Definition of Opinion:  A belief or conclusion held with confidence but not substantiated by positive knowledge or proof.

Please be respectful to others with differing opinions. 

Jim Coats

Lefty.  If you have posted your message before, I don't remember it.......What were we talking about??

Michael Kelly

Coats  See how much fun it is in this Aging Process, Never anything new to learn, and if we do it is forgotten. Say, did I grow up on the same street as you? (assuming for the time being the 'Grow Up")

Frank Wiley

I know we are almost a week away, but since this conversation has moved toward forgetfulness and I qualify.  Let me be the first to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and please remember what Christmas is really all about!!

Jim Coats

Lefty.  Yep....I'm pretty sure we grew up on the same street.  I also seem to remember you coming by periodically to strong-arm my parents into paying for the newspaper.  Kidding, of course on both accounts.

Newspapers.  Ahhh...the good ol' days.  Have I ever mentioned that I think that the internet and smart phones were the beginning of Armageddon?

And by the way, TV only had channels 3, 5, 10 and 12.  I liked that because I played OUTSIDE and then watched some TV with Mom & Dad.

DeWitt Bacon

Why did I wander into this chat room anyway? What was I looking for? HEY! Just who are you guys anyway?

Michael Kelly

Bill RIHS

Guys, I only remember Channel 5 back in 1951. Pecan tree, wow! What a treat! I had forgotten about those trees. Our neighbor or had a pecan tree that hung over our yard and dropped lots of nuts😊.

Michael Kelly

Bill Rihs  In grade School Monte Vista, I used to walk home and there were Pecan Trees as I remember 4 or 5 Tall Trees, and when it was in Novenber and getting Cold, the  Pecans would fall from the  branches along with the leaves, and the Pecans were hard to see, but you could find quite a few if you looked for them. Its been so long that I have forgotten the Street name, but it was only on that one Street. I remember some of this stuff, because I had it marked out in my mind some areas along the way as  places of caution, because I would be subjected to physical attacks by some of our classmates and my arms would take a beating as they tried successfully to use a knuckle to make "Frogged Lumps" on my arms for only who knows why. I know it was too early for us to be aspiring Gang Members, no one I knew had a Harley yet. Maybe it was some kind of instinctual thing, or I thought of it as early Training for becoming a CIA operative. If you gleaned a bunch of Pecans, rocks could be used to bfreak open the Shells and get the insides of the pecan. I started carrying a pair of Pliers for that purpose. I don't know, but maybe somehow I could write this up and make it a Good Country Western Song. 

Frank Wiley

Michael, based on these conversations the Title would be, "I Grew Up With a Bunch of Nuts!"

Patty Meyers (Anderson)

Thursday we left Montana for a long drive to Baja, we finally had time to listen to John Kennedy's audio book, I loved it, just listeneing to his voice, it ws so "him".   After finishing that we listened to Nicoles Parker's FBI book, The Two FBIs.  It was excellent also.  I don't think we learned anything new but it did reinforce what we believed happened.  There sure was a lot of scum at the top, hopefully, that is being taken of.

Merry Christman Y'ALL   🎄 🎅🏻

Jim Coats

I don't remember anything about pecans.  Sheltered life, I guess.

Watching TPUSA (Phoenix).  With great trepidation, I watched Nicki Minaj speaking with Erika Kirk.  I have to admit, she was VERY good.  One think I took away that she said is that "It is OK to change your mind."  This was directed at democrats that have gone (my words) so far off the rails.  She is a Christian who forgives and welcomes all.

Back to TPUSA.

DeWitt Bacon

All this talk about our old neighborhoods has got me thinking back. I didn't grow up in the neighborhood with all the nuts. I lived on 36th Street, south of Osborn. That had all been agricultural land and still had many citrus trees. We had orange and grapefruit trees on our property. Further down the street were some pear trees. I guess Frank could say I grew up around a bunch of fruits.  BTW, a dairy farm was across the dirt road from us. By the time we were old enough to start school, Monte Vista had been built there.

Michael Wetzel

What stands out in my mind walking home from Camelback, was all the grapefruit fights amongst all the citrus trees. That, and trying to come up with excuses to my Mom, regarding all the grapefruit juice up and down my school clothes. Ah, fond memories....Patty, have a safe trip, and MerryChristmas !.........

