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The Moore Brothers - Thorn Tree Court.doc
The Moore Brother?s ? Thorn Tree Court:
We grew up a block away from the fairgrounds in Indianapolis, Indiana on Guilford Avenue. Bordered by 38th Street and College Avenue, our neighborhood was one of a kind. My oldest brother John Jr., my youngest brother Justin, and I (Jason), had a lot of fun growing up in the white house with the columns. Of all the gifts our parents gave us as kids, one of the best investments was a basketball court! It made our home the center of the neighborhood, provided countless hours of entertainment, and turned us into a family that did things together.
Since we owned the only basketball court in the neighborhood, people would come from several blocks away to visit our ?Thorn Tree Court?. Yes, our basketball court was attached to the largest thorn tree ever planted! It provided plenty of shade in the sun, and you could even play in the rain without getting wet. However, that tree probably claimed five basketballs per year, with its phantom thorns! We used to play pick-up games year-round. For several summers, our back yard also hosted several soccer and football games too. Our yard was the neighborhood park! Some kids even created a game called ?Curb Ball? (think basketball without a court on the street) while waiting for us to come out to play! So we had a chance to get to know everyone. It was to us what barbershops are supposed to be ? a community. If somebody was looking for someone, they?d stop by our court. If Michael Jordan did a new dunk, you came to our court to imitate him. People in our neighborhood even knew our dog ?Fluffy?! As the ?mayor? of our neighborhood, everyone knew Johnny. For years, everyone used to call me Lil? John! I?d always tell them my name real name, but, my nickname remains ?Lil? John? in the old neighborhood!
When we weren?t playing a game of ?21? or ?mini? elimination tournaments, we were always doing something as a family. I think we entertained the neighbors with cutting down trees, using propane touches to burn the paint off our house, and even mixing our own concrete to make a patio! We even made money for school clothes by parking cars during the summer fair. All of us (at some point) delivered the Indiana Star and News to our neighbors. While we worked hard, we played harder. Most summer nights, the whole family would sit on the porch (swing) and watch cars and people go by. Here?s a quick list of the things we used to do:
? Go to church
? Black Expo,
? Visit family and friends
? Go to the movies (drive-ins too!),
? The Children?s Museum
? Go to the ?beach? (Eagle Creek ? lol!)
? Go to the pool (Mom would load up the station wagon with us, kids from the neighborhood, everyone)
? Kids used to beg us to tag along on one of our famous ?Dairy Queen Runs?, and more.
? Our 4th of July firework displays were always a neighborhood favorite.
If I were to list all of the fun things were did growing up, it would fill a book!
We were quite fortunate growing up when and where we did. I never took our blessings for granted, as friends pointed out how lucky we were to have a Mom and Dad who did things with us, had jobs, built tree houses, played basketball with us, and more! Of all my experiences in life, my parents investment in a Basketball Court for Me, Johnny and Justin, was one of the best. Thanks Mom and Dad!
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