We would go sledding in the sump, or even better get the toboggan out and go on that. I remember a group of us found a bush that was about halfway down the hill and bent over just right so we could use it like a jump. One of us would lay down on the toboggan and two of the bigger kids would pick it up and swing it back then fling it down the hill. When you hit the bush you would be launched and get some good air time before gently flopping down on the soft snow. It was a blast but like most things only lasted a short time, it was getting dark and was time to go home. The conditions never came together like that again.

Another time when we had a good snow, dad took me to Bethpage State Park to go sledding. It was the biggest hill I’d seen on Long Island and actually had a sort of ski-lift in the form of a big rope the skiers could grab that would pull them up the hill. Another part of the hill was for sledding, so we dragged our sleds up to the top. We watched for a while to get an idea of what would work then dad decided where we would go down. He went first and was going nicely so I took off after him. As soon as I got going I realized the hill was covered with ice, which I wasn’t heavy enough to break through. I was hanging on to the out-of-control sled as I zoomed down the hill, until I hit a bump which knocked me off the sled. I clung to the control handle on the sled, which was now next to me, and slid down the rest of the hill sideways on my stomach. Once I reached the part of the hill where the snow wasn’t iced over the sled dug in and I came to a quick stop. I had to drag the sled the rest of the way down, so it wasn’t much fun but was very memorable.