Before we moved over to Wagar Rd. we lived on Telbir. What a great neighborhood. Cliff Black lived down the street, Rhonda and Dick Wulf across the street, their father was head of maintenance for the high school. And the Moir's lived next door. The thing I remember most of the sand pit was every January the would burn a huge pile of Christmas trees that the city collected. Long before EPA rules. At the corner of Riverwood and Wooster there was a pharmacy and soda fountain. Anybody remember that one ?
Growing up in the Tangletown neighborhood of Rocky River was wonderfull. It was so great that we owned three different homes on Oak Road, 30 Oak, 31 Oak and 23 Oak. My mom always thought the grass look greener across the street or next door.
I lived a stone's throw from the Lake and the mouth of Rocky River and Oakwood Beach. I learmed to swim at that beach, walked on the ice in the winter amd climbed the cliffs. I could easily walk to The Cleveland Yacht Club for sailing camp.
We used to play softball on our street and when we played hide and seek we hid in everyones yard without any complaints from neighbors. We had snowball fights, buckete fights with garbage can lids as shields, and played cops and robbers with toy guns that looked real. Remember cap guns?
Some things I learned growing up in Rocky River, Ohio were great, like speaking and writing in standard English, respecting education, scientific and critical thinking and frugality in finances There are even places in Texas where they value such things, like here in our gated community for example.
But those values are not universal and it was shocking to find that in the larger context when I began to have the misfortune of mingling with the working class, how different their world view was. As much as I respected their ability to work with their hands, they were very proud of their lack of education. People who went to college were "book smart but couldn't tie their own shoes." After all why use standard English when one could speak in tongues. Trouble shooting complex equipment problems was not as good as the ole shotgun approach. Word of mouth and group think were the best way to learn. Class envy ruled as well as projections like, "rich people are only concerned with making more money." Cashing ones check at a bar was better than having a checking account. Why worry about the future when one has a pocket full of cash today. After all, "Whatever happens was meant to be" so why bother doing anything differently.
The theater stories are terrific! Fred, I do not remember you being an usher. I DO remember Jeff Clark being one though. One evening he threw me out for nothing (in my opinion), so I figured I'd wait for him after work, and kick his butt. Nobody ever told me that he had a Golden Gloves background! Turned out to be just another of Al's bad ideas!
Nobody mentioned shooting paper clips at the screen. It seems to me that we did a lot of that, for the "flash" it would make. Maybe that was what I was kicked out for.
Speaking of vandalism, do you remember all the straws stuck to the ceiling at Beardens? You slide the straw wrapper partially off the straw, and dip the end in ketchup, and blow it at the ceiling. Don't tell current kids about this....
And then there was the rocketry and explosives stories... but for another time. Welcome Evergreen!
PS - Don't thank me for this site guys. It was 100% Larry's work. and a fine job of it too! Way to go Larry!
As youngsters we played football all the time and organized it ourselves, no parents or coaches involved!! We usualy played tackle football with no equipment. Many days I came home bloody, battered and covered from head to toe with mud. We all imagined that we were either Jim Brown or one of the other players on the Cleveland Browns. We didn't play any organized football until high school. Compare that today to three and four year olds playing organized sports.
High school football got organized and a lot tougher and rougher. "Give him that forearm shiver!!", "He's running hell bent for leather!!" and "If your tackle doesn't move his man out of your way, run right up his back!!" were some of the encouraging words we received from our coaches. This was War!! "Don't carry that ball like a loaf of bread!!", however was one analogy I didm't quite understand given that I had carried plenty of footballs but very few loaves of bread.
We tasted the "thrill of victory and the agony of defeat." There is nothing I have ever experienced quite as wonderful as being part of a team of eleven men looking down the field with a common determined purpose. We were a band of blood brothers. Broken fingers, twisted ankles while getting a head slap and seeing stars and losing a million brain cells on the road to victory. This was the AGONY and the ECSTASY!!
Sarge Kelley had a wonderful way with words and knew how to coach and run a gym class. He was much beloved by us for the way he would crack our heads together and call us "knuckleheads." But as big and tough as he was, he was very embarassed to teach us about sex in health class. Luckily we pretty much had it all figured out already.
After high school many of us former football players started to get more into coaching and refereeing boys soccer with our kids. Pat Gillespie, Guy Cartwright and I are at least three of us who I know that made the switch. And as much as I have come to love soccer, there is nothing quite like being on a football team, playing hard and "leaving it all on the field" as they say. After a football game no one felt like fighting or bumping heads anymore, we just wanted to touch something SOFT and feminine! Young conquering gladiators deserved their reward afterall.
On the other hand I've seen many soccer games where the parents and players get out of hand. There is not quite the vicarious release of testosteronal energy in soccer as there is in football.
While I am up here on my high horse pontificating I have some last thoughts: Kids need to WALK back and forth to school, get soaked when it rains and jump into mud puddles. They need to throw crab apples, have snowball fights and learn to do things on their own. They are becoming a bunch of PUSSIES! Let them walk, play and organize their own games. Most of them will never play sports in college or the pros so things like teamwork amd other life lessons can be learned anyway, sports are just for fun.
