While walking down Maryland Avenue, a person could see the firemen sitting outside of Engine House 63. When the doors were open,you could see the shiny brass polls that they slid down from the bunk room upstairs in orderto repond to an alarm. You could smell the aroma of the Oak and ash trees and the grass was green. The air was filled with the smell of summer.In the Fall, people burned leaves at the curb and it was a beautiful and aromatic smell. You also knew that it was time for spinning tops in the street on the asphalt pavement.The tops were purchased at any of a number of corner grocery stores where Cambell's soup came in two flavors;either tomatoe or chicken noodle. The chicken noodle had only a glimpse of chicken as they must have only dunked the chicken in it, but still ,it was only 10 cents a can, The store owner wrote the total on a paper bag and he retreived cans from the top shelf with a mechanical grabber. Most of his time was used slicing lunchen meat while we pestered him by buying penny candy or scoops of ice crea. Such was life on Maryland Avenue long ago. TomC