The Way things Used to be.

You gotta be kidding.

Remember the words of Chairman Mao Tse Tung and Sir Edmund Hillary....

 

And quoting the words of an author I know.

"No man could ask for more than to dance through life with a beautiful woman."


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An excerpt from a coming of age book that starts in the 50's.

The couple live next door to each other out on a Ventura County two laner with the two houses surrounded by orange groves.
Janey is Vince's cousin.


"Give me a kiss and let’s say goodnight right now. It’s getting late and if I don’t leave I’m going to start crying right here."

She gave me a gentle and soft kiss, leaned back and said, "I love you Vince and I’m going to miss you and please let me out now."

I opened the door and got out, she slid out right behind me and stood there looking at me while I quietly closed the door. She pressed herself against me, kissed me and held on tight for a long while. When she did let go, tears were streaming down her cheeks. She turned, walked away and disappeared into the mist. I listened until I heard her kitchen door open and close and then the light went out.

I put the coupe in the garage, glanced over at the shadowy outline of the blue coupe and walked toward the house.

If Pinky was going to be gone for the summer, I’d have to find something to occupy my time.

I don’t know why I thought of it the way I did, but for some reason having a mistress sounded right. The blue coupe looked like it could take on that role quite well.

Kinda funny that I would think of the blue coupe as a mistress. Sort of a small joke to myself I guess. When I thought about it for a while, I saw how very true it could be. I hoped at least it wouldn’t be too demanding. I thought too, that I could handle it. And like any other man who ever took on a mistress, damned fool though he may be, I found that there was a lot more to it than I ever dreamed.

When I went into the kitchen, there was mom with her ever present cup of coffee. I was no longer amazed at how much coffee she drank or surprised at the seeming lack of affect it had on her. It was just mom and her drinking coffee was one of those things you expected with her and it seemed natural.

She looked at me and said, "How’s Pinky doing? As far as leaving for the summer goes?"

"She’s sad. She doesn’t want me over there in the morning when she leaves."

"I understand. Leaving can be difficult. Sometimes it’s better to get it over with the night before. How are you doing?"

"Ok. Missing her already."

"This is probably a stupid question and just looking at you it’s pretty obvious, but I’m going to ask it anyway. You really love her don’t you?"

"She owns my heart mom."

"All of it?"

"All except the part where you are."

I went over, hugged mom and started for the stairs. When I looked back she had this funny little smile on her face. Kind of like she was pleased and kind of like she’d learned something and kind of like she didn’t know what to think. All at the same time.

Walking up the stairs, I was glad to be out of the kitchen. Tears were starting to run down my cheeks. In a way I didn’t care and in a way I was embarrassed. I ran into Janey walking down the hall. She looked at me, gave me a gentle smile, touched me on the shoulder when we passed and didn’t say anything. Kinda funny. I didn’t care that Janey saw me. I would have been embarrassed if anybody else had seen, but with Janey it didn’t matter. She knew and she understood.

I looked out my window toward Pinky’s window just in time to see the soft glow from her bedroom light go out and all that was left was the cold fog swirling around the dark houses.

I got in bed, laid there thinking about things for a little while and faded away into a sound sleep.
<>


Very much like it was in the 50's.

And very much like it is today.

If you don't think so, you have a ways to go in life.

Every man should have a fondly remembered woman in his heart and have a much loved woman in his life.

If you're lucky, they will be the same woman....

 

People were having sex "back then". Maybe not at 14 or 15 but it certainly did happen. Difference then was that they got married at 17 when a pregnancy occured as opposed to remaining single.

 

You can say that again...I mean like I said before I am only 26 but feel the same as you!!! I think that goes back to the hippies and late 60's and 70's deal...damn protesters...thats when shit started going bad...someone had said this before and I believe its very true, that the Beatles came and music changed, Kennedy was shot and everything changed...music, cars, politics, PEOPLE in general just changed...whatever pride people had in the country they had was GONE!...DRUGS, SEX, AND ROCK'N AND ROLL was the new...it wasn't ROCK'N ROLL, HOT RODS, DAMES, AND DRIVE INS ANYMORE...and now you can't walk down the street 2 blocks without worrying about getting shot or mugged or whatever!...Kids don't worry about having the coolest car at school anymore they worry about just making it home alive or safe from school...It's sick man...what do our kids have to look forward to? Kinda scary when I have my first son on the way...

 

No internet back then. Free exchange of ideas and information, and access to cool parts was limited to local shops, junkyards, and local 'experts'. In that regard, we have it pretty good now. No HAMB in the fifties!

 

Rick, I grew up on L.I. and the early 60's were the hay days of hot rodding. There were drive in restaurants, diners, drive in movies, and drive in ice cream joints all over L.I. A big hangout was Schorrs Drive In Restaurant on Sunrise Hwy in Rockville Center. Many nights we street raced on the Jones Beach Causway. Another big rodding hangout was the the Big Bow Wow on Cross Bay Blvd. The street racing at the Connecting Hwy was second to none. Every thing including dragsters were rolled out for a night of street racing. We cruised almost every night and went to the Westhampton Drag Strip on the weekends. In those days there were no car shows like the NSRA or Goodguys to go to. Car shows were at the local drive in's. Del Shannon and Dion sure do bring back memories. The cruises now consist of Gold Chainers sitting next to their new Corvette listening to 50's and 60's music, what a difference. The "Good Old Days" are gone forever. Too bad you missed it.

 

At 61, just got a new project, 47 Chevy with a 3.1 V6 from a Camaro, an 80 year old guy started it but has to many other projects and had to get rid of it. Old rodders don't go away we build new ones, hope to get this running soon. Go to Captree on Sunday mornings lots of nice cars out there! This project might get good gas mileage too! Yah right!!

