It is Terrible Now but Fine Then

[coconut]

When your chores were done, you were on your own as long as you were home right after the street lights started coming on.

Street lights? Well la dee da! When I was a kid coming home after dark I had to outrun a pack of werewolves and kick Dracula in the nads!:rant: We had a '65 Chevy Impala station wagon, 283 and powerglide tranny. I loved that car.

 

[coconut]

Me with a clacker was like Mel Brooks in this clip.

Mel Brooks was in that clip?

 

[Selassie I]

@RamFan503

Your description of that skateboard gave me a flashback to my 1st killer board. I obviously had some badass wheels and trucks... but I just can't remember their names right now. They're on the tip of my tongue though. I do however remember who made my board. It was a Town & Country (their logo was a black and white yin and yang)... hand made right in Honolulu. They were the Primo boards of that time in the islands. Skateboarding was HUGE there and I loved it almost as much as surfing. I wish I still had that board.

Funny thing... and this might be in the same spirit as this thread... but I still skateboard to this day. My current board is a longboard... and it's bigger than most people have ever seen. Killer trucks and some giant wheels. This baby can fly down hills without getting sketchy at all. I'll take a pic of it when I get home and post it up. This board gets a lot of looks... but damn I wish I still had my 1st nice ride.

Tonight around 2:30 am I'll remember the names of my wheels (they were red) or trucks and scream it out like a madman. Cammy thanks you in advance for this.

Good memory Brudda! I'm really glad you brought up your skateboard details.

 

[LesBaker]

How freaking long was your lunch break? Ours was 40 minutes. Ain't no way that's happening in 40 minutes.

This was a small school, and it served just the neighborhood we lived in. I just Googled it. Like @Selassie I it was 7/10 of a mile and I lived on the third farthest street.

Keep in mind this school had less than 10 classrooms.

My 3rd grade teacher from that school was very influential in my life. And not just mine. This was a special human.

I was at her retirement party and there were at least 30 or 40 former students and some came from a long way to be there. The notes we all left in the guest book moved her to tears. Hell the whole thing moved her to tears.

 

[Raptorman]

Coke and beer cans were made different back then. You could take a can opener and take the bottom and top off. Tape about 4 of them in a row, use and old time can opener to pop 4 triangle holes in the top of the 5th can, the bottom one, put a hole in the side on the bottom. Squirt lighter fluid inside, pop in a tennis ball, light match at the bottom hole and "whoosh" the tennis ball would fly about 100 yards. We called them "Polish cannons".

 

[RamFan503]

Coke and beer cans were made different back then. You could take a can opener and take the bottom and top off. Tape about 4 of them in a row, use and old time can opener to pop 4 triangle holes in the top of the 5th can, the bottom one, put a hole in the side on the bottom. Squirt lighter fluid inside, pop in a tennis ball, light match at the bottom hole and "whoosh" the tennis ball would fly about 100 yards. We called them "Polish cannons".

We used to have wars with those across the four lane street in front of our house. My buddy and I would make them and after a while we got bored just shooting them in the air. At night, we would douse the balls with the lighter fluid so we could watch them glow as they shot across the street. I'm stunned we never shot one off while a cop was cruising by.

I remember when we figured out that less lighter fluid was better and if you swirled the bottom of the cannon around, the fumes got pretty powerful.

 

[coconut]

Coke and beer cans were made different back then. You could take a can opener and take the bottom and top off. Tape about 4 of them in a row, use and old time can opener to pop 4 triangle holes in the top of the 5th can, the bottom one, put a hole in the side on the bottom. Squirt lighter fluid inside, pop in a tennis ball, light match at the bottom hole and "whoosh" the tennis ball would fly about 100 yards. We called them "Polish cannons".

We made those too. When I tried to make one with my son about 15 years ago all drink cans were aluminum. We found that two tennis ball cans (were still steel) and a condensed milk can (steel) matched up well. Lighter fluid is expensive now and messy so we used cheap hair spray which the propellant is propane. Still a lot of fun. Whats great about the tennis cans is that you can always get spent tennis balls and cans for nothing at tennis courts and the balls obviously fit perfectly in the tennis can.

Over the weekend I bought a steel Soursop drink can from Taiwan. So they are still around over there. The steel cans used to have the side soldered together which was stronger but more costly. The newer steel cans don't look as strong there so we wrapped the cannon with wire and then duct taped over it for safety.

 

[coconut]

You may remember, or maybe not, brewers (not all of them) made 3.2% beer and it was called "near beer" haha.

3.2% beer was sold on sundays in MO because of the Blue Laws.

 

[coconut]

We used to have wars with those across the four lane street in front of our house. My buddy and I would make them and after a while we got bored just shooting them in the air. At night, we would douse the balls with the lighter fluid so we could watch them glow as they shot across the street. I'm stunned we never shot one off while a cop was cruising by.

I remember when we figured out that less lighter fluid was better and if you swirled the bottom of the cannon around, the fumes got pretty powerful.

Yes so true. Now you can save your arm and not throw out your shoulder by using hair spray.

 

[Farr Be It]

Got my first 22 when I was 8, 30/30 when I was 12, shotgun at 13. Hunted squirrels, deer, dove, and quail when I was 13.

