Hot Rods Quotes to live by...

"There is a Universal Solvent That Dissolves All Riddles....It is Called The TRUTH!"
'McCauley

God Bless
Bill
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...ar-transport-hauling-open-or-enclosed.614419/


"Losers make promises they often break. Winners make commitments they always keep." – Denis Waitley

 

"I don't know what you payed for that but you got a deal" Nathen Sabel

 

"You want your car low or you don't" Nathen Sabel discussing a spring he was reversing as a teen in a fork in a tree that hit him in the head & knocked him out

 

There are some arguments that by just being in them you have already lost.

 

“When the power of love overcomes the love of power, Then we will have world peace…..” Jimi Hendrix


Hello,
When we were in the late 60s doing our thing all up and down the California coast, taking photos, vacationing in unusual locations, exploring new areas and enjoying concerts, rock music was at its tops in popularity. Jimi Hendrix was on the top of the heap.
John Van Hamersveld was a well known So Cal artist in the mid to late 60s. This was the rock concert of the year and a first for the Westcoast and So Cal. It was a story in itself.
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...tomotive-related.1212188/page-4#post-13915415

There were tons of stories and articles in a lot of magazines and newspapers to give everyone a good look into the world of rock music and at the time, “Psychedelic” influences. A lot of people tried to understand the commotion that was behind such great songs and lyrics.

Jnaki

But, who knew that a statement such as the above:

“When the power of love overcomes the love of power, Then we will have world peace…..”

How that this statement would come out of the "... hazy..." time period between 1966 through 1974. Such insights from a “rock musician” is impressive…

 

“There is a choice you have to make, in everything you do. You must always keep in mind, the choice you make, makes you.”


Hello,

We all fell in line during our elementary school days. The goal for everyone was to “be nice” to others and it will return to us as a way to get along during school days. Some kids got it right away and others, well there were longer periods that it took to get them to calm down and “Be Nice.”

Some of those ideals kids learned was that their parents kept telling them to be their own selves. How does a small, young kid know what they are capable of doing, let alone “be there own selves…” with an open door on how to act.

Jnaki

We gradually became to know our faults, good things we did and how to act in front of mixed company. The nice courtesy shown came back in plenty of accolades and word got out. so, when we got older, some of us already had family ties to those we “played nice” with in our younger days. The reputation followed us into the teenage years, despite the 1940 Ford Sedan Delivery sitting on the driveway prior to going on a date for dinner, movie or surf show. Parents just did not like the image of the sedan delivery and what it entailed. What???

But, as our mom told us when we were little kids, “Be Nice” stuck with me. One day as college juniors when my wife and I were getting together in classes and socially, she asked me what was the most important thing for all of us as 20 somethings during the crisis going on in the USA from the hectic 1966 to 1968 era of turmoil.

I just happened to say, “Be Nice” to each other and it has stuck for the last 60 years. Even our granddaughter’s friends tell her that her grandfather is nice… Ha! (or comes across as a nice guy) What an impression given to this new generation of teenagers, soon to be off to their own 20 something days… Now, we are worried…

“… keep in mind, the choice you make, makes you.”

 

“The days are precious, and I would rather spend them goofing around with my wife than going to a large gathering of crazy folks.”



Hello,

From the time I saw this long haired college age girl walking down the hallway to a classroom, I was in love. Ha! Isn’t that something? When have the seasons, the waves, the weather and times of the year all aligned to make things happen? It had been almost 5 years since our hot rod days since before high school. Times in our society across the USA were in a turmoil and we were all going to be affected one way or another.

The college age kids, although 20 somethings, were young kids, we certainly felt like it during those times. Responsibilities for some to work full time, college full time or military service loomed in one way for a lot of people. Job, college or military? Well, college was supposed to prepare us for the future, but, we all know we make our own future.

So, standing around the entrance door to the classroom with some of my friends, doing the normal bantering about everything, is broken up with this tall girl in a pair of tortoise shell sunglasses, bright auburn hair flowing down past her shoulders, a puffy white jacket and tall leather boots coming down the long hall. That vision is permanently burned into my mind and can easily be brought up in any moment or wandering thoughts while relaxing. It was and still is that strong of a memory.

