When not sailing off the rocky shores of Marblehead,
or climbing them, I relished the unfurnished rooms
on the third floor of our house. There an intricate
game of castles and nations was played, facilitated by
every resource available at hand, from lead soldiers
and Dinky toys to Legos and wooden blocks. Each
room represented a nation or kingdom containing
its own capital, castle, cathedral, hospital and
university, duly laid out with avenues and squares.
The classic adventure books then still popular
fuelled childhood imagination, from the expected
combatants and rivals to the evermore far afield
stories of statesmanship and war.
HYLAND
