How many 2005 owners lived in the golden age?
8/25/05, 10:21 AM
#41
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Mike's right about it being a 'simpler' life in the 60s but there were definitely complications then too. I remember my dad and grandfather discussing whether a bomb shelter should be built somewhere on the property. Mom wanted to move to Australia. I recall being a 2nd grader in 1963, bringing 2 cans of soup to school (bomb rations) and lining up in the hallway sitting against the wall with face between our knees to practice civil alert in case nuclear subs at the nearby Portsmouth Navy Yard were attacked. At the time it was just normal activity for a kid. Parents and teachers must have been really scared at times.
8/26/05, 05:45 AM
#44
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Sorry for not getting back sooner gang. I've been busy here tackling server OS switch testing.
I've been trying to keep up, and I have to say that this has been a fantastic forum post to read. When I first posted it up, I thought surely no one would respond. Yet, you guys surprised me. It's been a fun read.
Reading what everyone has written really makes me wish I was there even more. Yet… It also makes me FEEL like I was there, and that’s what I wanted the most from this topic. I LOVE hearing stories from folks that lived that time. I could sit for hours and listen to how things used to be. I never tire of it.
Matter of fact, It makes me want to be there even more, yet it’s a time that I know I will never see. Culture was just so different then. Music was cooler, Cars were cooler, the world was different. Blue Collar workers were the dominant middle America. Nowadays, White collar workers are taking over the workplaces of middle America.
A little over a year ago, I moved out into the country – 20-30 minutes from civilization, 1 hour from where I used to live. I am in the middle of the cornfields of rural South Carolina now. Never have I felt happier and sadder.
On one hand, I LOVE the country. The air is fresh, the water is free, and the people are kind and courteous. They know your name and remember your face. They take care of you. When I say my town is small, it is 5 minutes away from, my house, has 2 stoplights, and if you blinked, you’d miss it. The country IS freedom. I can go out into my back yard and target shoot if I want. I can go into my garage and work on my car at midnight if I want. There are no barking dogs or noisy neighbors. Matter of fact, I can’t see ANY neighbors.
This is what America used to be, and that is what makes it sad. Everywhere I go I see the remnants of the glory days when America was its most beautiful. Interstates didn’t exist (or were just being built). America lived in the rural areas without a care. Families packed up in large station wagons to take road trips down the winding back roads. They stopped at mom and pop gas stations and diners. They got ice cream and hot dogs from roadside stands. Families got together all the time to visit.
Now I look around and all I see are overgrown and dilapidated service stations, ice cream stands, and rusted out cars in the middle of fields. Those great days when state and US routes were used for daily transportation have been replaced by 70 MPH interstates just a spit away. Cops have started generating more revenue by pulling people for speeding (not for the dangerous stuff like erratic driving). Kids are stuck with no outlet for their testosterone loaded bodies. They are told to be more sensitive and handed a 4 cyl civic. Even if they had the ability, the roads are too crowded now to find that good outlet.
Cars themselves have to be able to sustain faster and faster speeds for longer times as interstate speeds rise. They have to detach the driver from the road to keep them comfortable. They need to be aerodynamic to maximize fuel economy. Gas is now absurdly expensive. Computers have taken over everything making life easier and simultaneously harder and more expensive.
Middle America has changed and since the 50’s people have moved OUT of the quiet rural towns back into Urban centers. We have to have everything at our fingertips at all times. Phones, TV, Music, Culture. We need it all, and we need it now. Back then, you made an evening out of a drive in movie. Sadly, there are no more drive in movie theatres in the local areas, just mega-plexes.
My sleepy little town is going to soon be on the border of growth so rapid that thousands of acres of land will be consumed in the bat of an eye. Tens of thousands of suburban cookie cutter homes are spreading my way. Shopping centers, concrete, asphalt. It’s all coming and it’s all going to change my lifestyle, just the way it changed peoples lives in the 50’s and 60’s when the interstates came through.
What does this have to do with cars? Cars used to be simple and attractive. Now, they are complicated and bubbly, just like our lives. There are some cool cars out there, but most come with a premium price. Well, I should correct myself because we are now on the cusp of the automotive rebirth. Carmakers have a shot to make America car crazy again. They certainly have the momentum behind them. Through it all though, cars are still becoming too complicated to work on yourself. Shops with specially trained personnel are needed to repair your car. My record on my 66 mustang was an engine pull, repair and replacement in 4 hours. That’s cranking to cranking.
The only thing that will not change is the destruction of rural America. Everyone is too busy for easy living. I guess I will just enjoy it while I have it because before too long, it will be gone, just like the golden age of cars and American culture – a time when the chrome was shiny, the steel was plentiful, and the women were real. It was a better-banished time (as the band RUSH says in their song red barchetta).
Thanks for all of the replies everyone. I’m certainly enjoying feeling like I was there – just a little closer now than before. It makes my old and new mustangs that much more valuable to me.
I've been trying to keep up, and I have to say that this has been a fantastic forum post to read. When I first posted it up, I thought surely no one would respond. Yet, you guys surprised me. It's been a fun read.
Reading what everyone has written really makes me wish I was there even more. Yet… It also makes me FEEL like I was there, and that’s what I wanted the most from this topic. I LOVE hearing stories from folks that lived that time. I could sit for hours and listen to how things used to be. I never tire of it.
Matter of fact, It makes me want to be there even more, yet it’s a time that I know I will never see. Culture was just so different then. Music was cooler, Cars were cooler, the world was different. Blue Collar workers were the dominant middle America. Nowadays, White collar workers are taking over the workplaces of middle America.
A little over a year ago, I moved out into the country – 20-30 minutes from civilization, 1 hour from where I used to live. I am in the middle of the cornfields of rural South Carolina now. Never have I felt happier and sadder.
On one hand, I LOVE the country. The air is fresh, the water is free, and the people are kind and courteous. They know your name and remember your face. They take care of you. When I say my town is small, it is 5 minutes away from, my house, has 2 stoplights, and if you blinked, you’d miss it. The country IS freedom. I can go out into my back yard and target shoot if I want. I can go into my garage and work on my car at midnight if I want. There are no barking dogs or noisy neighbors. Matter of fact, I can’t see ANY neighbors.
This is what America used to be, and that is what makes it sad. Everywhere I go I see the remnants of the glory days when America was its most beautiful. Interstates didn’t exist (or were just being built). America lived in the rural areas without a care. Families packed up in large station wagons to take road trips down the winding back roads. They stopped at mom and pop gas stations and diners. They got ice cream and hot dogs from roadside stands. Families got together all the time to visit.
Now I look around and all I see are overgrown and dilapidated service stations, ice cream stands, and rusted out cars in the middle of fields. Those great days when state and US routes were used for daily transportation have been replaced by 70 MPH interstates just a spit away. Cops have started generating more revenue by pulling people for speeding (not for the dangerous stuff like erratic driving). Kids are stuck with no outlet for their testosterone loaded bodies. They are told to be more sensitive and handed a 4 cyl civic. Even if they had the ability, the roads are too crowded now to find that good outlet.
