Ronald E. Madsen, Jr., March 28, 2025
I remember walking to school when I was in kindergarten. I lived on Millwood Road in Bethesda, Maryland. I walked from my house to Plainview Road, turned left and walked straight to Whittier Woods Elementary School. I frequently walked with my friend Mike Weaver, who lived two houses down from me on Millwood Road. I usually walked alone, both when going to school and when returning home.
I guess it was not considered dangerous for a five-year-old boy to be walking a couple of blocks to and from elementary school in 1960. My mother was aware of the school schedule, and would only become concerned if I took too long getting back home. She also knew that someone from the school would call her if I did not show up on time.
There was one time when I spent a little too much time walking home after school. It was a winter day, and it had snowed the day before. Using snow compacted into ice, one of the kids in my neighborhood had created a building in the gutter on one side of Plainview Road. While it was only about two feet tall, this was certainly no ordinary building. To this day, I have never seen anything quite like it. I believe the neighborhood kid’s name was Kevin Gartenauer, but I am not sure.
It was not so very cold that winter day, and snow was melting, sending a fast-moving stream of water down along the gutter. When that stream encountered Kevin’s ice house, it took many detours – through his building. Within the sculpture, Kevin had constructed several passageways for the water, all leading to windows on the top floor, more than a foot above the gutter. I saw small streams of water jetting out from all sides of his building. Fascinated, I stood and watched the water show while Kevin explained his creation.
I don’t know how long I stared at this kinetic artwork, dressed in my dorky snow suit and galoshes, but it was long enough to worry my mother. She gently scolded me when I arrived home, but she too was intrigued when I described Kevin’s water-powered ice house. What kind of kid thinks of building such a thing?