 It was Summertime and the best of times were spent with him. We lived in Brooklyn, New York. I was 7 years old and the only little girl at home out of a family of 9 Sisters & Brothers. I was "Daddy's Little Girl"... I especially loved the summer because there was no school and my friends and I had lots of time to play. Mostly, I loved the week-ends when my Daddy was off from work. He would take me to an Amusement Park in Brooklyn called "Coney Island"... We had no car and like most people we rode on the trains. I remember the wicker seats that would sometimes pinch, the overhead fans, There was no A/C and so in life I have learned "You cannot miss what you do not have" As the train neared Coney Island you could smell and taste the salty Atlantic Ocean lingering in the air and the fun and excitement has begun. It was and still is an awesome place with miles of beach. There is a Boardwalk with so many wonders of food and play, including side-shows and fortune tellers, all so amazing, especially through the eyes of a child. I remember the incredible Cyclone Ride, with all it's many twists and turns... The Giant Virginia Wheel and the excitement I felt, especially when it would pause so high up in the air...and the wondrous Parachute Ride that offered a Panoramic View of Coney Island and seemed to go right through the sky. Of all the wonders I recall my fondest memory is and always will be the "Carousel" with it's brightly painted horses, bobbing up and down, almost to the beat of its lilting music and lights....Around and Around it would go and at some point there was a Brass Ring and my Dad would say..."Annie, Catch The Brass Ring" I, of course, was too afraid to let go of the reins and only wanted to keep my eye out for my Daddy, since the Carousel moved so quickly.  We would eat hot dogs at Nathan's,which is famous for them and oh... those french fries,then onto to a big custard, melting faster than I could eat it in the hot sun. Over the years, Coney Island has been referred to as a poor man's paradise. The seashore was strewn with all kinds of wonderful seashells. I would catch a sand crab, or build a sand castle and feel sad when the tide would wash it away. We would sit on the beach and when it got too hot, there was the vast ocean with its magnificent waves that could knock you down. I sometimes would sit on my Dad's shoulders and thought I was on top of the world...  I will always treasure those happy and simple times I spent with my Father.Until this day whenever I see a Carousel,I can still hear him say ..."Annie, Catch The Brass Ring" .....He was "My Hero
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