Cars themselves have to be able to sustain faster and faster speeds for longer times as interstate speeds rise. They have to detach the driver from the road to keep them comfortable. They need to be aerodynamic to maximize fuel economy. Gas is now absurdly expensive. Computers have taken over everything making life easier and simultaneously harder and more expensive.
Middle America has changed and since the 50’s people have moved OUT of the quiet rural towns back into Urban centers. We have to have everything at our fingertips at all times. Phones, TV, Music, Culture. We need it all, and we need it now. Back then, you made an evening out of a drive in movie. Sadly, there are no more drive in movie theatres in the local areas, just mega-plexes.
My sleepy little town is going to soon be on the border of growth so rapid that thousands of acres of land will be consumed in the bat of an eye. Tens of thousands of suburban cookie cutter homes are spreading my way. Shopping centers, concrete, asphalt. It’s all coming and it’s all going to change my lifestyle, just the way it changed peoples lives in the 50’s and 60’s when the interstates came through.
What does this have to do with cars? Cars used to be simple and attractive. Now, they are complicated and bubbly, just like our lives. There are some cool cars out there, but most come with a premium price. Well, I should correct myself because we are now on the cusp of the automotive rebirth. Carmakers have a shot to make America car crazy again. They certainly have the momentum behind them. Through it all though, cars are still becoming too complicated to work on yourself. Shops with specially trained personnel are needed to repair your car. My record on my 66 mustang was an engine pull, repair and replacement in 4 hours. That’s cranking to cranking.
The only thing that will not change is the destruction of rural America. Everyone is too busy for easy living. I guess I will just enjoy it while I have it because before too long, it will be gone, just like the golden age of cars and American culture – a time when the chrome was shiny, the steel was plentiful, and the women were real. It was a better-banished time (as the band RUSH says in their song red barchetta).
Thanks for all of the replies everyone. I’m certainly enjoying feeling like I was there – just a little closer now than before. It makes my old and new mustangs that much more valuable to me.
8/26/05, 07:37 AM
#45
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when the mustang came out in 64 it was kind of like the Beatles. Kids back in 64 would haunt new car showrooms the minute the new models rolled off the assembly line in Detroit. You had to be the first one to get a glimpse and if possible a broshure that you could show to all the other kids. And the mustang was the holy grail for new cars in 1964. One of the kids at school announced that the new Mustang was on a car carrier in front of the Ford Dealer. The minute the school bell rang we rode our bikes at breakneck speed over to see it.
It was the most magnificent car I had ever seen. The engine gleamed, the body shined in the showroom lights, and the smell, Ahhh. The saleman let me sit in it and it fit me like a Mickey Mantle baseball glove. Well, at least if I moved the seat up I could see over the steering wheel. I knew instantly that I had to have this car. But it cost a fortune, something like $3,000. I didn't make quite that much as a paperboy. As I filled my nostrils with that new car smell it hit me. I'll get dad to buy it! So like every other kid in town I gathered up the broshure and went home to try and convince the old man that he needed a new car to replace his 1960 Oldsmobile.
That evening after dinner I sprang the trap. I casually mentioned that the new Fords were in and that the saleman said he was giving great trade-ins especially on Oldsmobiles. "Ok, the saleman didn't actually single out Olds as the best trade in, I just threw that in to motivate the old man. I then pulled the carefully folded mustang broshure out of my back pocket and laid it before dear old dad. He looked it over lit up another Lucky Strike and grunted, which was considered very positive feedback from someone like my father.
Sure enough, on Saturday dad packed up the whole family and off we went to the Ford dealer. I slammed the read door on the Olds knowing that I would never have to ride in that again. I ran over to the mustang waving my arms and shouting "Here it is!" Soon my family would be the envy of the neighborhood in "the Mustang." But with victory almost in my grasp, I noticed my mother had stopped by Black Ford 4 door Galaxie saying "Look how much room it has." I rushed across the shwroom and grabbed my dad's arm "No wait Dad, thats the wrong car, the mustangs over there." That's when my mother dropped the bomb, saying "That's cute, but it only has 2 doors, and there isn't enough room in the back seat." Oh my god, she she played the practicality card. I was doomed. My dad was a family man with responsibilities he had to submit to practicality. He looked at the mustang and opened the hood but I knew it was all over. Every year I would go to the Ford showroom and look at the new mustangs, thinking, someday, someday.
Like my father I became a family man with responsibilities and 40 years passed before I found myself once again in a Ford showroom. I had that same feeling when I saw the 05 GT as I did when I first gazed on the 64 mustang. I still have the 05 broshure "neatly folded" in my breifcase. I still sit behind the wheel and dream of driving down the road and listening to the roar of the engine. This car called to me from my youth. As I savor the new car smell I'm reminded of all those great muscle mustangs that I sat in the 60's and 70's. You know, it was worth the wait.
It was the most magnificent car I had ever seen. The engine gleamed, the body shined in the showroom lights, and the smell, Ahhh. The saleman let me sit in it and it fit me like a Mickey Mantle baseball glove. Well, at least if I moved the seat up I could see over the steering wheel. I knew instantly that I had to have this car. But it cost a fortune, something like $3,000. I didn't make quite that much as a paperboy. As I filled my nostrils with that new car smell it hit me. I'll get dad to buy it! So like every other kid in town I gathered up the broshure and went home to try and convince the old man that he needed a new car to replace his 1960 Oldsmobile.
That evening after dinner I sprang the trap. I casually mentioned that the new Fords were in and that the saleman said he was giving great trade-ins especially on Oldsmobiles. "Ok, the saleman didn't actually single out Olds as the best trade in, I just threw that in to motivate the old man. I then pulled the carefully folded mustang broshure out of my back pocket and laid it before dear old dad. He looked it over lit up another Lucky Strike and grunted, which was considered very positive feedback from someone like my father.
Sure enough, on Saturday dad packed up the whole family and off we went to the Ford dealer. I slammed the read door on the Olds knowing that I would never have to ride in that again. I ran over to the mustang waving my arms and shouting "Here it is!" Soon my family would be the envy of the neighborhood in "the Mustang." But with victory almost in my grasp, I noticed my mother had stopped by Black Ford 4 door Galaxie saying "Look how much room it has." I rushed across the shwroom and grabbed my dad's arm "No wait Dad, thats the wrong car, the mustangs over there." That's when my mother dropped the bomb, saying "That's cute, but it only has 2 doors, and there isn't enough room in the back seat." Oh my god, she she played the practicality card. I was doomed. My dad was a family man with responsibilities he had to submit to practicality. He looked at the mustang and opened the hood but I knew it was all over. Every year I would go to the Ford showroom and look at the new mustangs, thinking, someday, someday.
Like my father I became a family man with responsibilities and 40 years passed before I found myself once again in a Ford showroom. I had that same feeling when I saw the 05 GT as I did when I first gazed on the 64 mustang. I still have the 05 broshure "neatly folded" in my breifcase. I still sit behind the wheel and dream of driving down the road and listening to the roar of the engine. This car called to me from my youth. As I savor the new car smell I'm reminded of all those great muscle mustangs that I sat in the 60's and 70's. You know, it was worth the wait.
8/26/05, 04:43 PM
#46
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Families got together all the time to visit.
