...you remember getting the punched cards from VAFB computers
and making Christmas wreaths out of them.
...you have wonderful memories of sitting on your father's
lap and learning how to drive the D-4 in his field on Floradale
Avenue... ah, what better for a kid than a parent and a lesson?
...you remember picking wild mustard greens, blackberries,
raspberries, and waiting until Mom could preserve or cook
them. Driving up canyons, alongside Ocean Avenue... so lovely.
...you remember the steady stream of cars, with passengers
running out into the flower fields to pose for a photo or
pluck a small bouquet of sweet peas.
...you remember the wonderfully gorgeous and huge field of
gladiola at the end of DeWolfe Avenue. My gosh! They were
beauts and well cared for by Mr. Mendez, if memory serves
me.
...you remember thinking your parents were "old"
when they were your age! How silly!
...you remember using your grandmother's hot curling iron
(with the purple wooden handles) heated on her stove to curl
her hair while she peeked out her living room window.
...you remember hanging clothes on the clothesline outside
and the wonderful, wonderful smell!
...you remember sitting enthralled in Mr. Butterfield's class
watching a snake swallow a mouse whole... never paying one
bit of attention to lessons... that is, until the day he asked,
"Do you think you deserve an F or a D on your report
card? I looked at him and said, "Well, if you have to
ask, then I guess I deserve an F." I thought he would
take pity and give me a D. Not the case.
...you remember the Watkins Man and his truck driving all
the way down Union Sugar Avenue and opening the sides of his
van/truck to display a veritable store on wheels.
Yikes!
...you remember being in a strange land when you were first
faced with an electric dishwasher when you first married and
moved so far away to: Buellton, 15 minutes drive.
...you remember paying your brother or one of your sisters
25 cents (50 cents on date night) if they would PUL-EESE do
the dishes for you so you could go out to Ted's Drive-In!
...you remember the slang you used as a teen, and still use
today... and teens look at you and say, "Huh?"
...you remember the cars lined up at Ted's Drive-In with the
one or two word sayings on the left rear fender.
...you remember the lagoon at Surf Beach and watching people
ski across the waters.
...you remember the SCARY gas station with the bulls horns
and the sign above the door warning certain nationalities
they were not allowed on East Ocean Avenue.
...you remember when, as a child, your toys were mostly those
of nature. Some were purchased Christmas gifts, few of those...
and you didn't miss a thing.
...you
remember how much it hurt your arm to take your turn churning
the ice cream maker handle, to enjoy the end result!
--
courtesy of Marian Huyck
