Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion The Water Cooler I'm so Old, I remember when...

I remember when Calif. had more Orange groves than houses.

Ah yes. In my era, it was known as "duck and cover." "The bomb" was a big threat back then.


This one cracked me up. Boy, do I remember that!! I also fetched his cigarettes, every night after dinner, off his dresser in the bedroom where he left them when he emptied his pockets and changed his clothes after work. In fact, I was pretty much an errand boy most of my childhood.


My worst experience in Nam was getting lost (driving) on Than Son Nhut Air Base (near Saigon), and pulling into the driveway of an huge area that was surrounded by a solid, 12 foot high fence (solid, as in "you couldn't see what was behind it") The gate happened to be open. As far as I could see, there were thousands of coffins (ready for use) stacked to the top of the fence and filling every square foot of space. Chilling.

Some things ya wish you didn't remember.

Smoking on airplanes!! , completely wooden hockey sticks, popeye cigarettes/cigarette bubblegum, Wrigley's gum had 10 sticks per pack for a dime, you could catch a buzz from regular car exhaust fumes, they let us out of several of our classes at school to watch the '72 Canada/Russia series in the hallways(sitting on the floor).

Jack, we in Canada saw alot of the Vietnam coverage from our news as well as from American news. That is indeed a chilling memory, but you're here and we're glad for it.

Thank you, sir. Me too.

Sir?....now I DO feel old!!

Go with the feeling...

I remember when everyone smoked and drank. . .when my favorite brand of cigarettes (Rothman's) cost 33 cents (southern Ontario) and gas cost about the same per gallon.

. .when I stood outside in the snow one night looking into the window of the local radio/electric store to watch TV broadcasting go on the air for the first time in southern Ontario--it was black & white, CFPL-TV, in London, Ontario, around 1953 or 54. A decade later I worked there on audio control for a time, and the video recorder was an enormous Ampex vacuum-tube unit in a dedicated room with its own Air-conditioning cooling system, black and white, of course.

I remember watching Jack Paar, the host of the Tonight Show, whom I thought was the most urbane funny guy and far better than Johnny Carson, who came later, or any of the current late-night hosts, except Bill Maher.

Jack Paar's show was only watchable a couple nights a week, if that, because it was fringe reception from a TV station in Detroit. My dad refused to put up a big tower with a yagi antenna and rotator. He felt it would demean the appearance of the house (big, old Victorian).

Great thread!

Regards,

Alan

Reel-to-reel tape decks
Using a can opener for beer and soda cans
Million Dollar Movie ('The Thing' scared me to death, but I watched it a hundred times.)
Doing the Twist to Chubby Checker on a 45 rpm.
My dad's old Harmon Kardon tube amp was the coolest thing ever!
Being able to wander around town all day until it got dark.
Penny candy for a penny.
Riding in the car up on the back shelf.
Station wagons with rear facing third row seats.
Post cards for 2 cents including the stamp.

Ah yes!, I remember when seatbelts were a nuisance and nobody wore them. Though, I can't recall cars without them (not that old :-).
Scary still, I remember babies riding in the front seat of a car on their mom's lap!

Back when I recall we had an old Chevy wagon (1964 I think) that we used to sit in the very back seat facing the the other drivers with the window down. Oh and there was no seat belts.