Phillip: You struck a chord with that observation. Last Saturday night my wife and I had dinner with another couple, then visited with a friend and her mother at their house for a couple of hours. It was a truly delightful evening. I was lamenting on the way home from our friends' house how people used to do that all the time when we were kids in the 1960s, but rarely do that today. We are all too busy, or there are otherwise too many distractions these days .
That's kind of what I was referring to above, that we are on information overload, with too much coming at us too fast too often.
Philip: You'd do well to befriend an older guy or couple, someone in their 50s or 60s, and spend time with them reminiscing about their "good old days". Someone like Glen above; who was a kid captivated by the Mustang upon introduction int he late spring of 1964. Or someone older, who was a teenager in the 1950s who became a "responsible adult" in the 1960s.
You'll learn a lot, feel really good, and I assure you they will enjoy and appreciate your company.
Phillip: You struck a chord with that observation. Last Saturday night my wife and I had dinner with another couple, then visited with a friend and her mother at their house for a couple of hours. It was a truly delightful evening. I was lamenting on the way home from our friends' house how people used to do that all the time when we were kids in the 1960s, but rarely do that today. We are all too busy, or there are otherwise too many distractions these days .
That's kind of what I was referring to above, that we are on information overload, with too much coming at us too fast too often.
Philip: You'd do well to befriend an older guy or couple, someone in their 50s or 60s, and spend time with them reminiscing about their "good old days". Someone like Glen above; who was a kid captivated by the Mustang upon introduction int he late spring of 1964. Or someone older, who was a teenager in the 1950s who became a "responsible adult" in the 1960s.
You'll learn a lot, feel really good, and I assure you they will enjoy and appreciate your company.
8/26/05, 04:55 PM
#47
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I applaud, commend and thank the Ford Motor Company for having the vision to design, develop and (guts to) produce the 2005 Mustang. This "throwback" to the muscle car era has struck a resounding chord across America, so I am obviously not alone. I hope they keep the design concept for a long time, don't mess it up, and that other automakers get on the bandwagon.
We'll never have the steel and chrome of yesteryear, but this is a beautiful car in its own right. I've already gotten more favorable commetns on my 05 Mustang GT than any other car I've ever owned.
It's more than just a car; it is a wonderful experience that evokes memories and emotions from days gone by. That's a very good thing.
We'll never have the steel and chrome of yesteryear, but this is a beautiful car in its own right. I've already gotten more favorable commetns on my 05 Mustang GT than any other car I've ever owned.
It's more than just a car; it is a wonderful experience that evokes memories and emotions from days gone by. That's a very good thing.
8/27/05, 02:28 AM
#48
Ok. guys, this thread is simply splendid but now my piece of cake :
I am 20 and live in Europe.People living in my country associate 50/60's as the worst time to live.My country was under the communist regime,occupied by the Soviet army.There was absolutely nothing and people lived like in huge jail.They weren't allowed to leave the country,there was secret police,the shops were empty,the wages sometimes too small to survive,censorship,propaganda-I would say heck on earth.My father was born that time.That's why when I say I would love to live in that time he looks at me like at an idiot.Therefore I always add that I mean living in the U.S.A.He simply can't have dreams like most of You also he has no dream associated with beautiful cars or music.The commies did everything to keep the citizens poor and the music was completely unavailable.There were maybe two cars produced which were crap and were only a basic transportation-nothing to love.What do I mention it for? I just want to say You should thank God that you were born in such great times and nothing diluted your Youth.
As far as my person is concerned,I was born in times also quite interesting to grow up.I don't have memories connected with cars but the early 90's in the pre-Soviet countries may be in some way compared to the 60's in the U.S-many political,social changes which have a great impact on lifes of all Poles.(collapse of the Communism,building the Democracy and other simple things as first shopping malls,computers etc)
OK You are probably already bored with my history lesson so now about my love to that 50/60's era.Since I was born I watched hundreds of films about the so-called American Dream(for ex.The Wonder Years,Dazed&Confused,American Graffiti).I saw the cars,cities,beautiful girls,drive ins,I heard the music and I was really fascinated by that era.When I was 10 I promised myself to live like the people on the video tape.Now I am 20 and I must say I am sad.The dreams didn't come true.Of course I do have a car and I listen to music of the golden era but it's not enough for me.My car is an old VW and many young people laugh at my 'old-school fascination'.I must say that I hate the times that I live in.I hate hip-hop,discos,cheaply tuned VW Golfs which are perceived as the best cars for young people.Me and my friends would like to go somewhere where we would chat surrounded by other people like we ,where we could park our cars and listen to rock'n'roll,such places unfortunately don?t exist.All the modern clubs which became very popular in the last few years really bring me down.Despite the fact they are crowded everybody feels lonely there.
Sorry if I spoiled your mood.But I have reasons to be a little bit pessimistic.I am not able to afford the Mustang.If I wanted to have it it would cost twice as much as in the U.S+the gas prices are much higher.So I envy those of You who have such a great car in my age
Best wishes and congratulations for the father of this thread
I am 20 and live in Europe.People living in my country associate 50/60's as the worst time to live.My country was under the communist regime,occupied by the Soviet army.There was absolutely nothing and people lived like in huge jail.They weren't allowed to leave the country,there was secret police,the shops were empty,the wages sometimes too small to survive,censorship,propaganda-I would say heck on earth.My father was born that time.That's why when I say I would love to live in that time he looks at me like at an idiot.Therefore I always add that I mean living in the U.S.A.He simply can't have dreams like most of You also he has no dream associated with beautiful cars or music.The commies did everything to keep the citizens poor and the music was completely unavailable.There were maybe two cars produced which were crap and were only a basic transportation-nothing to love.What do I mention it for? I just want to say You should thank God that you were born in such great times and nothing diluted your Youth.
As far as my person is concerned,I was born in times also quite interesting to grow up.I don't have memories connected with cars but the early 90's in the pre-Soviet countries may be in some way compared to the 60's in the U.S-many political,social changes which have a great impact on lifes of all Poles.(collapse of the Communism,building the Democracy and other simple things as first shopping malls,computers etc)
OK You are probably already bored with my history lesson so now about my love to that 50/60's era.Since I was born I watched hundreds of films about the so-called American Dream(for ex.The Wonder Years,Dazed&Confused,American Graffiti).I saw the cars,cities,beautiful girls,drive ins,I heard the music and I was really fascinated by that era.When I was 10 I promised myself to live like the people on the video tape.Now I am 20 and I must say I am sad.The dreams didn't come true.Of course I do have a car and I listen to music of the golden era but it's not enough for me.My car is an old VW and many young people laugh at my 'old-school fascination'.I must say that I hate the times that I live in.I hate hip-hop,discos,cheaply tuned VW Golfs which are perceived as the best cars for young people.Me and my friends would like to go somewhere where we would chat surrounded by other people like we ,where we could park our cars and listen to rock'n'roll,such places unfortunately don?t exist.All the modern clubs which became very popular in the last few years really bring me down.Despite the fact they are crowded everybody feels lonely there.
Sorry if I spoiled your mood.But I have reasons to be a little bit pessimistic.I am not able to afford the Mustang.If I wanted to have it it would cost twice as much as in the U.S+the gas prices are much higher.So I envy those of You who have such a great car in my age
Best wishes and congratulations for the father of this thread
8/27/05, 06:27 AM
#49
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This was a blast from the past!!! Very good read. Born in 1950 and driving underage without a lic. in the 60's. It's a miracle I survived it.