Lester Cox

I grew up in Independence MO and transferred to Camelback my senior year. So the only thing I really know about all the fruits nad nuts is they seem to have all moved to California. We moved here after my dad passed away unexpectedly. We lived outside the district and I was supposed to go to Central, But I have met a gal, Sue Beals earlier that year and I wanted to go to Camelback, so my mom used the address of a piece of property my dad had bought at 24th St and Thomas for registration. I just was not there long enough to meet many and am thankful I found this group to hang with. Had a super good time at Camelback. Looks like a damn prison these days. We are back in Phoenix for the holidays and pretty sure I'll make the next summit. Looking forward to meeting many of you eye to eye. Merry Christmas all, stay safe, peace be with you all and remember the reason for the season. 

Michael Kelly

Wnen I moved into the area of 36th Street, one block south of Indan School Road, Indian School road was still a dirt road. I lived in a new Tract Home on Amelia Ave. and across 36th Street, which was also dirt, was a fenced in area that I think belonged to the King Ranch in Texas, or at least that is what I heard. I was 5 years old, and my Father and I would fly Kites in the back yard. I remember one time somehow losing the String on the Kite and it flew out into the huge Field with the large, red with white faces Cattle and my Father went over 36th Street to retrieve the Kite String. Thise shaggy beasts dwarfed me in size, and my Father went over trhe Fence just like it was nothing, and got the Kite Strng back. He was that I was afraid of them, so he coaxed me over to the Fence and had me touch one of them. I believe now that they were what are called WhiteFace cattle. It was not too much time later, before the Fence was gone and people started building houses over there. Must have been about the same time that the Dairy farm was turned into a Grade School, Monte Vista. Up at the corner of Indian School Rd. and 36th Street, Northeast Corner, was the Wild Horse Saloon, and I have told about the noisy, and strange things that would take place late in the Evening at the Wild Horse, A woman whose name was Dixie and her Father owned the Wild Horse, and she was known as being the First American Woman to Win the 10 Big Game Trophies for Women in the USA. She was quite a Hunter, maybe somebody would look her up on Google and let us know her History. The Wild Horse Saloon was still there and going strong when I was in High School. 

Jim Coats

Lefty.  You have a better memory than I do.  I slightly remember living at 20th St. & Osborn (Mom & Dad's first home) and then moving to the bubble-end of your cul-de-sac at 3501 E. Amelia.  I don't remember getting there or much of anything else until Monte Vista.  My brain hadn't formed enough by 1st grade because I was 4 to 9 months younger than most of my classmates.  That was a bad move....but a different story.  I made sure my son didn't suffer the same fate.

Back to the house on Amelia:  3 bed, 1 bath with a carport.  I think I remember Dad saying it cost $6,000 brand new.  We backed to Mr. Wilson's field that I have mentioned before.  Remember a classmate named Chong Sook Wilson?  Mr. Wilson adopted her as far as I know....in or from Korea, I think.  She sure had a way with the horses running free in the field.  Now we would call that a symbiotic relationship, I think.  There was real love there.

I remember our '51 Chevy, then a '53 Chevy and then my Dad's pride and joy, a '55 Oldsmobile Super 88.  It was a 4 door, green & white with 202 HP and air conditioning as I recall.  All of our cars were new.  I can never remember Dad buying a used car.  In case you haven't noticed, I peg things to cars in the family.  I could go on.

I know.....TMI.

P.S.  Les.  I agree that CHS looks like a prison now.  Too bad.

Patty Meyers (Anderson)

I was in contact with Chong Sook Wilson's husband after she passed away.  He told me some of her story, born in Korea and orphaned.  Mr Wilson adopted her and brought her to America, if I remember correctly she was about 8 and knew no English.  It took awhile for her to catch up and enter school.  She is 10 years older than most of it but she sure didn't look like it.  Talking to her husband she had a very fulfilling life having two daughters and four grandchildren.  She had a surviving sister still in Korea.

Michael Wetzel

Jim, unless I have the wrong field, and I don't believe I do. All that property belonged to the Black gentleman who owned all the farm, all the way back to the canal. His name was Calvin Edwards. As we lived directly across the street from him, I grew up spending a large part of my time visiting him and his wife, and helping him with his considerable chores. He eventually relocated to Cal. to live with his extended Family, where he passed away. I loved the old gentleman, and spent many an evening sitting  on his front porch with him. He would sometimes recall to me, the days when he was a slave. Belive me, there  was not one thing happening in our neighborhood that he was not aware of. I do not remember anyone by the name of Wilson..........

