Winter night sledding with the girls from up the street. Gave my first friendship ring to one of them. Or building snow forts and having the war of the ages, without ever noticing that it was cold.

Summer vacation days with nothing to do but ride bikes, play baseball, explore nearby woods, play army (when you could carry toy guns without visit from SWAT teams) and fall nights when we burned leaves in the street and played tag jumping through the flames and smoke.

Getting up on summer mornings and following the trucks re-surfacing the neighborhood streets with hot tar and gravel? Still think of that whenever I smell tar.

My kids think I was crazy when I tell them these things. None of these are on any of their video games, so they don't think they were real activities.

We have a lot of the same memories.
Long walks hunting wabbits, ducks, geese, deer, winter riding on the hood of an old car being pulled by crazy drivers, hanging onto the rear bumper of the school bus on slick roads, we called that hookey bobbing.

Summer time-no school
Hunting with my Father
Western movies at the neighborhood movie house
The day my Father returned from "Overseas" driving a new maroon 1946 Hudson.

My childhood memories are a mixed bag. The bad part is I was a bad student and refused to hardley crack a book and couldnt listen. That was maybe because my mother started me in first grade at 4 years and 4 months. It was war time and I guess the school was a free baby sitter so mom could run the country general store by herself. Seems I had to stay over every day when the other kids went home and also durring noon hour when the kids were playing ball, by the meanist teacher in the world.
The next worst thing was after 12 years old, I never had a summer off to play as there were many farmers and truck farms in my area that would hire us kids for working in the fields weeding and harvesting along with the brazzeros, (migrate workers). However the 35 to 65 cents a hour kept me in .22 ammo and gas and belt dressing for my whizzer motorbike.
Now the good. My dad and uncles were all fishermen and hunters so I went with them at every oppertunity. My folks both loved to travel, but in a cheap way. They seldom ate in resturants and we would eat sandwichs etc along the road. Considering the years and my age I belive I traveled far more than the kids I grew up with. We camped most of the time, but if it was a motel it would be always one of those old cheap cabins. We always lived around lakes or a river and spent most of our free time on them.
My folks were very religious and that meant church sunday mornings and evenings plus usualy two more meetings or services mid week!
I was raised in the country or several very small villages. Didnt know city life untill much later. Seems we knew everyone in the country. Also since dad was one of 16 kids we had relatives all over. It was a good life.

Don't really have any early memories!?!

Do from Jr High on but not so fond.

Tonka trucks (the real thing, no plastic), baseball, walking to school (without fear of being kidnapped), 3 channels on the TV, cartoons only on Saturday morning, riding bikes until way past dark (like 8:30?), HO scale race cars (still got 'em), Tony's Pizza on Friday nights.

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Happiness is a warm 686

Hornpout fishing with my Pepere.

Pickup baseball games in the summer.

Sledding with my buddies in the winter.

Leaving in the morning with my bicycle and not comming home till supper.

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All Rights Reserved

Spending a week at Grandmother's and burrowing up in the super thick down filled mattress in the winter!BB gun wars in the summer crawling around in tall Johnson grass with the air filled with bb's.Building a "fleet" of ships and following them down the creek we had placed a dam in.Playing football in the neighbors pasture and having to watch out for the "defensive" efforts of the many cow-pies laying around.Collecting bottles in our wagon until we had enough to go with our nickle to buy a pack of peanuts a small Coke and a candy-bar!
Those were the days ! No worry,no money but plenty of fun and things and times were much safer!

Toy cars, toy army men, my Mattel Winchester Lever gun, exploring the woods in Maine around our house, beach-combing, baseball, Bluegill fishing in Minnetonka, Minnesota, where we also played hockey and skated with GIRLS! on a backyard rink.

Seems like we were able to spend the whole day playing with a rock and a stick!

Dirt clod wars.

Saturday morning breakfast of Cap'n Crunch.