Been a car guy ever since. My 05 Mustang GT has gave me a second chance in my life to relive my youth and remember fond memories.
Got to drive a brand new 66,69 Mustang, thanks to my Mustang Dad!!!
Those days of 55,56,57 Chevys, 63 split window vettes, Fords Thunderbolts,
These numbers 260,289,351,390,427,428,429,265,283,301,302,327,35 0,396,389.383,348,273,340,426,454 are all from that past!!!
Happy Trails!!!
B)
Been a car guy ever since. My 05 Mustang GT has gave me a second chance in my life to relive my youth and remember fond memories.
Got to drive a brand new 66,69 Mustang, thanks to my Mustang Dad!!!
Those days of 55,56,57 Chevys, 63 split window vettes, Fords Thunderbolts,
These numbers 260,289,351,390,427,428,429,265,283,301,302,327,35 0,396,389.383,348,273,340,426,454 are all from that past!!!
Happy Trails!!!
B)
8/27/05, 11:15 AM
#51
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Originally posted by scottie1113@August 23, 2005, 9:23 PM
We're there now. Today's cars are so much better than the ones of old with the possible exception of styling, and that's an individual preference. Me, I like what's on the market today. Think about about. EFI, traction control or AWD, 5 or 6 speed or DSG trannies, disc barakes that actually stop you in the rain vs drums, fuel economy that no one back then would have believed--well, you see my point. And it's available in everything from a grocery getter to a flat out performance car.
I'm not an 05 owner but I was born in 1947 and grew up during the era you asked about. The only things better then were the music and the traffic. Find a 50's or 60's car and drive it. You won't believe the sloppy steering and poor handling compared to today's cars.
And they weren't that fast. My first new car was a 1970 SS350 Camaro. 4 speed, 4 bbl carb. At 70 mpg when I put my foot in it I heard hear those secondaries open and I could watch the gas gauge dropping fast. Easy to tune, but you had to do it a lot more often than with today's rides. Back then, power steering was an option. I didn't have it and parallel parking was as good an exercise as a workout in the gym. AC was also an option.
Before the Camaro I had a 1967 Olds. It had been a CHP cruiser and had a 425 cu in motor and a police calibrated speedo. It was still painted balck and white minus the CHP logos and everybody moved over when I came up on them. Yeah, sort of fun, but don't even ask me about the mpg. I did a run from northern Virginia to Columbus, Ohio in the spring of 1970 with a friend who was driving a 69 Vette with the 427 mill. We made a lot of stops for gas, and his car only drank Sunoco. I've forgotten the octane, but it was way up there.
He left the car with me for about 6 months when he went on a cruise. No, not what you think. We were in the Marines then. The car was a blast but in the rain it was so easy to spin the tires that a VW could--and did--beat me from a green light.
I think fondly about those times and those cars but believe me, from an automotive perspective, these are the good old days.
We're there now. Today's cars are so much better than the ones of old with the possible exception of styling, and that's an individual preference. Me, I like what's on the market today. Think about about. EFI, traction control or AWD, 5 or 6 speed or DSG trannies, disc barakes that actually stop you in the rain vs drums, fuel economy that no one back then would have believed--well, you see my point. And it's available in everything from a grocery getter to a flat out performance car.
I'm not an 05 owner but I was born in 1947 and grew up during the era you asked about. The only things better then were the music and the traffic. Find a 50's or 60's car and drive it. You won't believe the sloppy steering and poor handling compared to today's cars.
And they weren't that fast. My first new car was a 1970 SS350 Camaro. 4 speed, 4 bbl carb. At 70 mpg when I put my foot in it I heard hear those secondaries open and I could watch the gas gauge dropping fast. Easy to tune, but you had to do it a lot more often than with today's rides. Back then, power steering was an option. I didn't have it and parallel parking was as good an exercise as a workout in the gym. AC was also an option.
Before the Camaro I had a 1967 Olds. It had been a CHP cruiser and had a 425 cu in motor and a police calibrated speedo. It was still painted balck and white minus the CHP logos and everybody moved over when I came up on them. Yeah, sort of fun, but don't even ask me about the mpg. I did a run from northern Virginia to Columbus, Ohio in the spring of 1970 with a friend who was driving a 69 Vette with the 427 mill. We made a lot of stops for gas, and his car only drank Sunoco. I've forgotten the octane, but it was way up there.
He left the car with me for about 6 months when he went on a cruise. No, not what you think. We were in the Marines then. The car was a blast but in the rain it was so easy to spin the tires that a VW could--and did--beat me from a green light.
I think fondly about those times and those cars but believe me, from an automotive perspective, these are the good old days.
All I got to say is...
push rods motors > ohc motors. Other than that I agree with you.
8/28/05, 01:16 AM
#52
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Hey, technology marches on. My first car was a well used 1959 Jag with DOHC. A rarity then but common today, and I'll take a chain driven OHC to a pushrod mill almost every time.
One of my more memorable Mustang moments came in 1965. I was a senior in high school and a buddy of mine set up a blind date for me witha girl named Ethyl. I knew when I first heard the name that it was going to be a horrible experience, but I acquiesced for his sake.
I was in Japan at the time and had only seen one other Mustang, owned by a Japanese friend of mine and imported at a 100% tax rate. It was painted gold and it was fast for its day. But I digress.
We took a train from Yokohama to Tokyo where his girlfriend Bridgett, a blond sweetie and the daughter of a shipping company executive met us in her medium blue Mustang coupe. As I stood there mesmerized by the car and dreading meeting my date, the rear seat flipped forward and the most incredible pair of legs I have ever seen began to emerge from the back seat. Ethyl was drop dead gorgeous.
I still would love to have the Mustang she arrived in.....
One of my more memorable Mustang moments came in 1965. I was a senior in high school and a buddy of mine set up a blind date for me witha girl named Ethyl. I knew when I first heard the name that it was going to be a horrible experience, but I acquiesced for his sake.
I was in Japan at the time and had only seen one other Mustang, owned by a Japanese friend of mine and imported at a 100% tax rate. It was painted gold and it was fast for its day. But I digress.
We took a train from Yokohama to Tokyo where his girlfriend Bridgett, a blond sweetie and the daughter of a shipping company executive met us in her medium blue Mustang coupe. As I stood there mesmerized by the car and dreading meeting my date, the rear seat flipped forward and the most incredible pair of legs I have ever seen began to emerge from the back seat. Ethyl was drop dead gorgeous.
I still would love to have the Mustang she arrived in.....
8/28/05, 06:51 AM
#53
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Oh, the good ole days.
When I was in high school in the 70's, my best friend and I would look in the classified section for muscle cars. We would call the guy up and see if he still had the car for sale and then go look at them.
I'll never forget one we saw. We called on a '65 mustang convertible. Went to see it in a very well to do part of town.
The guy had it in a mini garage that he had built just for the car.
It was a yellow '65 vert with 700 miles on it.
He told us the story of his son saving for the car in his senior year of HS.
He bought it just as he graduated and drove it for the summer.
