At 11 and 9 years old nothing had a schedule accept dinner, bed, and school time! It seemed like the train schedule happened every time you took the bridge!
I remember junkyards full of old stuff that we'd give our eye teeth for now. I knew the inventory of the local junkyards as well as their owners did, sometimes better. Paying $5 in 1970 for a NOS left front fender for the '38 Ford pickup. Remember when our whole phone number in Rockmart GA was 2019, no area code or prefix, and in Cedartown, up until 1961, they had one, two, and three digit phone numbers and an operator who came on the line and said "Number, please." Just like Mayberry.
I'm not as old as some, but I remember . . . . Staring out the roof windows of my Mom's Vista Cruiser wagon. (every family had a wagon!) Being pissed that my Dad insisted I only put Amoco "white" gas in the hand me down Austin Healey I drove in high school - I mean, that stuff is expensive . . . it's almost 90 cents!! Learning to drive in a Three on the Tree. Saturday night bonfire parties out west of town. (Ft. Lauderdale) - fires courtesy of excess pallets "borrowed" from behind the local Lindsley Lumber store. Always having a friend who worked at Kentucky Fried Chicken (Pre-KFC!) who would save all the unsold chicken so there was food at the bonfire. Hit the drive-thru, order a three piece dinner, leave with 200 pieces of chicken, fries, and a small coke. Parking on the beach with your girl - when the beach parking was front tires pulled into the sand on A1A, and there were a lot of dark spots along the beach before it was all developed. Driving down the beach sand in a buddy's Jeep so you could drive up and shine your brights into the windshield of unsuspecting guys parked on the beach. (see above) Bribing my sister to let me borrow her very sedate Impala for first dates to meet the girls parents - Fathers of young girls DID NOT like my custom van. Murals on the outside, comfortable bed and lava lamps on the inside. Not father friendly! For that matter, who remember Lava Lamps, psychodelic wallpaper, and a black light.
I guess this is sort of fitting for this thread. We are all talking about the simple times - when windows had a crank, doors opened with a key, and three pedals were likely to be found under the dash. Today I was reading one of the popular new car magazines, and a writer was musing about having bought a commuter car about six months ago knowing that the manufacturer was about to bring out a new version of that popular model. Now after driving the new car he wasn't sorry that he had the previous model. The new car had a little crisper styling, a few more horsepower, a little more torque, and some significant suspension improvements. But no, losing out on those didn't bother him. The one item that made him wish he had the new one? The fact that the bluetooth interface on his car required that when listening to music from the phone, if he wanted to skip to the next song he had to actually PICK UP the phone and press skip. On the new car it could be done from a steering wheel button. I put down the magazine with the immediate realization that at 50, I am now old. But I guess I sort of knew that - when print and television ad's for new cars stopped telling me about performance and handling, and started focusing on the personal electronic interface.
Having many brothers school teachers were allowed to spank us at any time. Having green apple fights with the Kentucky hill billys across the street. Taking long car trips across the country where dad smoked non stop and drank beer like water and seat belts were not worn and fear of a DUI didn't exist. Have to get up to change the channel to the other three channels on the black and white TV. You had to go home when street lights came on. Dragging wood hydroplanes behind or bikes and playing cards in the spokes. Baseball cards smelled like that hard as rock flat pink gum. Phone numbers started with letters not numbers. Milk at the end of the month was often made from powder and water. Gas was the standard thing dad used to deal with ant and bees nests. Maryann was hotter than Ginger. Jeans and t-shirts were not allowed at school. Dang I suddenly feel old.
Back in the sixties my cousin belonged to the high school gun club. I remember seeing him waiting for the bus in the morning with his 22 rifle in hand. Up here in Canada we can only buy booze at the LCBO(liquor control board of Ontario) and back in the sixties they were worried about our abuse of alcohol so all the booze was hidden in a back room . You had to fill out some special form with your request, cash and an age of majority card and then slide it thru a slot to a person behind a window. If your purchase was approved they came out with your bottle in a brown paper bag . Also remember crossing the border at Niagara Falls to check out Fregos speed shop in NF New York. We would drive over with a set of junk wheels & tires on our cars and buy a set of N-50's & Cragars ,install them and leave the old ones at the curb. The exchange on the the dollar was so good at the time we could buy them for half the price we paid back home. Chopped my first car when I was twelve -a 32 sedan by Revell. Loved the smell of that glue - amazed I never got hooked on it! I knew I was going to chop a real one some day. Made it happen over forty years later.
Cool. Can you imagine that now? BTW, love this first post from a HAMBer who joined 3-1/2 years ago. I lurked for quite a while also, it's never too late to jump in!
My dad brought a Japanese issue military rifle complete with bayonet home from WWII. In the 5th grade (1961), while we were studying WWII, I took it, with bayonet, to school for show-and-tell. I had the teachers permission to bring it as long as I didn't bring bullets. The principal came down to the class...to see the rifle.
I remember when Mr. Fleming, my sixth grade science teacher, would break out his old hand crank telephone generator and have us all hold hands to see who could tolerate the juice the longest. Good Lord, do that today and the ACLU and Amnesty International would be on your ass like a duck on a junebug. It wasnt't torture, it was a learning experience. I grew up in a rural school district and most of us with pickups had a gun rack on the back cab wall, often with a shotgun in in it. Our principal was a hunter and gun enthusiast and often re-blued guns for us as part of our science class. One thing he always preached, was gun safety. We never had school shootings back then, just fistfights. Just having a bullet in your car these days is automatic suspension. I guess that I did see some good old days after all.