Building Monogram model airplanes...I built every WWII navy plane they made.

Len

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Qui me amat, amet et canem meum

Howdy,
It would have to be fishing with my Dad, going as fast as I could go on a bike, drive-in movies with Mom and Dad, the family dogs, pickup baseball games with kids in the subdivision, Kool-Aid and summer vacation from school.
Thanks!
Mike

Treehouses.....10cent fanta.....listening to a new Beetles album on Fat Alberts record player, sledding down suicide hill in Fowlers woods.....surfcasting off the beaches of Cape Cod with dad and yunkle......firecrackers and cherry bombs on the 4th of July and burgers and dogs.......I could go on.... and today, on my 54th bday, looking back, it was good. Really good
And hey now.....post#100!

Too much to list. Every summer we played baseball every day. Rode my Schwinn a lot. (actually it was a Montgomery Wards copy of a Schwinn). Summers were hot, no AC in the house. Slept outside some nights to try and beat the heat. Back to school meant parking your butt in a seat that was part of a desk that still had an inkwell. Every summer the school janitor put a new coat of shellac on every desk/seat. So for the first week or so your butt stuck. Winter meant 4 months of flannel lined jeans.

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SOS USA

Best of the Best are the one where I was camping out, fishing, hunting and shooting with my Dad in Texas, New Mexico and Colorado. Doesn't get any better than that.

Rule 303

Being about five or six, coming in from playing and getting a big cold glass of hand-churned buttermilk. Mmmmm!

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Lost it all in a boat accident

spending time at grandparents home, sitting on the ice cream maker while my uncles took turns turning the crank; fresh peach ice cream!

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NRA Endowment member

A new James Bond movie, every year or so, usually at Christmas.

I remember about 50+ years ago... my uncle took me out on a lake in a rowboat and handed me a cane pole with a flyfishing fly (without a hook) attached to a short length of fishing line. Uncle Earl instructed me to dangle the fly over some lillypads along the edge of the lake. Well, the next thing I see is a bullfrog jumping up to catch the "fly" and my uncle shoots the frog with a .22 revolver (most likely a Smith&Wesson). I then pick up a dip net and retrived the frog. We must have done that for at least two hours and had a mess of frog legs for supper that night.
He is the man who taught me to fish when I was four years-old and promised to take me hunting when I got older. He was killed in a plane crash while flying to a elk hunt in Riggins, Idaho back in 1966. I never got to go hunting with him but his spirit has always stayed with me all these years.
My fondest memories are of the times spent in the outdoors with friends and family while growing up. I have tried to do the same with my stepson and my nephews while they were growing up, and on occasions I still do!

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"Life is short, hunt hard"

Summer time.Not having a care in the world.

D.G.

Glass Front Gun Cabinets in the living room! Dang it!

Summer breaks were nice...

Getting out of school early (lunch) on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and Dad picking me up from school, all ready to go to the hunting camp for a long weekend. That was awesome! Thanksgivings were the best! Everyone's family came to the camp Thursday to eat. We cooked the meat and turkey, all the women, and small children, brought casseroles and such. I bet we had 40 people there. We hunted in the morning then the rest of the day was Thanksgiving. It really is what that holiday was about.

I know it probably wasn't as good as your buttermilk but I vividly remember one summer morning riding my bike over to Riordans drug store and buying an ice cold quart of chocolate milk (the real thing, not lowfat) and drinking the whole thing on the bike ride home. Using my own money and no adult supervision just felt right.

pre high school.......mom's great cooking, trick or treating on halloween, getting through catholic grade school and staying out of the way of the "good" sisters.

public high school.....cruising, girls, booze, hanging out with buddies

Going down to the railroad and mooning the passengers as the train went by. Selling newspapers on the corner for a nickel. Very dangerous fireworks. Going to Saturday cartoons at the local theater with rubber bands and paper clips. Sling shots, BB guns, bows and arrows and other things that should have killed or at least blinded us. Hand me down bikes with no fenders that left streaks of mud on your back. Boy Scout knives. Not worrying about the weather. Using the rope swing at the river and not drowning. Honest fist fights not involving guns or knives where you usually wound up as friends. Going by most of the rules. Many more.

