Good old days, Days gone by as a kid

[rupey7]

My paper route, BB gun wars (single pump only), Walking Hwy 99 in Hazel Dell checking every coin return in every shop and getting enough money to play pinball at Hazel Dell Lanes. Playboys in our tree fort where Mom couldn't go, riding the train from the Vancouver freight yard to the Portland freight yard and being picked up by the Rail Road police because they thought we were runaways. Stealing a bottle of Boones Farm Tickle Pink wine from a hobo camp (hadn't been opened) and almost getting caught. Learning to drive my Grandpa's Dodge Polara with a push button transmission in the ally behind his house off 4th Plain in Vancouver. VFW and Grange hall gun shows with my Grandpa when I was still single digits wondering why he would get a gun, never shoot it then trade it off to another old fart. Most of the above were with my best buddies Mitchel, Mike and Butch. My Grandpa Schell taught me how to shoot when I was 6, he was a VPD motorcycle cop until he retired in 1975.

What great times those were for sure!

 

[gmerkt]

we said the pledge of allegiance at that flag

When I went to junior high school 1962-65, every morning just before school, the office played "To the Colors" over the PA system while the flag was raised. I didn't realize this at the time, but it was just like on post in the US Army. It was mandatory for everyone to stop moving and face the flag pole while the bugle was playing. The school had official "buglers" shown in the year book, they were a few pupils who took turns playing the record into the PA system. School staff watched out of windows to make sure you were standing at attention and not stroking and joking around. If you were caught in violation, you had to report to the vice prinicipal's office for discipline. This was a public school. Some of which I'm told now don't even pledge allegiance to the flag in the classroom.

Hearing my mom whistle for us to come home from a million miles away

Yes, this. The two next door neighbor brothers were cohorts of mine. We knew it was time go head home when we heard her call loudly out the back door, "BRI-an, ROG-er."

We rode our bikes all summer as kids and did not have worry about being kidnapped or anything back in the day.

Yes, this, freedom not appreciated at the time but rarely granted these days. We traversed all over our suburban city on bikes. Most times we were out of school, we were outside. In our own yards, going some distances to open lands, or somewhere in between. When school was out for the year, we went barefoot nearly all summer. Made it all the more difficult to get into hard, new shoes for the next school year in September. Around eight to ten years old, we often made blanket "tents" in our backyards and stayed out over night in them.

Remember dress codes? In elementary school, it wasn't necessary. Everybody seemed to know what to wear or at least parents did. Dress code enforcement started up in junior high. Girls were required to wear skirts or dresses. By high school, most wore hose. No pants for girls. Boys, we had to wear a shirt with a collar on it. Trousers had to be worn with a belt. If you got caught without a belt, you were sent to the vice principal's office where you were issued a length of sisal twine to wear through the loops. No denim blue jeans allow, only trousers like slacks. Shorts worn to school would've been unthinkable. No sneaker shoes, only ones made of leather.

My fondest childhood memory is when I woke up and didn't hurt somewhere.

Yes but that is in retrospect, most of us didn't know anything different in that way.

Many have remarked here on having paper routes. I had a couple. Not at the same time, an easier one for a few years to start, then as I got older and into junior high school, for a while I had a longer, more difficult route. It was an evening paper but early AM weekend delivery. In those days, only kids did it. Going up to the distribution garage, getting our allocation, then sitting outside on the lawn inserting, folding, banding and loading into our canvas paper bags that draped over the handlebars. We were required to porch all papers. Oh, and we had to go to the door and COLLECT the subscription money. The paper wouldn't do that for us by mail. Here we were, little guys to low-end teenagers, going up to adults and requesting money. Easy with some, but there were always bastards who would stiff you, make you come back several times or just refuse to pay. The really unfair element of that was, the paper wouldn't let you unilaterally stop their paper. So if they wouldn't pay, they rode on your books for free and you paid for them, that's the practical result. We had ticket stub payment books, I can remember a couple of deadbeats who had several months of stubs outstanding. You just weren't allow to drop them on you own. The paper was loathe to lose them as a subscriber, even a non-payer because their route boy was paying!

Lots of moms stayed home during the day in the 1950's when I was a single digit kid. A minority of moms worked. In my neighborhood, many families only had one car. The neighbor brothers next door, their mom Pat didn't work. Mine worked, mostly. When the neighbor's grandmother died, they inherited a 1953 Cadillac, that was hot potatoes, even had power windows and Pat got a car to drive. Many times Pat drove us to the Saturday matinee movie or the roller rink. We definitely didn't live in a Cadillac neighborhood. My dad had a 1954 Lincoln that he got used but only because he worked in the car business; it was only the second car on our block that had power windors. My mom drove a 1940 Ford to her work and on household errands. A widow woman across the street had one of the few cars bought new; a 1955 Ford that she bought from her pension money and she kept it for 15 years. Most neighbors had what would now be called beaters.