Jnaki

Remember, this was 1966 and the dress code for most was getting a little more stylish than poodle skirts and Mary Janes. The colors, the style, skirts that were on the rise… and of course, the beginnings of the mid calf boots… what a vision… YRMV This was the start and has lasted a very long time together.

 

"The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it."

Hello,

Ever since I left high school and all of the preliminary shenanigans, it was getting time to refine what I learned and now, the future was calling in various ways. Several friends were already married and the run-around group was getting thinner each year. But, the highlight was that it allowed me to become a little more creative, trying out various ways to look at important things. I had traveled all over So Cal, into the northern California travel/college scene and now it was time for a new direction. Something was not right, so for the last two years of college, I returned home to Long Beach.

Now, I was in a familiar place and it just seem to fit again. Well, it was home since 1946 and we had learned a lot about the ins and outs of our local So Cal community. It was nice to come home. A surprise was in talking to several old friends. They were married and doing what they had planned on since high school. Business and family that went together, some with old friends as wives and some with new acquaintances. I was one of a few that were still single, unless we count the others that were gone away to college in some other states.

The new college scene was right in the middle of the beginning turmoil in the whole of the USA at the time. The scene was changing from a fun time of the “Summer Of Love” into the hectic social injustices all over the USA. But, meeting my new girlfriend, (then in two years becoming my wife) was a game changer. It was tempting when I met a lot of new students and made the reconnections with old friends, too. But it was tempting to stay with what was familiar at the time. Secure in local knowledge and friends was satisfying.

Jnaki

Something was calling out for a new change in the lifestyle that I had created, growing up in Long Beach. With the new horizons at the local college and feeling adventurous, I stepped out of my comfort zone and took a chance on what I thought was going to be a forever life.

When I saw a college girl come walking down the hallway to the same class I was enrolled in was a game changer. At the time, she seemed to be far different than the friends I grew up with in the area. But, as tempting as it was, asking her out was not in the cards. The guys that hung out with me in front of the class were old friends. As it goes, they, too noticed the girl walking every other day down the same hall and even sitting in the back row with them.

I was always sitting in the front row with another girl I knew and it was my goal to get my grades up to a B average prior to graduation. All was fine for a semester… but in the back of my mind, I always wondered about the mysterious girl in the back row. those guys in the back row had no clue and were worse off than I was about relationships with someone new. Ha!

So, on the first day of the new semester, I saw her walking towards me and I stopped to say hello. I yielded to temptation and I was correct, it was a whole new ballgame. The “being together” connection has lasted this long lifetime to the current family lifestyle and living nicely. It was definitely, worth the wait. YRMV

 

When you rearrange the letters on 'Snooze Alarms' you get, "Alas, no more Z's."



Hello,

All week and for the history of this past Sunday’s time change, I felt tired all week and was taking short naps all day, everyday. My old body was telling me that our hot rod days were great and full of energy. The surfing era was also tiring, but full of good conditioning and exercise. Now a days, the pandemic has thrown our bodies into a tizzy and it takes longer to recover form something as simple as a “Spring Ahead” time change.

Actually, I have not used a alarm since 1968. Early to rise and staying up late was the motto of being 20 somethings. But, if it were not for the awful sounds of an alarm so early in the morning, it was actually pleasant to sleep in on many days. Sleeping in was not in the cards during the surfing era. We had to be at the beach before the sun rose to be the first ones in the water for the best single riding waves, before the crowds started showing up around 7-8 am.

I learned to pop open my eyes at the sight of the alarm clock ready to sound at 3:45 am and turn it off so I would not hear it ringing. Also, to allow my wife to get extra sleep while I tooled to the beach for several hours of surfing and enjoyment. Sometimes, it is nice to get something done prior to 8:00 a.m. So, one can relax all with the energy spent from 5 in the morning to 8 a.m for the rest of the day.


Jnaki

These days, throw in an anxious little dog that has his own hours of activity and we both get up at 3:45 on the dot. (no need for an awful alarm) My wife is still sleeping and since we (dog) are awake, start the silent coffee and morning activities. At least, before the pandemic, we usually got an early start on our long road trips all over the west coast of the USA. Wide awake at 4:00 a.m. gets us moving for the day’s activities. Of course, the short nap periods start at 10 am and continue throughout the day. Ha!