That fall he was drafted, and went to 'nam. He never came home. The dad kept the car and could not sell it. He built the garage for it and put it on blocks. He was asking $1200 for it. That was $1199 more than my buddy and I had put together.
I have to salute that son and all the others that are/have served to have given us that golden era. I feel for people like Ralph who haven't had that chance. We gripe and complain about the most ridiculous things, but when the day is done, we have everything anyone could ever want and then some.
I have a good friend from Bosnia and he relates his youth much the same as Ralph. He was in the army as a sniper at age 14. At 14, I was chasing girls and mowing lawns and asking my older brother to give me a ride in his cuda. My dad worked and my my mom ran the house. We left the doors unlocked and had sing-a-longs around the fire in the back yard.
The neighbors mom yelled at us when we did something wrong. Girls respected themselves (most of them) and most of the boys respected that. We all respected our elders no matter who they were.
The cars back then. One word. WOW.
When I was in high school in the 70's, my best friend and I would look in the classified section for muscle cars. We would call the guy up and see if he still had the car for sale and then go look at them.
I'll never forget one we saw. We called on a '65 mustang convertible. Went to see it in a very well to do part of town.
The guy had it in a mini garage that he had built just for the car.
It was a yellow '65 vert with 700 miles on it.
He told us the story of his son saving for the car in his senior year of HS.
He bought it just as he graduated and drove it for the summer.
That fall he was drafted, and went to 'nam. He never came home. The dad kept the car and could not sell it. He built the garage for it and put it on blocks. He was asking $1200 for it. That was $1199 more than my buddy and I had put together.
I have to salute that son and all the others that are/have served to have given us that golden era. I feel for people like Ralph who haven't had that chance. We gripe and complain about the most ridiculous things, but when the day is done, we have everything anyone could ever want and then some.
I have a good friend from Bosnia and he relates his youth much the same as Ralph. He was in the army as a sniper at age 14. At 14, I was chasing girls and mowing lawns and asking my older brother to give me a ride in his cuda. My dad worked and my my mom ran the house. We left the doors unlocked and had sing-a-longs around the fire in the back yard.
The neighbors mom yelled at us when we did something wrong. Girls respected themselves (most of them) and most of the boys respected that. We all respected our elders no matter who they were.
The cars back then. One word. WOW.
8/28/05, 12:45 PM
#54
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Phillip
I was born in 1950. Thanks for starting this thread and giving people a chance to "remember" and talk about it. For the past several years I have found myself REALLY missing the 50's and the 60's.. . ... The cars AND the simpler times. People AND cars had "style" then. I am not sure what we have now. Cars are definitely better in many aspects. I am not sure about people, and when it comes right down to it, it is "people" that make the "times". You seem an OLD soul. . I wih you and I could go back 45 years in a time machine. I would have such a great time showing you "those years".
I was born in 1950. Thanks for starting this thread and giving people a chance to "remember" and talk about it. For the past several years I have found myself REALLY missing the 50's and the 60's.. . ... The cars AND the simpler times. People AND cars had "style" then. I am not sure what we have now. Cars are definitely better in many aspects. I am not sure about people, and when it comes right down to it, it is "people" that make the "times". You seem an OLD soul. . I wih you and I could go back 45 years in a time machine. I would have such a great time showing you "those years".
8/28/05, 01:48 PM
#55
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wow, just read this whole thread an....wow.
beleive it or not, i'm a 16 year old who LIKES to hear these old stories about a simpler lifetime. this thread is friggin awesome.
alt me just say, Ralph, i really appreciate your post. it really puts everything in perspective. just because here in the US everything was hunky dory, doesnt mean it was everyhwere else. my parents were both born in the 50s i think. they lived in the Fiji Islands (their Grandparents were brought over from India as indentured servants to farm sugar cane n stuff, they didnt really have a choice though...) my mom came here in '67 and my dad came in '86. Muscle cars were the last things on their minds when they came here. it was alla bout getting settled in and getting a new life started you know?
just thanks for reminding everyone that no matter what, someone else always is worse off than you and you should be thank ful
man, but as i go, and im reading all these awesome stories of the 50s and 60s, oh how i wish i could have been there. most of my friends despise old rock, forwn upon old cars (unless they are like shelbys, SSs or Hemis etc) and laugh at my hair (the 'fro is here to stay ppl). i say forget them. i dont give a darn much about hip hop, imort tuning or 'normal' hair. i figure, if i cant live in the 50s/60s/70s for real, i might as well bring them back to everyone around me ^_^ and thats good enough for me
im rambling again...
keep them stories from a better time coming i dont see you all (wel... most of you 
) as geezers, but as cool dudes from another time. heck without old dudes like you, what would i know about cool old cars and music and all the great things from way back when? i guess i owe you guys..
beleive it or not, i'm a 16 year old who LIKES to hear these old stories about a simpler lifetime. this thread is friggin awesome.
alt me just say, Ralph, i really appreciate your post. it really puts everything in perspective. just because here in the US everything was hunky dory, doesnt mean it was everyhwere else. my parents were both born in the 50s i think. they lived in the Fiji Islands (their Grandparents were brought over from India as indentured servants to farm sugar cane n stuff, they didnt really have a choice though...) my mom came here in '67 and my dad came in '86. Muscle cars were the last things on their minds when they came here. it was alla bout getting settled in and getting a new life started you know?
just thanks for reminding everyone that no matter what, someone else always is worse off than you and you should be thank ful
man, but as i go, and im reading all these awesome stories of the 50s and 60s, oh how i wish i could have been there. most of my friends despise old rock, forwn upon old cars (unless they are like shelbys, SSs or Hemis etc) and laugh at my hair (the 'fro is here to stay ppl). i say forget them. i dont give a darn much about hip hop, imort tuning or 'normal' hair. i figure, if i cant live in the 50s/60s/70s for real, i might as well bring them back to everyone around me ^_^ and thats good enough for me
im rambling again...
keep them stories from a better time coming
i dont see you all (wel... most of you ) as geezers, but as cool dudes from another time. heck without old dudes like you, what would i know about cool old cars and music and all the great things from way back when? i guess i owe you guys..
8/28/05, 01:50 PM
#56
Born in 62 I lived through that time when you never had to lock your doors ,your word to someone ment everything and you followed through with it and the belt or wooden spoon was never far away to put you in line if you did something really bad 
My first look at a Mustang was in 66 the neighbors kid from collage just picked up a 65 6cyl a medium/dark mettalic blue with white vinyl interior and knock off hubcaps .Its just one of those things you don't forget and I thought it was one of the best looking cars I had ever seen.
As i grew up I developed a great love for cars of all types the classics or newer 60's and 70's those cars couldn't be beat but with the oil embargo and safety issues that were put in on the 73 year cars (the golden age of bus bumpers on cars) emmisions had pretty much killed everything for many a year to come .
It was in the late 70's and eary 80's with the Trans Ams that v8s with power started to show up again and the movie "Smokey and the bandit " probably helped revive that v8 sports car feelling again unfortuneately Dodge /chrysler almost went under and with gov/ bail out and Lee Iacocca from ford to head the co. it made a turn around but it would be years before they would see a sports car again leaving GM and Ford to slug it out .