Because my mom usually worked, as a kid I was often home alone or just with my older sister. So I didn't really have to go home after school. It was pretty normal for me to travel with some school pal or another to their home. Our elementary school was a pretty big one, and the enrollment territory that it encompassed was large. So I had some pretty long walks around through this area on days after school. I lived close to school so didn't need to ride my bike. If I went home with someone else who lived on the far side of school, no bike, long walk.

 

[Ura-Ki]

Man, lots of fond memories! Pre 1980 was spent in Sweethome, lots of adventures in the mountains, or fishing the South Santiam or the Calapooia, huntin with Grand Dad and cousins, NEVER inside, rain or shine! Had the keys to many of the F.S. Gates, and would go rock hounding up Chandler Mountain, or Ride our Honda Mini trail 50's all the way up Wiley Creek Road, past the gates and all the way to the head waters of the Calapooia, or we would ride up past Green Peter res to YellowBottom and go swimming!
Moved to Portland just in time to see Mt. Saint Helens Blow her top May 18th 1980, got a paper rout shortly after, was up at 4:00 hand rollong and rubber banding papers, took 4 trips to the Paper boss to get my entire route done before school, then falling asleep in first period! LOL
Bought my first car in 86, a 1969 Alfa Romeo GTV 1750 cc 5 speed Arrest Me Red, drove it most of that year, blew the engine and parked it! Bought a 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T 440 4 speed and spend the summer repairing it while rebuilding a new engine for the Alfa! ( Still have both all these years later) being a kid in the 70's and 80's was about as good as it gets, good music, fun times, and purty girls to chase after!

 

[Mikej]

Man, lots of fond memories! Pre 1980 was spent in Sweethome, lots of adventures in the mountains, or fishing the South Santiam or the Calapooia, huntin with Grand Dad and cousins, NEVER inside, rain or shine! Had the keys to many of the F.S. Gates, and would go rock hounding up Chandler Mountain, or Ride our Honda Mini trail 50's all the way up Wiley Creek Road, past the gates and all the way to the head waters of the Calapooia, or we would ride up past Green Peter res to YellowBottom and go swimming!
Moved to Portland just in time to see Mt. Saint Helens Blow her top May 18th 1980, got a paper rout shortly after, was up at 4:00 hand rollong and rubber banding papers, took 4 trips to the Paper boss to get my entire route done before school, then falling asleep in first period! LOL
Bought my first car in 86, a 1969 Alfa Romeo GTV 1750 cc 5 speed Arrest Me Red, drove it most of that year, blew the engine and parked it! Bought a 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T 440 4 speed and spend the summer repairing it while rebuilding a new engine for the Alfa! ( Still have both all these years later) being a kid in the 70's and 80's was about as good as it gets, good music, fun times, and purty girls to chase after!

Good Lord, you're just a kid Ura-Ki ! All this time I've taken you as and old soul.

Everything ya'll did around Oregon I did in a semi rural community 12 miles South of Salt Lake City called Midvale. We ran the area on bikes. Dad hung an old truck axle from the rafters of the breezeway between the house and garage. I could go anywhere I wanted as long as it wasn't so far away that I couldn't hear "The Gong" when they wanted me home. You could hear it three blocks away. Those were country blocks, not these dink city blocks.

 

[thereddog]

I remember staying in the woodshed fort behind my buddy's house and getting up before sunrise to throw papers.

Then in the afternoon, we'd ride down to the replay record place and look at albums and figure out if it was worth the $3 to get it.

We'd just lean our bikes on the side of the building (in downtown medford) and look at records. The guy at the record store pointed me towards Jimi Hendrix and SRV and I was fascinated right away.

Sometimes we'd go down where the Rogue Valley Mall is now and grab a coffee can full of crawfish and bring them home to eat.

I remember in the fall, we'd get into wars with all of the pears that fell off the trees. There'd be pear guts all over the place.

 

[zenbreath]

We'd just lean our bikes on the side of the building (in downtown medford)

Remember the PSA 'Lock your car. Take your keys.'?

 

[Pete F]

My 61 Impala didn't need a key to start. If you left it in a certain position, all you had to do was turn the key insert. It came factory that way. Never locked it up and it was original and cherry (1980's).

We were well off with my Dad making the money teaching or as Vice Principle in charge of DISCIPLINE. He used hack paddles and practiced on me and my brother. I still don't believe in using belts ever, but my Dad did break a 3/4" oak hack paddle over a students rear on the first swing. He made the kid wait while he went to the woodshop to make a new one, came back and gave him 4 more. It is a long story, but the kid deserved it.

We lived on a bay in Bremerton, so lots to do always. Always some kind of fish and crabs to catch. Moved to a 10 acre farm when I started High School. Built a 24x60 ft 1 1/2 story horse barn with my Dad and brother. Riding dirt bikes and my sister's horse. Practiced shooting in the lower 5 acres. Lots of trucks in the High School parking lot with rifles hanging in the rear window. Hunting a pack of wild dogs at night in the gravel pit.