But, in a way, learning to not use the alarm has its benefits for everyday good feeling of rising slowly and enjoying the quiet time around the house. Nothing to shock us awake for daily living. Except for thinking about our granddaughter going away to college in several months… yikes!

 

I used to have a lot of conspiracy theories but then they all came true

 

I'm not sure how I stumbled into this particular thread, but this reminded me of my grandmothers sayings when we kids got too rambunctious in her back yard.
after telling us thru the open kitchen window to slow down and stop disturbing the neighbors she ended up with- " If you fall out of that tree and break your legs, don't come running to me!"
As a kid, I didn't notice how funny she was trying to be.

 

We are all villains in someone else's story.

 

Reminds of something that was yelled at me when I was an apprentice,

"You couldn't drive a greasy stick up a dog's arse"

I'd just reversed over my boss's letterbox, haha.

 

" Do not shift unless you are in front "
" The only Consistency is Inconsistency"
" If you dont buy it today, you will never find it again-- But if you do, 2 more will show up the following week cheaper"

 

“Your reach sometimes exceeded your grasp, but once you got a hold of that steering wheel you drove it like you stole it…”


Hello,

After spending many months behind the wheel of my dad’s Buick sedans in stationary play or actually behind the wheel steering on a public street, it was an amazing experience. While he was controlling the gas and brakes, he was telling me where to steer the big Buick on the street. At first I hit the curb at the end. But over time, I must have learned some perception keys and I no longer hit the curb until I was taken out of the whole “steering the Buick” thing by my mom.
The big, black 49 Buick Roadmaster in the far reaches of the Westside of Long Beach.

That was the start of my amazement and enjoyment of being behind the wheel of anything that moved. We went from bicycles, to sidewalk roller skate/orange crate boxes for our transportation forms. We even decided to use one of our mom’s lawnmower motors and created our own gas powered go kart.

So steering anything that moved was amazing and led up to learning to spend hours dreaming of actually steering a car on our own. When that time came early for us, that led to another new experience of having to coordinate moving forward and taking control of the car.

Jnaki

My first encounters of actually driving a car happened to a Mercury Sedan parked down the street. We had access to the keys and the owner was too busy with her home business to notice a couple of kids driving her Mercury Sedan away from the house. It was one heck of a feeling of ??? Power? Control? Or just having fun remembering my dad showing me how to steer and angle into a wide parking space by moving the large steering wheel.

What ever it was, it led to my own car and the freedom of steering and controlling what the cars does and where it goes. A great feeling that never got old. It did not matter that I was asked to take a couple of girls home from school and they lived 8 miles in a different direction away from my own house. I loved driving and nothing was going to sway me away from that driving experience.
58 Impala similar look custom by @themoose

My wife always liked it that from the beginning of our relationship in college to our wedding and now 50+ years later, I have always been in control while driving anywhere at any time in any weather. We have experienced life as we saw and experienced it on our long coastal road trips in the 1965 El Camino during our 20 something days, to the more modern AWD station wagons of the post pandemic days. I learned to do the right thing in driving all of our cars, from hot rods to race cars to big family sedans to sporty cars/sedans, and even a funky sedan delivery with surfboards.

Today, it is still a fun thing to hear the motor blast away at the start in the garage and adds to the thrill of accelerating down the street in control, to our destination for the day. It will be a sad day to end that feeling, but for now, that is a long way away… YRMV

 

“Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.”



Hello,

In school, I was an excellent student in elementary school after the 3rd grade. I knew the answers and how to get the best grades. My skills were there and I now wanted to be in the top tier of the students in the school. Why? Well, I was regarded as the best in sports and I wanted to erase the awful 3rd grade reputation I earned.

My 3rd grade teacher was strict and I did not like that. She stifled creativity and we all had to do by the book, her book. That was not right. We had our own ways to do things and it was our education. But, we were given assignments in all aspects of writing, art and even in PE. We had to follow her lead. Yes, she was the teacher, but did not have the student’s individual talents in her mind. She wanted “30 of her” by the end of the school year.

Needless to say, my 3rd grade activities were an act of challenging what I thought was right and I wanted to do things that made it fun to be in school. But, in the teacher’s eyes, I was a terrible kid and was out to get her rules and methods smashed. Other students were like sheep and wanted a grade for everything that was assigned. The last straw was to curtail my outside sports activity to tone down my skills to her idea of sports. She had no inclination of being an athlete and her skills showed it every time she interrupted our games with “her” rules and ways to make things go her way.