With most of the baby boomers still in the family phase it would't be till a few years ago with the bug and the PT cruser to set the stage for the boomers that now were finding freed up money from the kids growing up and moving out that Mustang would finnally leap out and take center stage again appealing from everyone from all ages .
Phillip enjoy what you see today for you never know you could look back in 20 years from now with hydrogen/electric cars and think 05 was your golden age ,enjoy it while its here for you never know what tomorrow might bring
My first look at a Mustang was in 66 the neighbors kid from collage just picked up a 65 6cyl a medium/dark mettalic blue with white vinyl interior and knock off hubcaps .Its just one of those things you don't forget and I thought it was one of the best looking cars I had ever seen.As i grew up I developed a great love for cars of all types the classics or newer 60's and 70's those cars couldn't be beat but with the oil embargo and safety issues that were put in on the 73 year cars (the golden age of bus bumpers on cars) emmisions had pretty much killed everything for many a year to come .
It was in the late 70's and eary 80's with the Trans Ams that v8s with power started to show up again and the movie "Smokey and the bandit " probably helped revive that v8 sports car feelling again unfortuneately Dodge /chrysler almost went under and with gov/ bail out and Lee Iacocca from ford to head the co. it made a turn around but it would be years before they would see a sports car again leaving GM and Ford to slug it out .
With most of the baby boomers still in the family phase it would't be till a few years ago with the bug and the PT cruser to set the stage for the boomers that now were finding freed up money from the kids growing up and moving out that Mustang would finnally leap out and take center stage again appealing from everyone from all ages .
Phillip enjoy what you see today for you never know you could look back in 20 years from now with hydrogen/electric cars and think 05 was your golden age ,enjoy it while its here for you never know what tomorrow might bring
8/28/05, 08:33 PM
#57
(This bit of old fart self congratulatory e-mail has been floating around for a couple of years now. I'm going to be 50 (yikes!) in November, so I guess I'm one of them LOL)
TO ALL THE KIDS
WHO SURVIVED the
1930's 40's, 50's,
60's and 70's !!
First,
we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they carried
us.
They
took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested
for diabetes.
Then after
that trauma, our baby cribs were covered with bright colored lead-based
paints.
We had no
childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we
had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took
hitchhiking
As
children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags.
Riding
in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat.
We
drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle.
We
shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE
actually
died from this.
We
ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank soda pop with sugar in it,
but
we
weren't overweight because
WE
WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!
We
would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back
when
the streetlights came on.
No one was
able to reach us all day. And we were O.K.
We
would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down
the
hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the
bushes
a few times, we learned to solve the problem.
We did not have
Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no
99
channels on cable, no video tape movies, no surround sound, no cell
phones,
no personal computers, no Internet or Internet chat
rooms..........WE
HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!
We
fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no
lawsuits from these
accidents.
We ate worms
and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did
not live in us forever.
We were given
BB guns for our 10th birthdays,
made up games with
sticks and tennis ***** and although we were told it would happen, we did not
put out very many eyes.
We
rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang
the
bell, or just walked in and talked to them!
Little League had
tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't
had
to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!
The idea of a
parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with
the law!
This
generation has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers
and inventors ever!
The past 50
years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.
We
had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned
HOW
TO
DEAL
WITH IT ALL!
And
YOU are one of them! CONGRATULATIONS!
You
might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids,
before the lawyers and the government regulated our lives for our own good
and
while you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave their
parents were.
Kind of makes
you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't
it?!
TO ALL THE KIDS
WHO SURVIVED the
1930's 40's, 50's,
60's and 70's !!
First,
we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they carried
us.
They
took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested
for diabetes.
Then after
that trauma, our baby cribs were covered with bright colored lead-based
paints.
We had no
childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we
had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took
hitchhiking
As
children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags.
Riding
in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat.
We
drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle.
We
shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE
actually
died from this.
We
ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank soda pop with sugar in it,
but
we
weren't overweight because
WE
WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!
We
would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back
when
the streetlights came on.
No one was
able to reach us all day. And we were O.K.
We
would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down
the
hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the
bushes
a few times, we learned to solve the problem.
We did not have
Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no
99
channels on cable, no video tape movies, no surround sound, no cell
phones,
no personal computers, no Internet or Internet chat
rooms..........WE
HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!
We
fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no
lawsuits from these
accidents.
We ate worms
and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did
not live in us forever.
We were given
BB guns for our 10th birthdays,
made up games with
sticks and tennis ***** and although we were told it would happen, we did not
put out very many eyes.
We
rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang
the
bell, or just walked in and talked to them!
Little League had
tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't
had
to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!
The idea of a
parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with
the law!
This
generation has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers
and inventors ever!
The past 50
years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.
We
had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned
HOW
TO
DEAL
WITH IT ALL!
And
YOU are one of them! CONGRATULATIONS!
You
might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids,
before the lawyers and the government regulated our lives for our own good
and
while you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave their
parents were.
Kind of makes
you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't
it?!
8/28/05, 10:24 PM
#58
I remember when I first saw the Mustang in 1964. I was 9 years old. It was Poppy Red with a black interior, 260 V8 automatic. It looked just like the big plastic model you could get at the dealer. I am the youngest of eight children, so one of my older brothers would cart me around when the new cars came out in the fall. I'd pay him $2 of my allowance for gas ;-) They still covered the windows in butcher block paper to hide the new models. Some cars were covered until the BIG unveiling. (To this day... whenever I see a car cover on an older car....I just GOTTA take a peak!)
Sometimes they would drop me off on a Saturday and I would walk to all the dealerships....when they were all still intown and in small brick store fronts relatively close.....even on a winter day in Minnesota, the brisk walk was good! The Chevrolet dealership was around the block from the Buick/Pontiac dealer and another three to the Cadillac/Olds dealer. The city library was inbetween so I always had a good excuse! Sometimes I would read my prized posessions AT the library. In 1966 (at 11) I could tell the difference at a glance between a lowly Calais and a Fleetwood.
The Ford/Lincoln/Mercury dealer was next to our church back then. So every Sunday I ran out before everyone else and looked at the new Fords! When the dealership moved to a bigger more sanitary mega-lot in 1970 next to the Holiday Inn I kinda lost my religion LOL. (I also remember my second oldest sister getting a new 71 Ford Van then and I was PISHED she didn't get the new leftover gold/brown 351 Cleveland 4V automatic 70 Mach 1 for the same price! I tried to talk my brother into getting it (he had a 65 Mustang by then) to no avail.
A year later I got my first car (my big brother co-signed for me) a 1964 Galaxie 500 2 door HT, red/white top, red interior, 390 4V Cruisomatic and aftermarket A/C. $400. In 1971 the Galaxie was only 7 or 8 years old but it seemed ancient then (Gasp! I was 9 when it came out!) with at least three major body changes since then. I updated it with wheel covers I "5 fingered" at a junk yard.....the 70 Mach 1 wheel covers;-)
I went through a Mopar phase after that, with a 68 Barracuda, while my sister had a 68 Cougar then...both Turquoise metallic. I wanted a certain 69 Cougar XR-7 really bad (Pale Aqua/White vinyl top, Dark Aqua leather interior, 390 4V) it was 4 years old, but I could get a used 1971 Dodge Demon 340 (Hemi Orange, auto, rubber floor mats, bench seat!) cheaper. Back then Cougars still meant something. BTW Check my aviator/sig.
