My grandma’s basement was the go-to place to play when my brother and I would visit as kids. But the three-bedroom house contained other spots and items that never failed to lose their charm, such as

An illustrated children’s book from the 1950s featuring the story of “Little Black Sambo” (At the time, I didn’t recognize the story as being racist. I only knew that the tiger butter puddling around the tree trunk looked and sounded delicious.)
A round plastic tub of stubby crayons of various sizes
The stack of Star magazines on the living room side table, which taught Little Stef just how much Burt Reynolds and Loni Anderson hated each other
The collection of high school yearbooks from the 1970s
The bodice-rippers on the shelf in the sewing room (I’d page through those romance novels, seeking out all the sex scenes. One was so rife with euphemisms I couldn’t understand what was going on, but it seemed traumatizing: There was a lot of teeth-gritting and crying and talk of “seed,” and no one seemed happy. Fortunately, a hard copy of Jackie Collins’s American Star helped smooth things over. Thanks for the inadvertent education, Grandma!)
A stockpile of Wrigley’s spearmint gum in the kitchen
My aunt’s bedroom (When my aunt lived with my grandma, I loved to go into her room and “clean” it. I’d tidy up papers and other knick-knacks and arrange them to my liking. I loved all her grown-up “woman stuff,” like makeup and stationary. I’m sure it was totally irritating, but it was the most innocent violations of privacy ever.)

The Vintage Barbies

My grandma had also saved some toys her kids used to play with. They included the hard, rubber Johnny and Jane West dolls up in the attic. (Jane West had an oddly satisfying hand shape—for all that gun-wielding, no doubt!)

Also in storage were my aunt’s three Barbies from the 1960s (and their dune buggy and hair salon). They varied in hair color and how many limbs they had. I loved them, and they were the source of many photo shoots, as you can see:

My best friend never liked the blonde one; she said she looked too whiny.

The Dawn Dolls

But most memorable would have to be my aunt’s Dawn Dolls, which my best friend described as “really little Barbies.” (“Oh,” replied a fellow friend, aged twenty-something at the time. “Can I play?”) These fashion dolls were the perfect size to roam my aunt’s built-from-scratch dollhouse, and my best friend and I ensured they had lots of sex there. When my aunt learned this in 2011, she had this to say about it:

AUNTIE: Hey hey hey now……….I thought all those Barbies and Dawn dolls were virgins!!!!! And using my DREAM HOUSE as your den of sin?????????WELL I NEVER!!!!!! LOL Now the truth comes out – I see how it is. Next you are going to be telling me that Jane and Johnnie West were not only husband and wife – but brother and sister……I’m in total shock! May have to lay down and rest……feeling faint……

BEST FRIEND: It’s okay, you can play dawn dolls with us too!

ME: I’m sure those Dawn dolls saw plenty of action before we came along!

AUNTIE: Actually it was Barbie who was the swinger!!!!! ok ladies………this conversation has gone too far!

ME: I’m learning so much about my sweet auntie and her loose Barbies!

AUNTIE: Stop it – this conversation is OVER!!!!! But really think about it -I had only one Ken doll and 5 or six Barbies………really- WHO was the one who was making the rounds there????????

Now it’s 2019, and I miss playing dolls with my fraaaaaands. The Dawn Dolls have also moved on with their doll lives, but not before a photoshoot—of course—took place!