No, I was not a bad kid, but wanted all activities to be fun and exciting. The outside games were challenging, but exciting when our team got together to do our best for a win. But, the teacher’s way was to end in a tie, so no one would go back to class on a losing team. Yet, the playground after school activities had teams in a small league with won-loss records and everyone played their hardest to do well, in all season’s sports activities.

Jnaki

By the time the school year was over, my report card looked like the N for “Needs To Improve” was stamped on every single category of the report card. (and that the teacher had the stamp made just for me) (very few if any of the other kids got an N…)

So, over the summer, I was doing what I thought was possible and in the next school class, 4th grade, the teacher was so creative and supporting that I became the top student in all levels of school work. My report card was all “E” grades, for “Excellent” I was given the opportunity to accel at any school activity, including sports. That was impossible, but it carried over to the 5th grade and 6th grade classes. Woohoo!

NOTE: Later on in the early teenage years, I was learning to surf to be at least equal to my brother's skills. He had a head start on the learning curve, and was a pretty good surfer.

For me, the beginning was a mouthful of salt water every wave and balance was not the best. But, I kept at it and started getting my skills up. Determination was the key and it was necessary to be able to surf, so I could go to all of the cool beach surf spots with everyone.

Then, one day several years down the line, my brother came up to me and told me that my skills were better than his and he was impressed. Wow! That was one brotherly love aspect I did not foresee. Doing the impossible...

 

"A person can be in one place and span many. It is possible because the present is shaped by the past."



Hello,

In looking back, my brother and I were typical teenagers with a penchant for anything that moved. Anything that could also be taken apart, from custom Schwinn bicycles, our mom’s lawnmower, doodlebugs and also homemade wooden go karts come to mind.
@themoose custom... thanks
But, as it got to actual hot rod parts, builds modifying and enjoying the freedom of just driving, we seemed to be moving fast at the time. No one thought about it and we all thought it was just a part of being a teenager. Sports, traveling, the beach, cool cars, girls and mountain adventures all took place in our timeline.

We had a roadblock that led us away from hot rodding for quite some time. There was no more drag racing or attending an event after 1962, except for one filming of a one of a kind first time all Gas Coupe/Sedan Event anywhere. But, after that died down, it was college life, togetherness with my girlfriend, then becoming my wife and cohort in all things fun… So, at the time, society played a part in guiding us farther away from our so called So Cal “roots.”

College does something to all folks to a certain degree. It is not for all to have it locked into the curriculum from elementary school, usually used in somewhat of a threat as… “you need to shape up so you can go to a good college…” or, “it will damage your permanent record for college acceptance.” Ha! Those permanent records from 9th grade to 12th grades were the tool to allow anyone to move on in life.

But, as history goes, hot rods/drag racing did fade away for a while. Something, usually brought it back, sometimes it is a simple thing like seeing a cool station wagon or hearing a power shift as smooth as silk, from an open window to the nearby darkened highway.

Jnaki

What ever it was, I am grateful for the opportunity to remember clearly, what we did as teenagers and 20 somethings. Around age 30+, it seemed to get more serious and life took its own course as to how and in what direction our lives were supposed to go for survival. But, through thick and thin, my wife and I have always been on the same track and melded our thoughts as in “us against the world” scenario.

After high school and college, most of us went on our separate ways as it should be. We went a little farther away and moved to another county with a different lifestyle than 90 percent of those that we grew up with, as teenagers. It was far enough away from friends and both families to be independent 20 somethings getting a new direction in life. Together... new friends, new adventures, new living arrangements, a true life on our own.

What we do now and our thoughts do go back to what we learned along the way. We had our own lives and did as well as possible to get along in society. We solved our own problems and worked in/around each item that was causing difficulties for us as we continued to grow into responsible adults.

 

“You can't change the past, but you can change what happens next...”


Hello,

Our past is locked in place. But, the memories taken from those times and places helps us understand what we went through in our “growing up” days. Our family did not make big cross country moves, but we did go on many family road trips as little kids. As our dad was a wanderer from his teenage years in So Cal and wanted to see other parts of his home state California.

