A  treasure of Waukesha County is the backyard of my grandparents’ house in New Berlin. It’s a simple house with lots of land where us twenty grandchildren once played, raced, and made fun memories. From football in the winter to picking raspberries in the summertime, my grandparents’ backyard was the playground of my childhood.

At Christmas, almost all of the grandchildren bundled up in layers of sweatshirts, jackets, and mittens to play football with my uncle after presents had been opened. He was the most loving, fun, and energetic person. For hours, there was screaming, laughing, and tackling into feet of snow to then go inside soaking wet--our parents handing us a cup of hot cocoa.

Summer rolled around, and it was no surprise when we all showed up at grandma and grandpa’s house to help tend the garden--at least that’s what we claimed to do. Really, we walked back to the raspberry bushes and popped every raspberry into our mouths until there were no more left on the bushes. Grandpa would come out and join us by picking the cucumbers and tomatoes. Grandma always chuckled looking out to the garden from the kitchen while making homemade pizzas for everyone.

My grandparent’s backyard holds amazing memories. Family members have since passed, but the memories they contributed to will not. My childhood would not have been the same without this simple house with lots of land where us twenty grandchildren once played, raced, and made fun memories in Waukesha County.