We didn't have a lot of money, but our lives were great and full of good memories.

 

[2A2Dend]

I'll will say this, and no more.
Darn near everyone that replied prior to my post, we all sound about the same, in finding things to do.
The friends I hung with, we raised HELL and did almost everything mentioned!! And more

Some of the things our gang did, we may get in trouble for even today.
On that note, I ain't sayin JACK for specifics!!

 

[zenbreath]

On that note, I ain't sayin JACK for specifics!!

"Knowing and understanding my rights, as listed in Amendment Five of the Constitution of the United States, I, hereby, decline to answer any and all questions regarding activities I may, or may not, have participated in." (if you practice, you can say it all in one breath)

 

[jbett98]

Dropping off the Sunday edition of the Oregonian paper inside a garage of a long haul trucker who was absent for weeks at a time and discovering cases of Coors beer stacked against the wall. If you removed a few six packs and returned the empties in a timely manner, he was never the wiser.

 

[Ura-Ki]

I can nether confirm nor deny any knowledge of any thing that may or may not have taken place at the time and location specified!

 

[SUPER X]

I'll will say this, and no more.
Darn near everyone that replied prior to my post, we all sound about the same, in finding things to do.
The friends I hung with, we raised HELL and did almost everything mentioned!! And more

Some of the things our gang did, we may get in trouble for even today.
On that note, I ain't sayin JACK for specifics!!

I received the hacks ECT .but it wasn't child abuse it was karma well Earned .
If I had not received them I might have ended up out protesting and blocking traffic by now .

 

[Caveman Jim]

Ahh yes. I had 2 younger brothers, and we lived out in the woods around our house..building forts. And of course we got Dirty... wether we had mud fights or not.
We couldn't go in the house for dinner until mom hosed us off, and she was usually pizzed because we were wearing our good cloths, or shoes or whatever and she had to wash it. "Just wait till your Father gets home"
Which terrified us because there was a real chance we'd get the belt...
And it wasn't child abuse.. it was responsible parenting.

We got the same treatment but with a razor strop!!!

 

[Caveman Jim]

I'll will say this, and no more.
Darn near everyone that replied prior to my post, we all sound about the same, in finding things to do.
The friends I hung with, we raised HELL and did almost everything mentioned!! And more

Some of the things our gang did, we may get in trouble for even today.
On that note, I ain't sayin JACK for specifics!!

Fret not Sir 2A, the statute of limitations is probably over...

 

[ditchtiger]

My fondest childhood memory is when I woke up and didn't hurt somewhere.
Ahh, those were the days.

I wish for those days. I can deal with the constant pains, it's the new ones that turn up that get me.
How about noting our age after these posts. I'm 59

 

[ditchtiger]

As a kid I would go out the next morning after the 4th fire works show and search the grounds for unexploded ordnance.

 

[No_Regerts]

Back in the day, I used to get laid.

 

[BDA.45]

Man, lots of fond memories! Pre 1980 was spent in Sweethome, lots of adventures in the mountains, or fishing the South Santiam or the Calapooia, huntin with Grand Dad and cousins, NEVER inside, rain or shine! Had the keys to many of the F.S. Gates, and would go rock hounding up Chandler Mountain, or Ride our Honda Mini trail 50's all the way up Wiley Creek Road, past the gates and all the way to the head waters of the Calapooia, or we would ride up past Green Peter res to YellowBottom and go swimming!
Moved to Portland just in time to see Mt. Saint Helens Blow her top May 18th 1980, got a paper rout shortly after, was up at 4:00 hand rollong and rubber banding papers, took 4 trips to the Paper boss to get my entire route done before school, then falling asleep in first period! LOL
Bought my first car in 86, a 1969 Alfa Romeo GTV 1750 cc 5 speed Arrest Me Red, drove it most of that year, blew the engine and parked it! Bought a 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T 440 4 speed and spend the summer repairing it while rebuilding a new engine for the Alfa! ( Still have both all these years later) being a kid in the 70's and 80's was about as good as it gets, good music, fun times, and purty girls to chase after!

I HATE this f-ing thread already.......... you guys are makin me think too much.........1978 Datsun B210....RED DOG!!!!! MY first car! My pops made me learn how to drive that mofo on the WORST of hills. Do they even make manuals anymore???
For you youngsters, manual means you actually have to PUSH it into gear........when it doesn't want to go...

 

[User 1234]

Nice. Did they make a boys version of the GT?

Forgive him Lord, for he knows not what he speaks!

The GT Performer was the quintessential chick magnet in the late 80's when it came out. A "survivor" in that condition these days would bring $900.

 

[User 1234]

Back in the day, I used to get laid.

What, did they move all the sheep farms away in recent years?


Just kidding!