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Memorial Day and Summers Past

5/28/2016

1 Comment

 
Picture
Memorial Day is upon us, and summer is right behind it. If you go by the calendar, summer doesn't officially arrive until June 21. But as a kid, that holiday signaled the start of summer vacation.

The end of the school year. Final grades and one last report card for parents to sign (or not). Free at last!

​Free to stay up late and sleep in. No homework or projects to worry about. Free to conspire and plot with the other kids in the neighborhood on things that parents only knew on a "need to know" basis.

That's was when "school's out for the summer" meant just that: Over after Memorial Day and not on again
until after Labor Day. A full three glorious months to do whatever our little imaginations could dream up.
Like most kids, I'm not sure I ever really appreciated how special that time was, or how fleeting. Why would you? You're a kid. And even though we didn't have cell phones, iPads, video games or 500 channels, you could, believe it or not, still have fun.

​What was special about a Texas summer in the Sixties? A few things leap to mind:

Picture
-- The nightly chorus of the cicadas. As darkness fell, the 17-year cicadas (also known as locusts) would begin singing in trees all over the neighborhood. Loud. Sometimes ear-piercing, depending on how close they were. My brother and I, being somewhat insect nerds (we collected bugs), would set off to find the source of the noise and sometimes capture the culprit if we could pull the tree branches low enough. Little did we know the singing is how male cicadas attract the females, so now I feel bad for interrupting their fun.

-- Fireflies. Speaking of insects, what is more magical than watching the on/off green glow of a firefly on a summer night? Sometimes it seemed our whole backyard was aglow with these tiny, twinkling "lightning bugs." As the years passed, we saw their lights less and less. Maybe they moved on, or we weren't looking as much.

-- Insect Honorable Mention: June Bugs. These little brown flying beetles that swarm to porchlights. Beware their sticky legs if they land on you, or Heaven forbid -- your hair!

Picture
-- Homemade ice cream. Ice cream the old-fashioned way: A wooden bucket, rock salt, a hand crank and muscle power. Why pay a couple of bucks for store-bought ice cream when you could spend double that on ingredients and ointments for your aching arms and back? But on my! I can still taste the homemade vanilla and still feel the pounding "brain freeze" headache it gave you. (Sidenote: According to Wikipedia, "its given scientific name sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia (meaning 'nerve pain of the sphenopalatine ganglion'), is a form of brief pain or headache commonly associated with consumption (particularly quick consumption) of cold beverages or foods such as ice cream and ice pops." I knew it wasn't all in my head.

-- Playing games.
That was what the backyard was for. Football and baseball, no matter the season. Volleyball, badminton and croquet (with equipment Mom supplied courtesy of S&H Green Stamps). The grownups would set up the card table for games of Canasta and Dominoes. Of course, the games we played were not without drama. On one occasion, I hit the baseball over our fence and into the narrow alley that ran behind our house. It was overgrown with honeysuckle, and I had to crawl on my stomach underneath to reach the ball. Of course I never saw the nest of yellowjackets just over my head, but they saw me. I got stung three times.

-- Food.
Summer is the perfect time to fire up the grill, and we wore out several of them. Family and friends would gather at our redwood picnic table (a "must-have" outdoor item at the time) and enjoy burgers and all the fixins'. On the porch was a yellow metal chest where red and yellow-meat watermelons rested in frigid water between chunks of ice. During the hot summer days, Mom always had a big picture of Kool-Aid at the ready (made with one cup of sugar -- it's a private joke). My other favorite drink was NeHi Orange. We would hoard the empty bottles and redeem them for a nickel each -- money enough for new comic books.

-- Books.
As a book lover, summer meant I could read the books I wanted to read, instead of what was assigned. Besides the comic books (little did I know my super heros would be the future heros of the Hollywood box office), my passion was science fiction and fantasy. Favorite authors included Andre Norton (I had no idea at the time Andre was a "she"), Robert Heinlein, Issac Asimov, Philip K. Dick and Arthur C. Clarke. I also became a big fan of Edgar Rice Burroughs, and collected the entire series of paperbacks illustrated by Frank Franzetta. Besides Tarzan, he authored many science fiction titles, including the exploits of John Carter on Mars. Thanks to my spouse, Pamela, I still have those books now.

​Additionally, there were some memorable times involving fireworks and the Fourth of July. But I'll save that for another blog.

1 Comment
Don gulick
5/28/2016 02:00:42 pm

I love this blog entry. Reminds me of so many great times when we all actually interacted with each other. Thanks for sharing. Made me smile.

