermilion, Ohio

Imagine growing up in a small "one movie theater" town on the shore of Lake Erie, with a beach right in front of your house and an amusement park next door. Ore carriers could be seen a mile or two off shore, and nearly every day fish tugs went out to pull up their nets. One could take a canoe up the Vermilion River and camp out in the woods through which the river passed, and the school system was second to none. In winter we hiked out on the very solid ice and never gave a thought to being in any danger. It was the nineteen-forties, and we somehow sensed that a great lifetime of adventures was just ahead. The town has changed a lot, but much of its charm remains intact. What a wonderful place it was to grow up.