Flashbacks

[AJ]

Had a flashback today sitting at a stop light. Nice day had the windows down. There was a dumptruck sitting next to me. Smelled his diesel exhaust. All I could think of when I smelled it was the diesel exhaust of a NC-10 power unit that we used to provide electrical power to our aircraft. Brought back lots of good memories........seems funny that just the smell of diesel exhaust would do that.

AJ

 

[Greyman50]

Diesel fumes remind me of M-113, M-577 or any tracked vehicle with a Detroit Diesel.....

 

[lihpster]

When I smell diesel I remember my grandfathers boat. Good memories.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

In the mid 70's, my brother and I had a small timbering business! The smell of any diesel engine transports me back to Skidding several huge trees up and out of a valley to be shipped to the sawmill!

Hearing any neighbor run a chain saw reminds me of felling 3 foot diameter trees that were 70 and 80 feet tall. The groan as they raced to the ground, and the impact "THUMP" that climbed up you legs and spine, all the way in to your brain!

Then I'm forced to return from "The Kingdom of 18" to the realm of 65 and the jealousy towards my grandsons and the excitement that lays before them every day!

Ivan

 

[SMSgt]

I still dream about working on B-52s on Guam--after almost 50 years.

 

[crazyphil]

Some flashbacks can be quite pleasant. Some however are not so pleasant.
I would rather not have the not so pleasant kind.

 

[mckenney99]

Some flashbacks can be quite pleasant. Some however are not so pleasant.
I would rather not have the not so pleasant kind.

BAD - Never had the problem until a few years ago but certain smells bring some really terrible memories flooding back as if I was back at the original scene. Hot motor oil, hot anti-freeze, gasoline and burning plastics, individually are bad but any of them combined are bad news.

GOOD - The smell of a cold fall/early winter morning, the smell of leaf litter and overturned dirt brings up the best memories of being in the woods learning to hunt with the man that was like an adopted father to me and the other 3 guys that were like brothers.

 

[bigwheelzip]

There is one nice flashback I always get, when I make meatballs. It's a vision of my mother on Sunday morning when I was a child, of her buttoning the top buttons of my coat before we left to go to church.
She always got up early on Sunday to put up the tomato sauce and make meatballs. The smell of the meatball mixture was still on her hands as she buttoned me, even though she'd washed up.

 

[vonn]

Seems like I have more of them as I age.

 

[Greyman50]

Worst is the smell of burning flesh, once state side passing a really bad auto crash, the others in RVN. Not sure what smell is similar but have smelled it a time or 2 .

 

[Nevada Ed]

I get those every now and then.

Never know when they will happen but it is fun to remember old times.

Some are scary accurate and vivid in my mind where some are just memories that are a little faded.

I sort of freak out when names come to mind that I have not thought of in 40 years or more. It is strang how the mind works.