On the other hand, my wife’s family were also travelers of a different kind. The tight job market in one area OKC-Norman back in their family history called for moving out West to get a better paying job for their dad. So, there were plenty of cross country road trips. When the contracted job was finished, then the long road trip back to family in the OKC-Norman area. (three 6th grade classes in three cities OKC, Santa Ana, Ca back to OKC, and Buena Park)

These days, there are plenty of ways to look ahead for job placements and openings. But, as slow as the phone service was back then, each family did what was necessary to work with what was available and that in itself, changes the future. The ability to adapt to changes must have worked well... here we are in so cal for the all this time and still enjoying the low keyed lifestyle... YES!

Jnaki

Applying that scenario to hot rods and drag racing gave us a good start in what we liked to do growing up into the teenage years. Centered on our own lives allowed our future to creep in to see if it could work. It did start and we were surprised that we could actually make a living working on hot rods, drag racing builds and having a side business. but, as history shows, it gave us the basic mechanical prowess, but the future was up to us.

For us the Willys Coupe experience paid off in more ways than one. It allowed us to get involved and stay involved in something that could have been our future together or branching off in different ways. But, one door closes and another opens up to tempt anyone to see if it fits the new thinking.

Then like all things, it was probably meant to be to meet my wife in college and now, two heads got together to think about what we wanted in life… a simple way to live, low cost to fit our income and stay close to the ocean for reference. The radical world was creeping toward everyone and we just had to stay strong in our ways of thinking and living. So, it all worked out as we were able to adapt to most everything headed our way as a roadblock. YRMV

 

"you don't keep putting worms in the fish's mouth after you reel it in do you" a friend talking about how his ex-wife changed after they were married.

 

Jnaki, we have some common things! I too , made the trip from California to Oklahoma and back many times, in the fifties and sixties on Route 66! Those trips are etched into my mind forever! It was always an adventure!
I started school in California, going to kindergarten. We then moved to Oklahoma, in October of 1957. While in the first grade my teacher told me to quit talking to a girl seated next to me several times! The teacher then told me she was going to give me a padding! She did,three licks right at my seat! As she walked back to her desk, I thought at 6 years of age……if that is all you got….I own this place!
School was fun for me! Lol





Bones

 

"Tell me something and I will forget. Show me something and I will remember."




Hello,

It has always been being a visual learner vs an auditory learner. No one knew about such things in our early elementary schools and could not see that some kids learn better by being a visual learner, while others excelled in the auditory field. College lecture classes are supposed to be a combination of both on the long winded lecture halls. The teacher droning on and on easily puts one to sleep.

A learned response from the early education days for this kid. But to spice things up, a large screen is added to give the visual folks meaning to what the teacher is saying. Auditory versus visual comes to light in this case and a million other ways, too.

Perhaps, that is why we all liked the shops and crafts classes over the droning of the science teacher going over the chemistry table of elements in his lectures. But, the chemistry lab portion of class was the most fun, experimenting. The same thing with the 12th grade physics classes. It was a shame that it was a class we all had to take, but by then our college plan was in motion, so, the droning of the old teacher was just passed over until an “experiment day” came into the weekly activities.

In college, one would think it was lecture and then tests with more papers to be written between other mid term tests. But, the classes that actually stuck us in called “the Labs” were the most fun. Then one class called an Art Metal Class was twenty minutes of discussion and lecture, while the rest of the two hour class was all hands on work on projects selected by us, the students. That was my kind of class.

Jnaki


After watching and being shown how to use the lathe to make a flat sheet into a curving shape, I wanted to make a set of Moon Discs from several aluminum sheets that I got from the Douglas Aircraft Surplus Yard for super low cost. So, if I made a set, the outlay would not come close to retail at the Moon Equipment prices. From multiple tries, it is harder than it looks to make a square shape in to a round disc, even though the form was a spinning wooden curved molded shaped as a half moon look.

Spun aluminum on a lathe was fun, but the 15 inch sheet became a nice 8 inch modified dish for candy and other jewelry items. I was able to acid etch a design on the shallow bowl and matching lid. So, my large Moon Disc turned into a small spun aluminum bowls with an added pressure on the shaping tool.

