Tad busts through the front door his ears primed, a dollar bill crumpled in his sweaty hand. He has waited all day shooting hoops in the driveway. Stopping to get money from his dad confused his internal guidance system. The possible routes run across his mind; over the Little League Field to the playground, around the South Mill Pond past the dog yard, down Parrott Ave to Haven Park? He waits an eternity until he hears the faint tinkle of ‘The Entertainer’ in the distance. His new MJ Airs fly northeast through the neighborhood to the playground instinctively honing in on his target. The sound comes closer & closer before it stops all together. Sweating and discouraged, Tad stops by the swings to listen again for the sweet music.

On hot summer days by the sea, this simple joy of childhood is repeated day in and day out, season to season. In the storytelling, it is always when Tad stops to listen again that the impatient children cry out, “Tell us again, Gramps, how you found the ice cream truck!”