 

Captree???? I thought all they had were fishing boats. Do you remember the East Islip 1/8 mile drag strip? Too bad many of todays rodders don't even know what " On Three" means. The 60's were definetly the greatest hot rodding years. It was just as American Grafitti depicted, cruising and street racing. In those days you would have been laughed out of town if you showed up at a drive in restaurant and sat next to your car in a lawn chair. How things have changed, Gold Chainers and lawn chairs.

 

The cops never hated hot rods just the kids who were driving them, now that we are older than most of the cops they leave us alone.

Gary

 

I turned 16 in 1957. I was raised in Lebanon MO right on route 66. We didn't know it was special back then. Was just a crooked road that ran through town and went to Springfield where we went to do our "hell raisin'". The cops there didn't hassle us much for open lake pipes etc. I first had a '56 Studebaker Golden Hawk that ran like a bat out of hell but I couldn't keep the Ultamatic transmission in it nor could I (my dad) find anybody that could fix it. After a couple of years I got a '55 Chev 210 2 dr. I took it to the school shop and cut the front coils and put 4" lowering blocks on the back. 3 two bbl carbs and a camshaft from Montgomery Wards. Full Race it said. I had the fastest car in school but not the fastest in town. Another guy had a 331 hemi in a '51 Ford but he never drove it and every time he did he broke something. When it stayed together it went like hell. In '57 the 270 Chevys came out and they were fast, real fast, but most had a close ratio 3 speed transmission and first and second gear were geared waaay too high so about any of us could whip up on one to 60 mph which was the standard back then. The highlight of any weekend was to go to Springfield and hang out at Fisher's High Boy drive in. There were some real bad asses in Springfield. An Olds powered 53 Studebaker waxed my ass some kind of bad on Sunshine Avenue.

Moved to Tampa FL right after high school. Big town, real big town, and home of Don Garlits, Big Daddy, hisself. I used to hang out at his speed shop. Fun times and he was a great guy. More drive in cruises there, draggin' on the street etc. Went in the Air Force in '61 and once at permanent station at McGuire AFB in NJ I got my '55 there. Was a 301 by then with the 3-2' and a 097 Duntov by then, cut heads etc. Raced a guy with a 57 Ford Custom 300 4 door and whipped him bad but he became my best buddy and I had more fun messin' with that old Y-block Ford than I ever did with a Chevy. Nobody expected much out of it but by the time we got done with it it was a goin' SOB. We was in Tampa on leave when we over hauled it and we actually drove to Hallendale FL and talked to Harvey Crane about what cam to put in it. Left there with it and did the Ford. That was one fast assed Y-block Ford and was soooo much fun! After the Air Force I became what I wouldn't have ever dreamed of. I became a cop in Tampa FL and stayed there for 21 1/2 years. My hot rodding was basically over except for a tri power Catalina and a 66 GTO that I traded for an Opel station wagon .. Yeah, we were back then but most of us has done some really stupid stuff ... That was mine .. Sorry for the novel but it's my story and I'm stickin' to it ...

 

Gas was 19 cents a gallon in1970 made $2.25 hour got married and a Dad at 17 and bought a new cuda in 1973 gave $3,600 for it.Sold a real decent 57 for$350

 

i agree

im an old soul myself

 

Hi Rick , you were,nt born too late,these are and will be your good old days,we used to cruise the Boston area back in the 50,s and early 60,s,had a 50 Chevy coupe,brown metallic paint,tuck and roll, moon discs,used to cruise Richards drive in,in Cambridge, and Adventure car hop in Saugus,used to pull the choke out when i pulled in to make everybody think i had a cam in the engine,just a stock 216, split manifold,Eelco shifter on the floor,we used to go to the drags at Sanford Maine,and Charlestown Rhode Island,anyway got married in 62,eloped to South Carolina,came back to Mass. with a 55 Chevy,a wife,and $3.00,we slept in the car until we got on our feet,anyway still married to the same great gal,same old story,no money,65 years old,lost my ass in a business,still fixing cars in my driveway,got a primered old 55 2 door,327,4 speed Olds rear,etc.drive it every day,really pisses people off,noisy as hell.love it,anyway enough about me,enjoy your life,these are the good old days.

 

Yep, those were the days, my friend. Got a ticket for loud pipes on my 34 in 1946, 4 pipes, 4 smittys, and the cop wrote me a ticket. I complained and showed him the mufflers, and he said, he didn't care , he heard me 6 blocks away and them pipes were too noisy.
got a ticket for reckless driving, pulled out of a drive in, wide open , with rear 7.50 spinning right in front of the cop. $35 fine.
Set a edelbrocks cost $75 which happened to be 3 weeks wages.
But, all in all, remember it fondly.
Took out 3 transmissions in one month, expensive hobby.
But, I could fix every damn thing on the car, and did the body work and paint.
Did put the pinion in backwards on my 32 Phaeton with the Cad engine and transmission. Found it out when I let the clutch out in first gear. LOL

 

That was a great test pattern , I miss that one

 

Check out my personal profile . you'll see the perfect vehicle to take your kid to school . The Mighty Ferret . You will fear nothing . The neighbors will be a little alarmed maybe , mine were , but they get over it

 

This seems like a very opinionated thing. I don't have to much to be unhappy about,anything that's in my control. But this my take on this topic. Back when we were just starting the hot rod game cars were everywhere. Guys got tired of cars and switched around alot. A 1964 chevelle SS less engine and trans,175.00$$-200.00$$ good body and paint. Guys would change out there engines regularly and upgrade or just change car styles. These cars seemed to be plentiful. We were just so used to getting buys like this that we thought it would last forever. One of the regrets I have is not hanging onto more of these cars>>>>.