As popular as Mopars are now, quite frankly they were junk back then. They rattled and rusted out in months if not a couple of years. They were just cheap fast cars. We all had relatively cheap used muscle cars in High School. The parking lot was full of 67-71 Road Runners, GTXs,
Mach 1s, Torino Cobras, SS whatevers, GTOs, one "kid" even had a 63 split window Corvette...unless of course we weren't driving around and doing bleach outs on the hill in front of school! That wasn't an everyday event like you might think.....we did that for spring breaks and the end of the year when it didn't matter if we were "reported."
I graduated in 1974. Went to college. Bought a Mustang II Ghia. Car insurance got absurd. OPEC happened. Life happened. Chrysler almost folded, Toyota florished. In 1982 I bought a new Mercury Capri 5.0 HO (red/red, 4 speed) At 167 HP the muscle car was reborn! LOL It was the Mustang's sister car from 79-86, almost like the Cougars were earlier.
The more things change, the more they stay the same! As in my bright Torch RED 05 Mustang GT. While I don't feel 9 again it does seem somehow logical! I'm going to the dealership tomorrow to see if they have the red 1/18 HOT WHEELS model of my car
Sometimes they would drop me off on a Saturday and I would walk to all the dealerships....when they were all still intown and in small brick store fronts relatively close.....even on a winter day in Minnesota, the brisk walk was good! The Chevrolet dealership was around the block from the Buick/Pontiac dealer and another three to the Cadillac/Olds dealer. The city library was inbetween so I always had a good excuse! Sometimes I would read my prized posessions AT the library. In 1966 (at 11) I could tell the difference at a glance between a lowly Calais and a Fleetwood.
The Ford/Lincoln/Mercury dealer was next to our church back then. So every Sunday I ran out before everyone else and looked at the new Fords! When the dealership moved to a bigger more sanitary mega-lot in 1970 next to the Holiday Inn I kinda lost my religion LOL. (I also remember my second oldest sister getting a new 71 Ford Van then and I was PISHED she didn't get the new leftover gold/brown 351 Cleveland 4V automatic 70 Mach 1 for the same price! I tried to talk my brother into getting it (he had a 65 Mustang by then) to no avail.
A year later I got my first car (my big brother co-signed for me) a 1964 Galaxie 500 2 door HT, red/white top, red interior, 390 4V Cruisomatic and aftermarket A/C. $400. In 1971 the Galaxie was only 7 or 8 years old but it seemed ancient then (Gasp! I was 9 when it came out!) with at least three major body changes since then. I updated it with wheel covers I "5 fingered" at a junk yard.....the 70 Mach 1 wheel covers;-)
I went through a Mopar phase after that, with a 68 Barracuda, while my sister had a 68 Cougar then...both Turquoise metallic. I wanted a certain 69 Cougar XR-7 really bad (Pale Aqua/White vinyl top, Dark Aqua leather interior, 390 4V) it was 4 years old, but I could get a used 1971 Dodge Demon 340 (Hemi Orange, auto, rubber floor mats, bench seat!) cheaper. Back then Cougars still meant something. BTW Check my aviator/sig.
As popular as Mopars are now, quite frankly they were junk back then. They rattled and rusted out in months if not a couple of years. They were just cheap fast cars. We all had relatively cheap used muscle cars in High School. The parking lot was full of 67-71 Road Runners, GTXs,
Mach 1s, Torino Cobras, SS whatevers, GTOs, one "kid" even had a 63 split window Corvette...unless of course we weren't driving around and doing bleach outs on the hill in front of school! That wasn't an everyday event like you might think.....we did that for spring breaks and the end of the year when it didn't matter if we were "reported."
I graduated in 1974. Went to college. Bought a Mustang II Ghia. Car insurance got absurd. OPEC happened. Life happened. Chrysler almost folded, Toyota florished. In 1982 I bought a new Mercury Capri 5.0 HO (red/red, 4 speed) At 167 HP the muscle car was reborn! LOL It was the Mustang's sister car from 79-86, almost like the Cougars were earlier.
The more things change, the more they stay the same! As in my bright Torch RED 05 Mustang GT. While I don't feel 9 again it does seem somehow logical! I'm going to the dealership tomorrow to see if they have the red 1/18 HOT WHEELS model of my car
8/28/05, 10:39 PM
#59
Closet American
Join Date: July 17, 2005
Location: Vancouver, BC (Hollywood North)
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Originally posted by StangerX@August 23, 2005, 9:57 AM
I wish so badly that the automobile industry would go back to that time when cars were stunning, fast, and bristling with innovation.
I wish so badly that the automobile industry would go back to that time when cars were stunning, fast, and bristling with innovation.
8/29/05, 07:40 AM
#60
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Thanks for all of the replies everyone. It's been a great read. Perhaps I'll share a few more of my deep thoughts.
My Grandfather was probably the single biggest influence in my life. He was a tough SOB on the outside, but deep down he was a softy. He had a huge impact on my father. He also had a direct and indirect impact on me.
My grandmother died when I was very young, so I always remember him as a solo man. He wore jump suits. He taught me the value of getting exercise. He graced me with "coke and nab" - the greatest snack/meal on the plannet.
He used to... for lack of a better word... peddle small wares in the ghettos. He never carried a gun, and he never got shot. He use to take me with him to show me what the real world was all about. "You stay in school and be smart so you never end up here." He used to say.
This man taught me to be tough. He also taught me to respect my elders. He taught me that they have wisdom beyond my years and even beyond my parents years. Because of him (God rest his soul), I have always been years ahead of my generation. I have always loved talking to older folks. They have so much to share. I heed their advice when it comes to do's and don'ts. Guess what... they're right!
That's why I continue to listen and associate myself with older people. One of my favorite mentors in recent history was a co-worker at my previous job. He is an ex-Navy chief - quite a salty sailor. He looks like santa clause, and his voice is rough like sand paper. He tells me stories of many times gone by. He loves cars, and he had some cool ones. I learned (and still do learn) a lot from that man.
People nowadays are too self absorbed with their mocha-frappa-latte-spresso's to think beyond themselves. They don't have concern for other people. They mearly focus on their own self good. Why not? We live in a society where everything is about instant gratification because it's all at your fingertips. There's no need for patience.
People also focus too hard on making statements. They advertise for this company, or that company. They broadcast the entire contents of their car via stickers. They wear clothing that advertises their car, or their other hobbies. Folks are rude and unconcernned. Women don't even give you something to look forward to. They have no respect for themselves and even less for the men they are trying to attract.
That is why I have disconnected myself by moving out into the country. At least when I'm home, I am reletively safe from the yuppie suburbanite tank commander (aka - suv driving folk) oblivionites. I actually talk to people that are friendly and considerate. They are kind and curteous.
This weekend, my wife and I went with another couple to an amusement park. I don't know if I have become so de-programmed that it stood out MORE, or if it's just getting worse. Either way, I noticed people more. I saw girls that could not have been more than in grade school. They were not even DEVELOPED yet, and they were running around in string bakinis with their butts and chests (what little they had that was being held up by a push-up bra) hanging out through the frilly pink lace of victoria's secret underwear.