Early memory, sleeping under the train seat with my mom going to Pensacola Naval Air Station to be with my dad while he was training to be a tail gunner on a bomber. Dad spent most of the war on a supply ship. Listening to his tales of enemy subs passing so close that he got to see one in a lifting fog one early morning. Visiting with his buddies at Scott AFB after the war. A base I was destined to spend 7 years at during my military career. Getting let out of school to watch and cheer an Army convoy returning from the Korean War. All of the soldiers threw us candy and many other things that the food police would have them arrested for today. Riding my bicycle all over Jefferson City, Missouri and not worring about getting kidnapped or beat up or any of the things kids have to worry about today. Walking to the movies with my cousin when we would visit my family in Cape Girardeau, Mo. We would watch so many westerns and Ma and Pa Kettle movies that it would cost us almost 75Cents for 4 movies and 20 cartoons. Riding with my Grandmother and Grandfather to Yellowstone park in a 50 Pontiac and they let me have a can of rocks to throw at all of the road signs, I really got good with those rocks Crusing in the late 50's and early 60's. Driving from one Steak and Shake to another until they all closed on Friday and Saturday nights in St. Louis, Mo. The girl that went with me on those crusing nights in laying on the couch watching the Olympics. Driving her dad's black 57 Chevy when I didn't have gas money, 35 cents per gallon. Much Much more WE have been Blessed.

Spending time with my grandfather, driving up to San Francisco with my mother to get my father when his ship arrived in port, the last day of school before summer vacation, waiting after school when I was in elementary school to hear one of the teachers start her Jaguar XK140 and drive away, wondering through the orchards and eating fresh fruit picked from the trees.

AMT Customizing Kits, going fishing, hunting pheasants and ducks and other four legged critters, Boy Scouts, T.V. Westerners, watching my first colored western movie at our small town movie theatre, home made bread and pumpkin pie.

Climbing the big cherry tree in the summer and eating cherries till my stomach was upset. Listening to Rock'n Roll on my Sony Transitor radio. Hunting in the mountains on horseback, camping and knocky, knocky nine doors.

My first car, a Model A Ford I bought off the mountain side from some hill billies for $15 and a bottle of home made shine. My second car a red souped up 1940 Ford Deluxe Coupe with 3 stromberg 94's and Offenhauser heads.

My first girlfriend and the Sunday we skipped church and hugged in the hay loft till the folks came home.

To go back for a day . . .

Grew up around the block from AUdubon Park in New Orleans-so basically the whole park was our playground/back yard. WONDERFUL!!!! fishing, playing football riding bikes playing Jail break, climbing the HUGE oak trees-going to thre zoo, stealinhg gold balls off the golf course-climbing "monkey hill" gawd what memories

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Forum consigliere

Since i`m older then most of you people,our favorite thing was to steal
milk bottles off of people`s porch and selling for a nickle each.And also playing kick the can.
Dick

Riding my bike thru our subdivision and going down to the creek nearby. Fiding a stash of Playboys that some other kid had left down there, and finding out what THAT was all about. Throwing water balloons at passing cars in the summer and running like hell into the woods. Cruising Burger King parking lot when I got older, hunting girls, if not a good street race with my Mustang. Drinking M and D 20/20 because it was only $1.99 a bottle, provided a good buzz, and the guy at the state line joint in Tennessee would sell it to you if you even LOOKED big enough to get it to the counter. Wish I could go back a lot of days, boy.......

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MARK

I had a old dude uncle that lived in milwaukee. I kind ov considered him a city slicker. He liked to fish and would drive the 120 miles to have us take him fishing regularly. He was the type that wore a snap brim stetson and penelton wool shirts. I lived on the water and was good with a rod at 10 years old. I remember "accidently" hooking his stetson on a cast and it snapped off his head into the lake!