I just decided that YOU should pay for MY health insurance and Obama agrees with me. The IRS reported that you have more money than me so you shouldn't mind. But if you complain I will pull the race card and call you an "angry white gun toting wingnut." Just pay the bill when you get it, check or money order. I can use the extra money I save for my drugs, alcohol and lottery tickets.
Good job John. Now that Fred isn't at the post office any more to fix the machines.(hes in the gated community) How will he get the check? Maybe he will get the cheerleaders to deliver it.
I'm recom3nding to the board of our gated community that we string some razor wire and some claymore mines around this perimeter. Now that folks have free health care on top of welfare checks, food stamps and 999 other Federal programs, they are not about to stop there and will try to get past the gate and takew the rest of our stuff with Obama's permission.
I can get you guys a one day free pass to visit but then you two have to high tail it outta here.
I also uploaded some pictures from Phoenix 2010. Enjoy!! More states should have mini reunions. Its great to talk with everyone and catch up with what is going on. Bruce was painting my Legend race car and I didn't know it was him.
Sorry, Ellen - time sure flies when you're having fun. I will try to get these up so all can enjoy them. Thanks for sending them in. John, it was probably "Chances Are", might have been "Wonderful, Wonderful".... Johnny Mathis' Greatest Hits was the best make-out album ever made.
I recently got a letter from the census bureau that said in effect that I would soon be receiving another letter from the census bureau. What was I to do?? I decided that I would stand by my mail box on the corneer 24/7 waiting for the letter. It must be very importamt I was thinking. I got pretty wet when it rained and I was very thirsty and hungry while I was waiting there for a week, but finally it arrived.
I rushed home and ripped it open. "Did I own my own home or did I have a mortgage?" was one of the questions. I knew the Feds needed money, so would they take out a mortgage on my paid off home and blow the money on some new Federal program? How to answer?? Should I tell the truth and not?? This was getting tricky. "Describe your race?" was aother question. Why did they want to know that?? There was only one box for "white" and yet many for Hispanic and Asian. There was even a box for "Samoan". What about people from Pitcaran Island or Catalina? Luckily, I found a block for my wife - "Korean." That was easy I thought, but wait, she used to be Korean but she became a naturalized American citizen in 1977. Should I check "other" and put "American"?
This was getting to be harder than taking the SAT. I hope that I receive a good score. I wish I could learn to think like the liberals in Washington.
Freddie, if they had just had a damn category for "Human" (race), it would have been a lot easier.... although probably discriminatory with respect to chimpanzees and other primates. Anyway, you can be proud that you finally got a letter from your President.
On a completely different subject - I'm amazed that nobody has left a thought for Tom Howe. Does anybody know how or when Tom died? He was a great member of our class, and I wish I knew more about what happened to him. Trivia question: what was Tom's great high school romance?
I have a weed eater named Jose and a lawn mower named Pancho. I like to relax in my gated community with a Pina Colada in my hand and laying next to my pool and watch them work
I heard that story before but the guys were a couple of Buckeye nuts named Randy and John. The punch line was, "What are the only two things to come out of Ohio?" The answer was "steers and queers."
John We have to stop picking on Fred. Its been 5 days since he posted anything and I miss his ranting. I know it won't be fun but at least we can laugh inside. Its a great day to fly kites but I have to go consult for a few hours. Blown hemi won't run. God I love my job.
I like to think of myself as intelligently frugal but still others call me a cheap MFer. I'm not afraid to admit that I would fly standing up for the whole trip for a cheap ticket. I would also fly over the twin towers in a plane load of Muslims for a deal. I stepped off a flight twice in one day once because it was full and got two free round trip tickets and yet was only three hours late getting home.
Standing up while flying is not so bad as it seems like the seats got smaller or everyone else got bigger. There definetly some real lard asses flying now. Some fatties should fly first class or pay for two seats.
My biggest peeve is all the stupid carry on baggage people bring on the plane now. They bring everything including the kitchen sink and stuff the overheads. It takes so long now to embark and disembark because of the a-holes who bring that shit onboard. One carrier is going to charge people for their carry ons. Great idea. I have felt like screaming "Check that crap!!"
Despite all that, flying is beautiful especially at night. I have seen some wonderful sights.
Fred I agree with your flying adventures. I had people moving my carry on from bin to bin. They also knocked my cane out of the overhead and hit me twice putting there large bags away. I don't recommend standing up while flying. After loging 2000 hours I found that landings and air pockets will move you around more than you want. Crashes are a little worse. I crashed 3 times and it wasn't pretty.
I'm not sure about flying with a certain race. Cheap is not always the best.
I thought the government was paying for you health care. Now you want the government to pay again. Thats double dipping.
Sorry you missed the Phoenix mini reunion Fred. We had a great time.