I can distinctly remember every project from that art metal class and the next semester’s photographic discovery class. Those were my two favorite classes, other than the one where I met my future wife. We still laugh every time that class and the preview at the beginning of the class held for both of us. Ha!

That class is/was a good example of “show me something and I will remember” in the best wording action. I just remember one thing from that class and I am still looking at her everyday of our current lives. So, something good did come out of a college education.

 

“The nicest thing about the future is that it always starts tomorrow.”



Hello,

I was recently in a conversation with several old friends from high school. Our 60th reunion has come and gone. But those memories of those still around and those that are not, still stay strong in my mind. It may be the last one as the total numbers are falling fast. But, perhaps, I can see them in the future. Some still live in Long Beach, but live near the water. Some live near me and that makes it easier.

Each of our families and extended families has their own world to take into account and that in itself, is primary at this stage of the game…

Some days are better than others. But, we are still accepting that it has been over 60 years since being active teens with a whole world ahead of us. We all went our separate ways and conversations is still a fun thing to absorb.


Jnaki

My wife has a great outlook. We missed those friends from a long time ago, but there is tomorrow and beyond. Tomorrow is a new horizon The sun will rise to cast a bright day for our hopes and future for our granddaughter’s next stage of her teenage years. YRMV

 

“Every generation has its turn…”

Hello,

Having lived a good life up to this point, we both look back and realize that we did well for ourselves. We stayed in the middle, did not stray much out of our intended path. So, something kept us together in this long life. As in the surfing world, I could see the times when after getting a good ride and paddling back out, that it was the next guy’s turn to have fun. I could not catch all of the waves.

As we got older, the skills got to a point that not much was going to stop taking off on the largest wave of the set of waves, usually 3 or 4 in a row, in coming. But, only if I was in the right spot. If I was not, then it was not worth the effort to catch the wave. There have been many times that I was paddling over wave after wave, only to find out that if it was right, it was my turn. And, I made the most of that wave as far as it would allow me to do the moves and have fun hooting to myself…

Jnaki

It was the same thing when my wife and I talk about what we used to do when we were in the stages of getting to know each other in our 20s. It was a hectic world in 1968 and we decided to do what was right for us to start our path.

We looked back to 1967 and our adventure to Palos Verdes Peninsula for a nice lunch and scenery of this fabulous cove.

The 65 El Camino was the only car on this empty street, but the cove was not known, other than to the locals or surfers. And, it was not the time for the cove to break with the current swell.

But, in order to get to the cove, we had to climb… actually slide down some narrow pathways to get to the secluded beach.

It was not for surfing, but to just be together to enjoy what was offered and be happy for the moment. But as things go, there was a moment sliding down the narrow trail, that almost made this long adventure to today, not happen. We started down the path and by the time we got to the first turn, realized that perhaps it was not in our best interest to continue. But, looking at the deserted beach, the blue water, the calm ocean lifting itself over the low tide rocks was a sight to behold.

So, we continued down the narrow trail. All of a sudden we both started sliding and could not stop. I was grabbing bushes and weeds along with holding on to my girlfriend at the time to keep us from falling over the steep cliff on to the rocks below. We were both heading for the edge and several clumps of bushes was all that was around for us to try and reach.

Luckily, I was able to grab a larger clump of a bush and my arm got pulled up, but I hung on for dear life. My wife was scrambling in the dirt path trying to get a deep enough dig to slow down. But kept hanging on to my hand. Finally, it hurt like hell, but I did not let go of the bush and my two arms were pulled apart in each direction. My wife finally got her shoe dug into the dirt and slowed down. This and me pulling on the other arm stopped us just inches from the drop off about 50 feet below to the rocks.

It was easier to continue to go down the trail to the beach than to try and struggle back up the narrow trail. We sat on the sand and hugged like there was no tomorrow. It almost was a “No tomorrow” situation and we were glad to be alive. So, we rested. Who knows how long we were “out”. A couple of 20 somethings stopped by later, to see if we were OK, as we must have looked awful.

The moral of the story was: “It was just not our turn…” WHEW!

