I wonder where Dave Smith is?
When I was 13 through 16 yrs old we lived in a big old house on the east corner of Broadway and Yale Rd....It is still there but 1/2 the lot was sold to make another lot....a new house replaces an old garage/woodshed that was there....and a huge cherry tree...dad drove an old 1947 Willy car at that time...we had great neighbors and friends next door...the Haynes.....Grandpa and Gram Haynes lived in a little house at the back......the yard was open where it joined ours and the path was well traveled back and forth.....my folks had a grand time over there playing music ...My dad on a Hawaiian guitar, mum on the piano Grandpa Haynes a violin or an accordion.....The old guy built steam engines...working models of locomotives....they were close to 2 feet long...all to scale, they were very impressive and powerful looking...I had a border collie named "Tippy", he had a spot on the front porch that he loved to sit at and watch the happenings ....when he wasn't perched in his place there was a smudge mark on the house where he kind of leaned against the front wall at the top of the steps. I had a couple of Darwin Award entries at that house....one was when I was 13..I found a .22 cartridge and had a bright idea.....I took it into the woodshed and shoved it into a split in a piece of firewood that was piled in the garage....my BB gun was in there as the garage was also a target range....okay...if I can hit that shell from back here, that would be fun and drive the lead further into the wood.....well, that's what a dum guy would think.....and seeing there were no smart guys around I aimed and caught the rim of the shell first shot.....as soon as I pulled the trigger someone slammed me in the chest with a 2x4....that's what it felt like
as the casing came back and walloped me in the chest....O my gawd....what...I was afraid to look.....but slowly I pulled my shirt down...there was a pink blossom ...whew...no hole.....of course the casing came back not forward...jeez.....kids ....they don't think.....let that be a lesson...
Every Monday night was hamper night at the Paramount Theatre and a bunch of us boys would go to the show....Mervin Vance started it out from Little Mountain (Carlmar Motel) and we walked straight on Yale Road to the theatre picking up members of that elite bunch as we went along.... I was about the eighth , I could see the troop out our front window as they progressed up Yale Rd. towards town.....there would be two more at the next corner....."Gimmee a hamper" was our slogan...led by a comedian and one of our citys future Mayors...Man,If we knew then what a an amazing diversification our lives would take, but at that time its just about a bunch of young boys together havin a good time...that was fun.....we attended the first show from 7 till 9. Bill Wolfe (local radio announcer and all around good guy) awarded a hamper of groceries to a lucky ticket holder....I don't remember any of us winning.............. there is a possibility that some members of that crew may read this journal....if so....HI, HOW ARE YA....I wonder if any remember how in the summer the bright sun smacked us for a bit as we stepped out of the front exit door after the first show was over..... hmmm ....unfortunatley some of em are gone now but not forgotten.....I wonder where Dave Smith is? or Terry Valjean....
I used to drive the Willy back and fourth on the driveway ... ......then I got brave and drove out on Broadway, then quickly back.....eventually, a long block down to Huth's place, turn around and back......I timed that when dad had a 15 minute snooze at noon hr....He always came home for lunch...we all did.
When I was 14 Charlie Smith taught us how to fish properly on the Vedder...before that we would harass the salmon and catch them any way we could.....I caught my first Coho salmon and first Steelhead with him....He sometimes took 3 and 4 boys at a time plus his fishing partner,,,(usually Bob Carruthers) all piled in a little Thames English Van......from his Bike Shop to the river and back to the store...One fine December day in 1952.....I walked from the store (across from the present post office) to home, all along Yale rd. packing my first steelhead....what a showoff ...
I will never forget that.....people slowing down in cars...the odd toot toot.....half way home, Roy Gleig came out of his house smiling ear to ear......He was an avid Steelheader(sportshop) and was really happy for me...recalling the story his first Steelhead......non fishers have no idea what a bump in credibility catching the first Vedder Steelhead is.
A Steelhead is a Rainbow Trout that lives in the ocean and spawns in a river. This one was an near average 10 pounds.
as the casing came back and walloped me in the chest....O my gawd....what...I was afraid to look.....but slowly I pulled my shirt down...there was a pink blossom ...whew...no hole.....of course the casing came back not forward...jeez.....kids ....they don't think.....let that be a lesson...
Every Monday night was hamper night at the Paramount Theatre and a bunch of us boys would go to the show....Mervin Vance started it out from Little Mountain (Carlmar Motel) and we walked straight on Yale Road to the theatre picking up members of that elite bunch as we went along.... I was about the eighth , I could see the troop out our front window as they progressed up Yale Rd. towards town.....there would be two more at the next corner....."Gimmee a hamper" was our slogan...led by a comedian and one of our citys future Mayors...Man,If we knew then what a an amazing diversification our lives would take, but at that time its just about a bunch of young boys together havin a good time...that was fun.....we attended the first show from 7 till 9. Bill Wolfe (local radio announcer and all around good guy) awarded a hamper of groceries to a lucky ticket holder....I don't remember any of us winning.............. there is a possibility that some members of that crew may read this journal....if so....HI, HOW ARE YA....I wonder if any remember how in the summer the bright sun smacked us for a bit as we stepped out of the front exit door after the first show was over..... hmmm ....unfortunatley some of em are gone now but not forgotten.....I wonder where Dave Smith is? or Terry Valjean....
I used to drive the Willy back and fourth on the driveway ... ......then I got brave and drove out on Broadway, then quickly back.....eventually, a long block down to Huth's place, turn around and back......I timed that when dad had a 15 minute snooze at noon hr....He always came home for lunch...we all did.
When I was 14 Charlie Smith taught us how to fish properly on the Vedder...before that we would harass the salmon and catch them any way we could.....I caught my first Coho salmon and first Steelhead with him....He sometimes took 3 and 4 boys at a time plus his fishing partner,,,(usually Bob Carruthers) all piled in a little Thames English Van......from his Bike Shop to the river and back to the store...One fine December day in 1952.....I walked from the store (across from the present post office) to home, all along Yale rd. packing my first steelhead....what a showoff ...
I will never forget that.....people slowing down in cars...the odd toot toot.....half way home, Roy Gleig came out of his house smiling ear to ear......He was an avid Steelheader(sportshop) and was really happy for me...recalling the story his first Steelhead......non fishers have no idea what a bump in credibility catching the first Vedder Steelhead is.
A Steelhead is a Rainbow Trout that lives in the ocean and spawns in a river. This one was an near average 10 pounds.
Labels: fundays
posted by gus at
8:10 a.m.
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