I remember when sunday was a day of rest, companies took care of there employees,women didnt act like miley cirus,and musicians actually had to have talent!
In a few years today's youth will call bullshit on this. My 14 year old nephew can not read cursive script. I asked him how will he know what's in grandpas love letters to grandma or what the US constitution really says about his rights and how will you know if "they" are correct when "they" tell you what your rights are.
Walking a mile to the public swimming pool, checking your clothes into a basket and clipping the key to your shorts. Going to the snack bar outside after swimming to fill up on candy. I live in Oregon, so driving up to the mountains to cut a Christmas tree. Cutting fire wood with dad every year and having to split and stack it when we got home. Standing in front of the fire place, later a stove until the back of your pant legs would almost burn you. Watching a small TV that the repair shop would loan you while yours was being fixed. Mom telling me to be home in time for dinner when leaving the house in the morning during summer vacation. The whole valley covered in a black cloud from the diesel smudge pots in the spring as orchards were everywhere.
In high school auto class we were knocking rust out of the rear quarters with a pick hammer and about 40 rounds of 30 ought 6 rounds fell to the floor!
Hehe . . . in high school, we would crank up the Van de Graaff generator while one guy laid his hand on the globe, with a chain of enough people so that the last guy on the chain would be standing just outside the room in the hall. As some poor sucker walked by, he would zap him with his index finger, usually on the cheek. Stupid fun (that was h.s.)
Some early Chicago tv Uncle Johnny Coons Garfield Goose Two Ton Baker Elmer the elephant Stock car races at Santa Fe Speedway, dirt track Amos and Andy Other stuff: Popsicle sticks laying around Slipper sox Blackjack gum The smell of city buses leaving the traffic signal Streetcars My little league coaches taking us to "away games" in their cars and afterwards going to a little tavern for pop and they would have a few beers..........unreal now My step dad painting my moms 52 Buick in the driveway with a Kirby vacuum cleaner,I still have it and it works on the carpet in my garage Cuban heels with horseshoe cleats Three Flowers pomade, true greaser hair product Everyone having the Clay Smith Cams decal on their car in the early 60's Rope towing my car for 90 blocks down Harlem Ave........try that now! Using floor wax on my new 70 Chevelles tires to make them shine,had to keep those Mickey Thompsons looking good next to my new Cragers, that's what we called"tits" What a great thread, I hope it keeps on keepin' on. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
In my book.... Sunday is still the day of rest. Some companies take care of their workers, but few and far between. And Miley, who the hell called her a woman? They should be slapped. Far as musicians go, when I turn on a radio playing the top 40.... All I can think of is a joke by truck stop comedian Gene Tracy about a piccolo player.
We still do this, more or less. Outdoor public pool about a mile from my house, free all summer. But ours is more old school than this, just cinder block "cubby holes" to put your clothes in. I LOVE taking my daughter there, because its JUST like the outdoor public pool I used as a child in the mid sixties. About the only thing I can share with her that IS still the same as when I was a kid...
Guessing what car (at night) was in the oncoming lane based on its headlight placement or configuration etc.!
The extremely painful period between 14 and 16 years old, wanting my first car but having to settle with building model cars. My mother did let me get my 61 Impala just after I passed my learners permit, and my best friend who was 6 months older got to drive it (legally) before I could.
can't believe this thread is still going...still get a kick out of reading it when it pops back to the top
Thanks for the thread three dubya, kinda takes you back to the simpler times huh. Forgot my minibike powered by a Mac 10 racekart engine, my friends had B&S and Clinton powered bikes, but were no match for the Mac.
grew up on a farm in the 50's - 60's outdoor "facilities" until 1960 Helped cousins bring in some recalcitrant calves by riding on the fenders of a 57 Fairlane 500 and wrestling them to the ground. Recall my Grandpa saying in the early 60.'s.."I sure would like to live another lifetime, for all the shit I've seen in this one." He was born in 1880 and passed on in 62. Sure miss him. He gave me his old Horner button accordion; the one he'd play at the dances. Still got it. Re current "musicians" & "movie stars"......it must be an age thing, because I have no idea who the heck these people are. (My parents may have said the same thing when they reached the ripe old age of 60 or so.) Y & S licorice...kinda had a "Y" shape to it....not like Twisters at all! Sen-Sen breath freshener that would knock your socks off. Yes, Sundays were a day of rest. Before cars, I'd get to buy a model kit and spent most of the afternoon building it. IIRC, those kits were about $1.25... never over $2 Which pretty much took all of my "allowance" Sunday was "Dad's day" We always had chili.....winter, summer, didn't matter. And Cherry-Nut ice cream.....grew to dislike that immensely Mom always did the crossword puzzle. It was a mystery to me; but now, I do them every day + 2 on Sunday. Lots of "westerns" back then. Gunsmoke & Paladin of course. Wanted Dead or Alive, The Rifleman, Maverick. Party lines. our number was 12F212, but it was a rotary dial IIRC, Grpa's number was 12F14; they still had the crank phone. When the phone company put in a new system back then, they couldn't even get 50 cents for one of those wooden wall phones....a lot of them got taken to the "dump"....not the landfill. Oh yeah.... MAD magazine... Don Martin Steps Out lolol Spy vs Spy
The Jalopy Journal