Reply



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  • Home
    • People
    • Eats >
      • Belle's Bar and Grill
      • Elisabetta's
      • Oliv Pit Athenian Grille
      • Cupcakes >
        • Lady Bug Cupcakes
    • News >
      • 2019 North Palm Beach Fireworks Show
      • 2018 Palm Beach Holiday Boat Parade
      • Brightline >
        • Brightline Dino Train
        • Polar Express 2019
        • Breezin' on Brickell
        • Brightline Day Trips: Frost Science Museum
        • A Trip on Brightline
        • Brightline Select Service
        • Brightline Tasting Train
        • Brightline Train Unveiling
        • Brightline Topping Out
        • The Polar Express Train Ride
        • Richard Branson at Brightline
      • David Drebin
      • Downton Abbey Exhibit
      • The Lubben Brothers
      • History >
        • 25th Anniversary
        • 50th Anniversary
      • North Palm Beach Country Club
    • Weather >
      • Hurricane Readiness
  • Cruise News
    • Cruise Compete
    • Atlas World Navigator >
      • Atlas World Navigator Part Two
    • Azamara Quest
    • Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line >
      • Grand Celebration Cruise
      • Grand Classica Inaugural Cruise
    • Carnival Cruise Line Stories >
      • Carnival Cuba Cruises
      • Carnival Horizon >
        • Carnival Horizon Pig and Anchor
      • Carnival Liberty
      • Carnival Mardi Gras
      • Carnival Sunrise >
        • Carnival Sunrise Cruise to Bermuda
        • The Chef's Table on Carnival Sunrise
      • Carnival Studios >
        • Carnival Studios - Behind the Scenes Tour
      • Carnival Victory
      • Carnival Vista >
        • Carnival Vista Craft Beer
    • Celebrity Apex Cruise >
      • Celebrity Apex
    • Crystal Serenity Holiday Cruise - The Beginning >
      • Crystal Serenity - Grand Turk
      • Crystal Serenity - St. Maarten
      • Crystal Serenity - Antigua Donkey Sanctuary
      • Crystal Serenity - St. Lucia
      • Crystal Serenity - Barbados
      • Crystal Serenity - Virgin Gorda
      • Crystal Serenity - Wrap Up
    • Harmony of the Seas - Preview Cruise Review >
      • Harmony of the Seas - Wonderland
      • Harmony of the Seas - The Ultimate Abyss
      • Harmony of the Seas - The Fine Line
      • Harmony of the Seas - 1887
      • Harmony of the Seas - Bionic Bar
      • Harmony of the Seas - Pre-Cruise Coverage
    • Cunard's Jackie Chase >
      • History of Cunard
    • MSC Seaside >
      • MasterChef at Sea
    • Oceania Riviera
    • Queen Mary in Long Beach
    • River Cruising in Germany - The Ms. River Splendor >
      • River Cruise in Germany -- Mainz and Koblenz
      • River Cruising in Germany - The Romantic Rhine
      • River Cruise in Germany - Heidelberg
      • River Cruising in Germany - Wurzburg
      • River Cruising in Germany - Bamberg
      • River Cruising in Germany - Nuremberg
      • River Cruising in Germany - Regensburg
    • Scarlet Lady - Virgin Voyages
    • SeaTrade Cruise Global 2019
    • Symphony of the Seas - Miami Inaugural Voyage >
      • Symphony of the Seas - Ultimate Family Suite
      • Symphony of the Seas - Showtime
      • Symphony of the Seas - Perfect Day at Coco Cay
      • Symphony of the Seas - Photo Gallery
    • Triton Submarines
  • Gigi in the 561
    • Cora
    • Gigi in the 561 Interviews
  • Blogs
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    • My Father's Tales >
      • My Father's Tales - Photo Album
    • Rock and Roll Rewind
    • Susan Goldfein -- Blog >
      • Susan Goldfein
    • Travel Backtrack
  • Video
  • Travel
    • Snaps >
      • Snaps - Page 2
    • Fun >
      • Events >
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      • AtmosFX Digital Decorations
      • Calypso Cruise
      • Pumpkin Patch 2017
      • Reindeer Games
      • River Paddle Event
    • Brian Wilson: Life in the UK >
      • Life in the UK - Bath, England
      • Life in the UK - Croquet
      • Life in the UK - Music in Russia
      • Life in the UK - Sri Lanka
      • Life in the UK - Sri Lanka - Sigiriya
      • Life in the UK - US Embassy
    • Cate Takes New York
    • Empire State Road Trip
    • Flagler Museum
    • The Florida Keys >
      • Key West
      • The Hemingway House and Museum
    • Joe Cartwright - Travel Writer >
      • Beartooth Highway
      • North Cascades National Park
      • A Visit to the Philippines
      • Grand Canyon National Park
      • Glacier National Park
      • Yellowstone National Park
      • Hiking in Bear Country
      • Crater Lake National Park
      • Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta
      • The Kerrville Folk Festival
      • Building Hope in the Rio Grande Valley
    • Island Destinations
    • Lake Okeechobee Picnic
    • October Odyssey >
      • Cartagena, Columbia
      • Panama Canal
      • Antigua, Guatemala
      • Cabo San Lucas
      • Birds and Bees Speakeasy in Los Angeles
      • We Love LA
      • Coast Starlight
      • Napa Wine Tour
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    • Road Trip! >
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      • Road Trip! -- The Painted Desert
      • Road Trip! - Sedona, Arizona
      • Road Trip! - Sedona Wineries
      • Road Trip! Tonto Natural Bridge State Park
      • Road Trip! - Mogollon Rim
      • Road Trip! - Verde Canyon Railroad
      • Road Trip! - Jerome, Arizona
      • Road Trip! - California
      • Road Trip! - Palm Springs Celebrity Tour
      • Road Trip! - Palm Springs Aerial Tramway
      • Road Trip! - Festival in Palm Springs
      • Road Trip! - Willcox, Arizona and Apple Annie's Orchard
      • Road Trip! Willcox Wineries
      • Road Trip! Chiricahua National Monument
      • Road Trip! Tombstone, Arizona
      • Tombstone, Part Two
      • Road Trip! - Epilogue
    • Unknown Yellowstone >
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      • Unknown Yellowstone - Summit Lake
      • Unknown Yellowstone - Shoshone Lake
      • Unknown Yellowstone - Grizzly Lake
      • Unknown Yellowstone - Riddle Lake
      • Unknown Yellowstone - Pelican Cone
      • Unknown Yellowstone - Mt. Washburn
      • Unknown Yellowstone - Specimen Ridge
      • Unknown Yellowstone - Avalanche Peak
      • Unknown Yellowstone - Divide Creek
    • U.S. Virgin Islands >
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      • St. Thomas Food Tour
      • St. Thomas Tour
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