Montlake - 2021 and Way Beyond by William Goodrich Bellman Chapter 18 - The Aaron's Firsts

Shortly before Mr. Price committed suicide he was forced to sell his home at 2004 East Lynn Street. The Aaron family, consisting of the parents, daughter Jean, son Philip and a maiden aunt (deaf). Mr. Aaron was as round as he was tall - a humpty dumpty figure. He owned Fobes Supply, an electrical supply firm, with offices and warehouse on First Avenue South. They were the first family in the neighborhood to have electric Christmas tree lights. The rest of us were still tempting fate, by using lighted wax candles, which were placed in a small metal container that had a clip at the bottom, then clipped to the tree limb.

The Aarons also had other firsts. Like an electric player piano, and Mrs. Aaron had her own electric car, a 1918 Rauch and Lang, the envy of every woman in the neighborhood. To my young eyes, that shiny little black car was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. There were two ornate lamps mounted elegantly on each side of the windshield. The interior of the car was lined in tufted pale-gray velvet, softer than anything I had ever touched. The windows were framed with tasseled silk curtains, and cut-glass vases in each corner held Mrs. Aaron's pretty roses. I believe that Mrs. Aaron told me the car would only go a total of 30 or 40 miles on one electric charge, depending on whether or not the terrain was hilly or level. They had a charger in their garage that kept the batteries charged.

The car's speed was adjusted by a lever that had five settings, and steering was by a handled rod that could be adjusted so the driver could sit in either the front seat or the rear! Mrs. Aaron said that top speed, in the number five setting, was about twenty miles per hour. She conserved electricity by turning off the switch then coasting down any incline. There was a voltmeter on the dashboard that told the condition of the batteries. When the voltage started to get low, it was time to head for home.

The Aarons were also the first ones to leave Montlake and move to Broadmoor Golf Club, into a lovely, two story colonial style home, located on the fourth fairway. Phil Aaron and I used to beat paying green fees, by starting play from his back yard.

The Gleasons lived across the street from the Aaron's Montlake home, in the two story house next to the Isles' house, which was on the corner of Newton and Lynn Street. That corner house still has one of the largest and most beautiful rhododendrons in Seattle. To the east of the Aaron house was a vacant lot on which Mr. Aaron raised vegetables, flowers and several hives of bees. Prior to moving to Broadmoor he sold the lot and a home was built there.

Several Septembers, when Phil Aaron and I were youngsters, his parents took us to the Puyallup fair, and paid our way to most of the carnival rides, though the parents didn't participate. In spite of his obesity, Mr. Aaron spent hours walking through all the exhibits, and we kids were glad when it was time to sit in the bleachers and watch the performing cowboys and Indians. However, Mr. Aaron's appetite was a boon to Phil and I. Each time he bought something to eat, we were allowed to do the same, eating all the hamburgers, scones and cotton candy that we wanted, topping it all off with ice cream cones and soda pop.

Phil's Aaron's Dad had a hobby of raising bees for their honey, and as a kid it was interesting to watch him (from a distance) using a smoke blower for protection, remove the honey from the wooden hives. I don't recall ever being invited to partake of Mr. Aaron's honey. The Aarons moved to a Fairway home in Broadmoor and to me that was quite a house. Lots of bedrooms and bathrooms, triple garage. First time I ever played golf was from Phil's backyard, off the fourth tee. I wasn't a good golfer then, and am not today. During the World War II era, I lost track of Phil Aaron and his family. I did hear that he married, moved to Bellevue and raised exotic cats.

When Broadmoor opened up for golf they were looking for caddies, and I along with many of the other kids, got jobs on opening day. I wasn't much good at it as I had extreme difficulty following the course of the ball, and about all I was good for was packing the golf bag around. As a consequence I wasn't picked as a caddy in the afternoon session... So much for my career as a golf professional. The neighborhood rumor was that Mr. Aaron had won the Fobes Electric Supply Company from Mr. Gleason in a poker game. However as kids we didn't pay much attention to the problems of adults. I do recall that the Gleason family seemed to have a tough time making ends meet, and their lifestyle was in direct contrast to that of the Aarons across the street.