 

never trust a man over 40 that doesn't have a gut. words of wisdom I once heard

 

1) Never trust a man with two first names (e.g. Tom Bruce, Jake Blake)
2) My signature VVV - Ex Nemo Non Feces

 

I got a paddling from my 5th grade teacher. She was probably in her late 50s at that time, and a very sweet lady. She took me out of the room for my punishment, which I hardly felt (my parents were PROs at spankings, she was a lightweight!) but when I stood back up and looked her, tears were running down her cheeks because she felt so bad at what I had forced her into. That hurt a hell of a lot more than her paddle. Of all of my school memories, that stands out the most! Nice lady and a great teacher who really took an interest in her students.

 

I , too, loved almost every one of my teachers! I was very fortunate to be in a small school and it was really more like family than school! I got a lot of paddlings all through the 12 years at the same country school! But, I was not a bad kid, just seem to get into trouble naturally! Lol But the way I saw it, I goofed, I got my butt busted, time to move on! The world was round back then!
I have attended the funerals of most of my teachers, with tears in my eyes!




Bones

 

“I find a lot of people are educated beyond their ability “

 

“Nostalgia isn't what it used to be. I have no idols. I admire work, dedication, competence… and to be nice.”

Hello,

Many years ago, we were all asked by our college professor in a Sociology Class, what it would take for all of us to be a great community. Whether she meant publicly as a whole or in small family groups, it was a good question and the goal was for the students to make it into a page worth of writing.

Of course, it was leading into the 1967-68 turmoil years of our whole U.S. history. But, at the time, it was all a part of the “Summer of Love” movement in California. A whirlwind of "happening" events all over So Cal and in the San Francisco Bay Area drove the movement everywhere, including notoriety on TV.


So, the assignment was worth a part of our grade and meant a lot to us at the time. My wife and I were just friendly students and of course, the discussions led to what it would take for all of us to be good friends with solid reputations in the long run. Would we want to be “outsiders” like the bikers or protestors without a clue, so prevalent in our tv screens. We were in the middle of our final years of college and knew the whole world was close by and definitely in our futures.

Jnaki

My first comment was to point out about zero population/world peace. She agreed that was important. Long lasting family relationships were also brought up, despite us being the individualistic 20 somethings in the whole extended family. My last comment was to “just be nice.” To each other, our friends, our neighbors… the list goes on and on. It is hard to be nice to others, when they won’t listen and it hurts others in the long run. It was an interesting look on the faces of the college class when I had to get up to tell the story about being nice. It was laughable, but the whole class enjoyed it...

Later on, my wife always brings up the quote: “Be Nice” as a starting point for both of us together. We are and have been nice to each other since 1966. The concept works well for all of these years over other social ills and difficulties. Who cares about tons of money, it is who you are sharing the experience of life with, then and now, that counts. And, being nice plays a 1000% of the solution for happiness. YRMV

 

“If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop digging.”


Hello,

One day as a little toddler son and I were reading a story book and my son asked what a sign meant.
similar to the photo sign
It was a small bridge with a sign similar to this one. Our son was inquisitive just about everything and in his readings, if he did not know something, he always asked one of us to explain. If my wife did not know, the answer was always… “go ask Dad.” So, over the years, I had an arsenal of ideas and facts all interspersed for a quick answer with a straight face.

It was obvious that no car/truck over 3 tons could go over the small bridge or road ahead.

As inquisitive as our son was, he asked why, which was a simple answer, something heavy would damage the road, bridge or covered drainage pipes.

But, then he asked how do they figure out the number of tons. (when told what a ton was in comparison...)

So, I reverted to a great comic storyline I remember reading.

I said that answer with a straight face, although I was chuckling inside. My son looked at me and wondered how I always knew stuff. “What a dad!”

Jnaki

My wife was in the other room and heard me explaining the weight limit story and yelled out… “What the%$#* just tell him you don’t know and get it over with!!!” Ha! We all started laughing and could not stop for several minutes.

And within a minute or so, I said that I had no clue how they figured out the weight limit of solid ground versus a bridge over water. Something to do with structural analysis and steel beam strength over larger spans… right? So, goes a young dad with a smile on his face… Then later, I found the cartoon and we all laughed again. YRMV

NOTE:

I showed him a photo of our last 327 powered sedan delivery and explained that it was about 4300 pounds, which is above 2 tons. Our son looked at me and said, how funny it was that we both drove that funny looking hot rod. Ha!

Our 327 powered sedan delivery at grandma's house before a little kid arrived...