Does the teenage years count as childhood? If so then there was the memory of a time when I was about 16 when a girlfriend and I were parked on Longview road after a football game. We were in the backseat of my 68 Plymouth. It was kind of like a country western song. Ah, the memories of youth. ;>)

The GIRLS, cheep gas, the movie theater, jr. high, the girls, camping, thick smoke, and the color of money.

Doesn't that song end with a Double Barreled Wedding Ceremony?

Best sledding I had was when I lived in Vermont, 1956-1959. On the hill the high school was on-right next to my house.

Have lots of them. Same things I'm still into: shooting, motorcycles, music and women.

I recall one summer Sunday afternoon in the mid 1950s when Mrs. Schneider and her lovely daughter came out of their house across the street, and just stood on the lawn, watching their house. A few minutes later, about 6 Detroit Police cars pulled up and the coppers jumped out with guns drawn, and went in the house. Apparently, Mr. Schneider was watching a ball game, and suddenly thought it would be great fun to go get an axe, and chop up his family. The cops said when they went in, he was just sitting in the chair with the axe, watching the rest of the game. We didn't see Mr. Schneider after that, as they took him to the happy place.

Then there was the time another neighbor set fire to all the closets in the house. When the fire brigade came, she blamed the cat. Didn't see her after that, either.

Good times!

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Tom

I remember squirrel hunting with my step-dad, a lot. Riding in the semi with my real dad when I was off for summer break. No A/C in the house or any vehicle we had. Hanging out the windows throwing things at the passing signs. Hide and seek or baseball until it was too dark to see the ball anymore. I remember my parents not having to worry about anyone "taking" me, I wish I could do the same with my kids. My first go-kart and motorbike (a little harley 50 that was pretty ragged out when I got it and even worse when I got too big for it finally) and mowing what seemed like 1000 yards a day to earn not much money just to put gas in it. Sliding around in the back seat on the pleather (plastic resembling leather) because we didn't have child seats nor did we wear the seat belts. Holding hands with the neighbor girl and thinking I was big stuff at 8 yrs old. I remember not thinking I was such big stuff when her dad came outside and caught us. I remember losing a good friend in a car accident, an not understanding why it happened. Jumping out of the hayloft and "inside" was the last place any of us wanted to go. I remember how my mom could whistle, and I could hear it from 1/4 mile away, and if I wasn't home by the second whistle there was gonna be trouble.

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...This too shall pass...

We had a Cocker Spaniel that was the meanest dog ever! Our whole family hated her! One day, I was watching the garbage truck picking up trash on our street. As the truck approached our house, Carrie ran out in front of the truck. It ran over her. The driver got out of the truck, scooped her up with a shovel and tossed her in the back of the truck. He emptied our trashcans, yanked on the lever, got in the truck and drove on down the street.

All in a days work!

I think my most wonderful memory is of the time my folks were visiting a man who was the government hunter in our southern Colorado area. There were a lot of people at the fellow's home but he took me into a bed room and showed me his revolver. It was a Colt Police Positive .32-20 with a 6 inch barrel. He unloaded the revolver and let me handle it. It was so beautiful; the steel so smooth and cool to the touch, the blue so rich and the smell of oil and Hoppes #9. Some day, one like it will be mine. I was probably 3 or 4 years old but the memory is as clear as if it were today. This was in 1948 or 49.

You will remember this:

YouTube - Barnaby theme

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Tony

Took me back when i read these.



YouTube - Do You Remember These?