There were other older girls walking around with it all hanging out. Some had on playboy parafrenalia - like bakini tops. Guys were walking around with lewd shirts - like things that showed a sillouette of a couple getting it on and it stated: Varsity co-ed wrestling. This is in an atmosphere with CHILDREN! Heck, many of them HAD children!
It was obscene and disgusting. The more I tried to focus on having a good time, the more I could not help but be overwhelmed by these people. It is disgusting what this culture is coming to. We are not being ravaged by plagues, oppressive governments, or hunger. We are being faced with a blight that is much more self inflicted and harmful over the long haul.
I sit and talk with 2 guys at lunch. One of them is vintage (on these forums). He and I were co-workers for 3 years and are still really good friends. We continue to eat lunch each day to catch up and talk about the world. He is the only person my age that I have found I can talk openly with without feeling disgusted. In many ways, he thinks the same way I do.
Well, the guy that replaced me eats with us. He sits every day and oggles over the females. This man is married and about 7-8 years OLDER than me, mind you. He loudly declares every day how hot some girl is that's passing by. Vintage and I just hang our heads in shame. We ignore his comments and continue with deeper conversations.
What's really bad is that this guy is having trouble in his marriage. He now announces that to the world, and instead of talking about fixing it, he pretty much is talking about cheating.
What a twisted world we live in! How I long for the times when marriage was not just a casual aquaintance. It was a life long commitment that was not to be broken by fear of God. When Discipline taught children to behave. Society was not so lewd, women respected themselves, cars were fast and beautiful, and courtesy was expected.
In some ways the culture was still there when I was a kid. Except for the cars, I was raised in that environment. That's why I love hanging out with older folks FAR MORE than I will ever enjoy hanging out with people my own age. I dont' want to talk about sex, money, riches, and hollywood. I want to talk about a time long gone when people were better, life was different (and in many ways simpler and still better), and cars were cooler.
I guess I just have to settle for watching the world through the eyes of people that lived in a different time without actually having lived it. I'll just soak up as much wistom, as many stories, and as much culture from that time as I can and pass it along to my children and any that will listen. Hopefully as the baby boomers take over, their desire to remenice will force society's hand at going retro in some respects - enough to allow me to taste the time I should have lived in.
Thanks so much for the great stories everyone, and keep em coming. It's the fuel keeps me going day to day without feeling depressed and downtrodden.
My Grandfather was probably the single biggest influence in my life. He was a tough SOB on the outside, but deep down he was a softy. He had a huge impact on my father. He also had a direct and indirect impact on me.
My grandmother died when I was very young, so I always remember him as a solo man. He wore jump suits. He taught me the value of getting exercise. He graced me with "coke and nab" - the greatest snack/meal on the plannet.
He used to... for lack of a better word... peddle small wares in the ghettos. He never carried a gun, and he never got shot. He use to take me with him to show me what the real world was all about. "You stay in school and be smart so you never end up here." He used to say.
This man taught me to be tough. He also taught me to respect my elders. He taught me that they have wisdom beyond my years and even beyond my parents years. Because of him (God rest his soul), I have always been years ahead of my generation. I have always loved talking to older folks. They have so much to share. I heed their advice when it comes to do's and don'ts. Guess what... they're right!
That's why I continue to listen and associate myself with older people. One of my favorite mentors in recent history was a co-worker at my previous job. He is an ex-Navy chief - quite a salty sailor. He looks like santa clause, and his voice is rough like sand paper. He tells me stories of many times gone by. He loves cars, and he had some cool ones. I learned (and still do learn) a lot from that man.
People nowadays are too self absorbed with their mocha-frappa-latte-spresso's to think beyond themselves. They don't have concern for other people. They mearly focus on their own self good. Why not? We live in a society where everything is about instant gratification because it's all at your fingertips. There's no need for patience.
People also focus too hard on making statements. They advertise for this company, or that company. They broadcast the entire contents of their car via stickers. They wear clothing that advertises their car, or their other hobbies. Folks are rude and unconcernned. Women don't even give you something to look forward to. They have no respect for themselves and even less for the men they are trying to attract.
That is why I have disconnected myself by moving out into the country. At least when I'm home, I am reletively safe from the yuppie suburbanite tank commander (aka - suv driving folk) oblivionites. I actually talk to people that are friendly and considerate. They are kind and curteous.
This weekend, my wife and I went with another couple to an amusement park. I don't know if I have become so de-programmed that it stood out MORE, or if it's just getting worse. Either way, I noticed people more. I saw girls that could not have been more than in grade school. They were not even DEVELOPED yet, and they were running around in string bakinis with their butts and chests (what little they had that was being held up by a push-up bra) hanging out through the frilly pink lace of victoria's secret underwear.
There were other older girls walking around with it all hanging out. Some had on playboy parafrenalia - like bakini tops. Guys were walking around with lewd shirts - like things that showed a sillouette of a couple getting it on and it stated: Varsity co-ed wrestling. This is in an atmosphere with CHILDREN! Heck, many of them HAD children!
It was obscene and disgusting. The more I tried to focus on having a good time, the more I could not help but be overwhelmed by these people. It is disgusting what this culture is coming to. We are not being ravaged by plagues, oppressive governments, or hunger. We are being faced with a blight that is much more self inflicted and harmful over the long haul.
I sit and talk with 2 guys at lunch. One of them is vintage (on these forums). He and I were co-workers for 3 years and are still really good friends. We continue to eat lunch each day to catch up and talk about the world. He is the only person my age that I have found I can talk openly with without feeling disgusted. In many ways, he thinks the same way I do.
Well, the guy that replaced me eats with us. He sits every day and oggles over the females. This man is married and about 7-8 years OLDER than me, mind you. He loudly declares every day how hot some girl is that's passing by. Vintage and I just hang our heads in shame. We ignore his comments and continue with deeper conversations.
What's really bad is that this guy is having trouble in his marriage. He now announces that to the world, and instead of talking about fixing it, he pretty much is talking about cheating.
What a twisted world we live in! How I long for the times when marriage was not just a casual aquaintance. It was a life long commitment that was not to be broken by fear of God. When Discipline taught children to behave. Society was not so lewd, women respected themselves, cars were fast and beautiful, and courtesy was expected.
In some ways the culture was still there when I was a kid. Except for the cars, I was raised in that environment. That's why I love hanging out with older folks FAR MORE than I will ever enjoy hanging out with people my own age. I dont' want to talk about sex, money, riches, and hollywood. I want to talk about a time long gone when people were better, life was different (and in many ways simpler and still better), and cars were cooler.
I guess I just have to settle for watching the world through the eyes of people that lived in a different time without actually having lived it. I'll just soak up as much wistom, as many stories, and as much culture from that time as I can and pass it along to my children and any that will listen. Hopefully as the baby boomers take over, their desire to remenice will force society's hand at going retro in some respects - enough to allow me to taste the time I should have lived in.
Thanks so much for the great stories everyone, and keep em coming. It's the fuel keeps me going day to day without feeling depressed and downtrodden.