I grew up on Long Island in Massapequa part of the Town of Oyster Bay. What I remember is woods everywhere. Especially pine trees with their sap that used to get caught in my hair. ugh. There were 5 houses on my block. 2 of which had been there before my father built our house. About 6 streets from our house was my grandparents farm. These streets were nothing but dirt tracks that people walked and drove thru the woods. By the time I walked between our house and theirs my shoes had been emptied of sand many times. Then it seemed to me one day I walked outside in the mid 1950's and the woods were gone with all these really big holes in the ground everywhere. It didn't take long for the houses to be built and the roads to be paved. In 1957/8 I started kindergarten in a brand newly built elementary school down the street. Gone was the country and now the neighborhood was known as Matza-Pizza since those houses were sold to mostly Jewish and Italian families. I see the pictures of when my father grew up on his father's farm which was on Delaware Av. Nothing around for miles. My father and grandfather used to go hunting in the woods. There was a small gas station and grocery store on the corner of what I think now is called Linden Street. Back then it was just the old geezers place. Today there is an small insurance company building next to a large gas station. When I visit out there it's like culture shock. Although on Delaware Av my grandparents house is still there. Everything else is different. Those 2 other houses that were on our block were large houses and plenty of property. They were bought and devoured by developers with 2 and 3 houses built in their place. Even my parents house was totally renovated and went from a cape cod style to some scary contemporary looking thing. Their large property was also divided with another house built on it. So much for plantations :-) Stefanie -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.289 / Virus Database: 265.4.8 - Release Date: 12/8/2004