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUGVB...om=PL&index=37

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WALSTIB

In Grand Rapids we had Buck Barry and the Buckaroo Rodeo weekday afternoons. He was very popular and was a fixture at all local events and parades. It was a sad day when Buck retired and moved to El Paso. I was the king on the rodeo when I was on it. Huge honor for a 4 year old. I don't remember much about it but we have a photo taken of me on the broadcast, and I still have the crown (it's silver paper). We also had the local Bozo, but how could a clown compare to a cowboy? (I'm not in this photo)

We had about the 3rd TV set in town. My dad used to help the local hardware store/TV shop owner install the antennas. One of the earl afternoon kids programs was 'Marshall J' on WMT-TV.
http://captainerniesshowboat.com/marshaljnovato.jpg

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Rick, W0FG
CTR2 68-72

Riding with my Pop-Pop (granddaddy) in his '52 Buick. There was an armrest in the middle of the back seat and I would sit on it, 'cause that was MY seat. Playing outside in the summertime till it was too dark to see. Skipping rocks down the tar and gravel road after sundown and watching the sparks. Riding my bike. Eating watermelon, picked from my neighbor's garden. Drinking cool well water from the hose. Playing "war" with the neighborhood boys. Sitting on the back steps and emptying the sand from my tennis shoes and the cuffs of my blue jeans.

Gathering chestnuts and pecans in the fall. Burning leaves that we raked. Climbing trees. Shooting .22 rifles, and then muzzleloaders on the range that we built on Uncle Harold's back field. Hunting rabbits on Thanksgiving morning and then eating turkey with all the fixins' in the afternoon. Riding in the old wooden trailer hooked behind Uncle Harold's '49 Case tractor. Learning to plow on that same tractor.

Eating corn on the cob until I thought I would bust. Having my cousin fix S'mores, after she learned how in the Girl Scouts. Going hiking and camping with the Scouts and then in the woods near my home.

Getting Pop-Pop's '52 Buick running again, after it sat up for six years, 'cause my Nanny (grandmother) sold it to me for a $1 and that was my first car. Shooting the musket my dad bought me, so that he and I could join the North-South Skirmish Association together.

Lots of good memories, shared with friends and family that loved me.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

Best memory was getting a Stevens 16 gauge single shot for my birthday in 1945. Then 2 years later a Model A Ford.

Undertaking the engineering and digging of a tunnel from my house to my favorite cousin's house 6 blocks away. While we still haven't completed this tunnel, begun in the very early 1960s, it did provide for a grand day's exercise of the imagination.

Shooting a firearm for the first time, an M1 Carbine in 1963.

Walking throuh the woods shooting my .22 rifle & pistol .

a Remington Nylon 66



And my Colt Frontier Scout.



I shot a million bullets and it probably cost me .59 cents

My best friend had the same rifle. I had a bolt action. I loved it when we swaped. 30 years later, he still has the gun and he is still my best friend.

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Timman
Semper Fi

Could you imagine the uproar if there was an attempt today to have a program for kids on which the host wore sixguns? My gosh, what kind of message would that send to their young minds. I could imagine the protests that would cause.

But, given the liberal mindset of most networks today this kind of show would never even be discussed for broadcast. Sad what kids today miss.

WEAU-TV in Eau Claire, WI on Channel 13 had Sheriff Bob on at 4 PM as a children show -- western outfit with the double holster gun belt. At 5 PM Bob Dawson (same guy) came on to do the local news followed by Chet Huntley and David Brinkley on the NBC national news. Every weekend in the summer, Sheriff Bob was out doing special events live. If you got on the TV news clip on Saturday night, life didn't get better.

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S&WHF 366

Since this forum is firearm oriented I will say that one of the memories that sticks in my mind is the one where my best bud and I would hold the flats from canning jars between our thumb and index finger while the other would shoot it out with their .22 rifle, and we are talking 10 or 15 yards. Well my mom saw it happen, and that was the end of that. That was back in 1958 or 1959 when it was still alright to be told to go cut a switch. I still have that same .22 rifle even though my Mom took away that day for several years. Made me swear to not do that again when I was about 40 years old and gave it back to me. I love her.
gordon

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better have that checked