[Salty Dog]

I remember thinking that when I grew up, if I could make $10,000 a year like my dad did, that I would have it made...

[LeRoySmith]

~~~

[Velvet]

My only summer on a farm. I was 9 years old. I made a fishing pole out of a longish branch, put a string and a hook on it and went fishing, and swimming in the near by river, with a Labrador called “Tulip”. I caught a fish! Brought it home to my mother who scaled it and made it for dinner. It had eggs and that was the first time I realized fish have eggs. Best dinner I ever had!

[JamesR]

Watching Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color on a neighbor's new color TV.

[Normal]

Walking to Ben Franklin’s 5 and dime to get wax candy or baseball cards. Then going next door to Lawson’s to get a drink.

[mntlblok]

Originally Posted by Normal

Walking to Ben Franklin’s 5 and dime to get wax candy or baseball cards. Then going next door to Lawton’s to get a drink.

Reminds me of the big day when the two six packs of empty coke bottles hanging on my handle bars yielded *three* Mickey Mantle baseball cards! Made me oddly concerned that I'd now never be able to get that bike back across Manslick Road without being struck by a car.

[PugMom]

getting a lemon ice from Vechittos' and watching fourth of July fireworks from the Portland Bridge.

[PugMom]

Originally Posted by BigDawgInLakeDenham

The day JFK was shot
The day MLK was shot
My brother going to Viet Nam
The day RFK was shot
The day George Wallace was shot

They are all with God and praying for us

Lord, what a violent country

sending a virtual hug.

[PugMom]

Originally Posted by margaretmattson

That is my point. It was so commonplace back then that everyone thought it was funny. Test it yourself and watch some of the older shows with your grandkids. You will find it difficult to explain why it was acceptable.

because Don Rickles delivery was too funny to take offense. he jabbed everybody & was almost 'lovable' in the way he went about it. but things WERE different then: it was tougher to offend people as they were more apt to take a joke. today it seems everybody is offended by everything it doesn't mean you hate them, it means we can laugh together-- it wasn't to make someone uncomfortable, we laughed with them, not @ them

[PugMom]

Originally Posted by La lamy

- Walking 1 1/2 mile to school, taking a shortcut through a little wood that was so magical to me.
- Crazy snowstorms that made the doors completely inaccessible so we had to get out through the kitchen window, no school but lots of shovelling!
- Watching The Flintstones, cartoons, Walt Disney.
- Playing records and writing out the words so I'd be able to memorize them.
- Camping trips to the Atlantic coast.
- Skiing in Quebec and Vermont
- Watching color TV for the first time
- Watching Nadia Comanici's perfect 10. WHAT A GYMNAST!
- The first steps on the moon.
- Getting to wear a tutu for my first ballet recital.
- Swimming ALL DAY until my fingers and toes turned into prunes.
- Picking fresh blueberries in the forest near our house and having a pie made from them by mom. YUM

if i didn't know better, i'd say we grew up in the same house!

[mntlblok]

Originally Posted by PugMom

getting a lemon ice from Vechittos' and watching fourth of July fireworks from the Portland Bridge.

"Lemon ice" was not a term that was heard where I grew up. A fun summer in Cherry Hill, NJ, however, introduced me to something called an "Italian water ice", IIRC. The one I tried was, indeed, of the lemon variety. I thus narrowed down my speculation for which "Portland Bridge" might be getting referenced. Am therefore guessing this one. :-) Portland-Columbia Toll Bridge – DRJTBC

[Velvet]

Originally Posted by Pairadocs

I think of things on TV programs, sexist things, racist things, dumb things, mocking things, something to "hit" everyone, and we all just laughed, did not take each word in a TV show as some personal assault or insult... we laughed, like it was no different than an live comedy show where the comedian targets every group in the audience from seniors to clergy to teens, people then did not sit there just waiting for an opportunity to jump up and be "insulted". NOW .... that's the name of the game !

Perhaps there was less awareness of empathy, and mental health? I am thinking back to the dark ages when war was a daily fact of life and impalement was a regular form punishment. Each age has its values and those values seem to be constantly “evolving”. For the better, or for the worse?

[PugMom]

Originally Posted by FredJacobs

My favorite childhood memory was when my back didn't hurt.

[PugMom]

Originally Posted by mntlblok

"Lemon ice" was not a term that was heard where I grew up. A fun summer in Cherry Hill, NJ, however, introduced me to something called an "Italian water ice", IIRC. The one I tried was, indeed, of the lemon variety. I thus narrowed down my speculation for which "Portland Bridge" might be getting referenced. Am therefore guessing this one. :-) Portland-Columbia Toll Bridge – DRJTBC

apologize for not being more specific. i grew up in Ct., & Vecchioto's was a local institution. an italian family devoting themselves to making us kids happy with flavored ice & REAL gelato. they had maybe 2 stores, the one near me was Middletown. OBB would most likely remember where the other one is, they are still open today!

[Shipping up to Boston]

Originally Posted by PugMom

apologize for not being more specific. i grew up in Ct., & Vecchioto's was a local institution. an italian family devoting themselves to making us kids happy with flavored ice & REAL gelato. they had maybe 2 stores, the one near me was Middletown. OBB would most likely remember where the other one is, they are still open today!

Where I grew up its called slush. Richies Italian. An Everett MA institution that operates out of a tiny retail space adjacent to Encore Casino. Retail and wholesale. Theres my shameless plug