View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=klJGX3e4IfI

 

[Ken]

Got caught smoking in the boy's room in HS. Only time I got into corporal punishment trouble in school. Principal gave you an option of licks (3 strokes with his thick wooden drill-holed paddle) or a week of 8th hours. We're tough guys so we take the licks. GD hurt like hell. If it had been 5 strokes I'd probably been in tears. The prinicipal's other job was mayor. There were very few undisciplined kids in our town. In 1st grade every class had an attached bathroom which doubled as the paddling room. Only took a couple of kids to come out of there snot-nosed and crying for everyone to get the message and mind their manners. I remember in 7th grade, I think, in PE for some reason we we're told to sit on the benches, be quiet and read or study. Well, one of the kids got caught talking too many times, and the teacher made him do 100 jump squats.

 

[Farr Be It]

It takes all the meaningful work ethic experience out of it. At least it was some time with dad.

I really appreciated those times with the boys. My son Mike would grab an apple every morning from this one guys tree after tossing his paper on the porch.

So I had to check this for myself since I know it will sound like an old man's story...

I started walking to school when I was in 1st grade. I really wondered how far it was when I started reading this thread... so I Googled it... "How far is Manana Elementary School from Paaaina St". And guess you what??? I freaking walked .7 miles one way to school (almost a mile).

Not through the snow uphill mind you... but it was worse. I was one of the two Haoles who attended that school. And just so you know... back in the 70s, Haoles were not as accepted as they are today in The 808. It was still a "real sight" to see a Haole back then in Pearl City. I would get harassed by adults along my walk to and from school each day. If you were to visit Pearl City today... the place has become a real shithole... it would be hard to imagine a Haole 1st grader being allowed to walk out the front door much less walk that far alone to school.




Here's something I haven't seen mentioned yet...

Our teachers used to be able to paddle your ass with paddles designed to leave signature marks on your ass. And... they perform this ass beating right outside the classroom so that your classmates could all hear the beating before your had to walk back into the classroom and sit your burning ass back down at your desk.

everywhere. In first grade, I rode my bike to school every day. Just Googled it. 1.2 miles one way from 8647 Corbin Ave to Winnetka Ave Elementary

I got you guys.

.8 mile. Bloomington Mn. Kindergarten. Uphill bitches.

 

[Selassie I]

I really appreciated those times with the boys. My son Mike would grab an apple every morning from this one guys tree after tossing his paper on the porch.




I got you guys.

View attachment 28766

.8 mile. Bloomington Mn. Kindergarten. Uphill bitches.

Your math teacher was a slacker apparently... Stu walked 1.2. Hahahaha

Oh and I definitely had some real uphill to deal with too. Then I had to take my shoes (flip flops) off and leave them outside the door of the classroom before entering. All my teachers were the meanest/most strict Japanese ladies on the planet.

But I'm still giving you the victory here because I see that 33° temperature on your screen... that would have killed me graveyard dead.

 

[MadGoat]

I got you guys.

.8 mile. Bloomington Mn. Kindergarten. Uphill bitches. [/QUOTE

Both ways!:rolllaugh:

 

[LesBaker]

Your math teacher was a slacker apparently... Stu walked 1.2. Hahahaha

Oh and I definitely had some real uphill to deal with too. Then I had to take my shoes (flip flops) off and leave them outside the door of the classroom before entering. All my teachers were the meanest/most strict Japanese ladies on the planet.

But I'm still giving you the victory here because I see that 33° temperature on your screen... that would have killed me graveyard dead.

LOL we walked to school all winter. The only time I ever took a bus was when I went to Jr. High. Even in HS I walked about a mile and a half.

This would have been you.........

 

[RamFan503]

But I'm still giving you the victory here because I see that 33° temperature on your screen... that would have killed me graveyard dead.

Wait... 33 in the Bay Area? I’m callin shenanigans.

 

[EastRam]

Aw. Clackers would mess up your arms when you missed or tried going to fast.

We built our own skateboards using roller skate trucks and wheels. Needless to say we busted our asses often! The bottle rocket fights using the metal trash can lids as shields was awesome!

Building ramps higher and higher to jump with our makeshift BMX bikes just to find more ways to bust our asses.

Pick up football was always tackle and two complete passes was a first down.

And who can forget the 3 awesome TV channels with rabbit ears. Lol.

 

[coconut]

The bottle rocket fights using the metal trash can lids as shields was awesome!

Shields. Never thought of that.

 

[RamsAndEwe]

This tread warms my heart!

Had a Football coach for History in the 8th grade. He allowed you to shoot trash baskets with scrunched paper balls. You had to announce your shot, and you had to shoot from your desk. If you missed...That a paddlin'. One lick per miss.



View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXQR-cPXlmY

 

[LesBaker]

Aw. Clackers would mess up your arms when you missed or tried going to fast.

Pick up football was always tackle and two complete passes was a first down.

Nice to see you Eastus.

Clackers are harder than bones. So yeah LOL.

And you weren't playing football in the street where there was no tackling. Or every kid in your neighborhood was made out of steel.