AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums Talk Belize Chat Area Not 4 u youngun's !!!!

Zeke,

To borrow a phrase from Bob Hope, "thanks for the memories!" Being one of many fifty-somethings, I remember nearly all of those things. I was raised in a what I considered to be a normal middle class family. We didn't have a lot, but our basic needs were met.

A special event was to find a pop bottle by the side of the road and be able to return it at the store for two cents, and buy some bubble gum or candy.

Our vacations were much different than those that my family now enjoy. With three kids in the family, there was never an airliner in our vacation plans, nor were there trips to foreign countries. We lived 1,500 miles from our "home town", so our vacations normally included a cross country drive, much of it on the old Route 66, from California to Missouri. At that time, they were just beginning to build the Interstate system, and most of the highway was either two lane roads or under construction! My Dad had only two weeks of vacation per year, so these vacations would include one week of visiting with family: grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins that you rarely saw. And a second week of driving, getting to and from the destination, because it took at least three days to drive - one way. We often took a different route that included new destinations like Colorado or Utah. One of my memories from those trips is the time that we stopped for gasoline somewhere in Northern Arizona, New Mexico or Colorado and we walked across the road to look at a small stream. There, in the stream, were five or six huge rainbow trouts, must have been 18 - 20 inches long, swimming in the water just below where we stood. And we did not have a fishing pole (nor did we have a fising licence, but I didn't think about that at the time). :->

Speaking of uncles...what about the original spy shows... "The Man from Uncle" and "I Spy" with Robert Culp and Bill Cosby?

Now back to my original thought, when I look at how and where we travel today, and really give no thought to how extraordinary these vacations are, it is amazing. We would not hesitate, and have been to destinations in Europe and the Middle East(many times), Egypt, Mexico, the Carribean, Japan, Korea, etc. These are all exotic destinations. But in the Fifties, going to places like the Grand Canyon, Tucumcari and Albequerque, NM was also a thrilling trip into the unknown. Another of my memories of these trips was one day, while driving toward Winslow Arizona, my dad kept seeing the signs advertising "For Men Only". This intrigued him, and later he stopped for gasoline in Winslow - right next to the location of "For Men Only". Well, after filling up with gas, he disappeared for about ten minutes. He had gone to check it out. It turns out that "For Men Only" was a men's shop selling country and western clothing. I can just imagine what he thought it might be! And what about all of those Burma Shave signs strung-out across the highway with a little poem or jingle and the "Try Burma Shave" message on the last sign. That was when the word "strung-out" had an entirely different meaning.

Well, Zeke, thanks for the opportunity to look back and re-examine the "good old days".

Patrick

[This message has been edited by patrick-e (edited 04-20-2002).]

I remember when all the neighborhood kids would gather together to play hide n seek or cops and robbers. To this day when I see a street light come on I remember that was the time we had to go home.

When I was young, everyone had a front porch. Everyone sat out on the porch in the evenings and watched the world go by. Sipped on lemonade and cooled off after a hot summer day. Only the priveledged had air conditioning...... Neighbors dropped by, kids played games on the steps. Everyone waved and visited. We knew all of our neighbors. We had dinner parties at eachothers houses once a month. Covered dish..... Backyard BBQ's and the whole neighborhood showed up. Everyone watched eachother's kids. Babysitters weren't necessary, and there was no such thing as a play date.... We played together EVERY day. The doors were rarely locked, and if your kid disappeared for a few hours, there was no need to panic. We all walked to school. (and stole apples out the neighbors tree on the way home) I even remember the doctor coming to the house for house calls!!!! Instead of inline skates and skateboards, we had sleds and roller skates with keys. Girls played with paper dolls and cut out and made their own clothes....
Grandma made most of my clothes, and I was thankful for them. I stood on a stool in her kitchen and stirred the strawberries for homemade jam, and bathed in her enormous kitchen sink. Even got to turn the rollers on the washing machine to wring out the clothes......And ate ripe pears from her backyard until I was sick...I also learned to dance standing on the tips of Daddy's shoes. Yes, those were the best of times.....
Debbie

When my dad came home from WWII he was angry that he could not get his old job back and moved us (wife and 6 kids 9 and under) to Northern California.
They were building Shasta dam at the time and there was no place to live. He finally found a one room miners cabin six miles up Whiskey Creek Road, with dirt floor, kerosene lamps and we carried water from the creek.
I was talking to a fellow diver today; telling him about my moving to Belize. Told him about my lot on Long Caye where there will be no cars, sewers or septic tanks (composting toilets only), I will catch water from the roof and store it in a cistern and, if I want electricity, it will be from solar or wind power.
I had tears in my eyes as I laughed at myself.
Irony: Whiskey Creek is under water. They built a dam, created a big, big lake and it is now a very upscale resort area.
The difference between now and the good old days is I do what I do now because I want to, not because I have to.

Harriette