DeWitt Bacon

As I read about the memories we all have, including mine, I recall Elvis Pressely's song, 'MEMORIES'. Sure, there were some bad and sad times, but they all seem to fade into the past. The good ones live on. At our age, those memories are about all we have. "MEMORIS, PRESSED BETWEEN THE PAGES OF MY MIND."

Michael Kelly

I remember Mr. Wilson, and their daughter, Chong Sook Wilson, and I delivered the Newspaper to them. They would invite me in to visit, They would always give me some of the Korean Food that they made. It was eye-opening, since my Breakfast was a Quart of Chocolate Milk from the Milk man, and half a dozen donuts (glazed) from the Bakery next to the AJ Bayless Market across the Street from where I lived. I would eat this early in the morning at about 530 AM because the Milk man was out delivering at 3 am and the Baker opened the back door of the Bakery at 3 am also. The Wilson's Korean Food was light, tasty, and sometimes had Kelp which was used to wrap very tasty meat and vegetables in. As far as  that big old Field is concerned, I also delivered newspapers to whoevef owned it as far as I knew., There was a house on the West side of the Field, and it had a long driveway from all the way down South of Indian School Road. clear to the house. I think Barry Norton lived southwest of that field, and he and his Father raised Homing Pigeons. Rolling Pigeons, andTumbling Pigeons.They raced them if I remember correctly. 

As we are able to pleasantly recall memories of our younger years, it is just a remarkable thing that we have such time to recall them, as in some places those people living there have little time except to think about how to get Heat, Food, And Electricity, while others are being tortured and killed for their Religious Faith. We are Truly a Blessed Nation  I want to Thank our Relatives, some now Gone, who Fought and Died and Sacrificed for us to Live in Freedom. Wishing all of you a very MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR. GOD BLESS ALL OFYOU.  BE HAPPY WITH WHAT YOU HAVE FOR IT IS BLESSINGS FROM GOD.

Michael Wetzel

Michael, I belive we are both referring to two different locations. I was referring to a location just South of Osborn, on 20th St., which I believe Jim was referring to........

Frank Wiley

Mike K.--Boy, your last paragraph of your last post really struck home!  We who were born in the U.S. and grew up in the time we did were truly blessed.  Going from no TV to basically holding a TV in our hand which is also a communication device and a computer.  Can you say, "Buck Rogers"?  Going from very rudimentary rockets to putting a Man on the Moon!  Going from cars with no A/C to cars that drive themselves (except when the grid goes down).  Hundreds (maybe thousands) of Medical advancements.  And then being double blessed to grow up in Phoenix.  I had a morning paper route for years and I now think about that while we had a few cold mornings we never had to deal with snow on the ground (although I do remember a couple mornings when we had snow flurries).  Merry Christmas to all and God Bless You and Yours!

Jim Coats

Mike Wetzel.  I remember Mr. Wilson.  He's one of my ONLY memories from our home at 20th St. & Osborn.  We have discussed him before.  My memory of him was bib overalls and a sweet old black man.  Our house was at the SW corner of 20 St. & Osborn, 2nd lot South of Osborn.  When we moved around '52 or '53 into our new house, Dad kept the old house and used if for rental income for years.  I think an IBEW lodge was built bordering the South edge of the property and there were HUGE Tamarisk trees on our North border.  Horrible trees as I recall.

The field I'm talking about is bordered by Indian School on the North, approx 35th St on the East (we lived at 3501 E. Amelia and backed to the field), maybe Clarendon or so on the South...I don't know....never got over there.

As to who owned the field, I "assumed" it was Mr. Wilson because I saw an older (??) man in the field with the horses and of course Chong Sook Wilson.  The closest I ever came to the South border of the field was maybe Barry Norton's house a couple of times, but I never saw the field from that vantage.  I was never close to the West border of the field.  I loved the horses and they were friendly to me.  I "went over the wire" and played hide and seek with them behind the bushes in the field.  They seemed to love that.  So did I.  To be young again.

You are all correct.  We are Blessed to live in the USA.  I hope and pray we can "keep it."

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HANUKKAH!  It's getting close!!  Not much "Santa" going on though.  My granddaughter's 11 going on 25.

Bill Kaehler

David Rainwater

I had a paper route for a couple of years on 37^th from Thomas up to my street Weldon.  The bane of my existence was a vicious (to me) german shepherd named queenie who would chase me down the street barking and nipping at me.  I would have to pedal my Schwinn paperboy special (with the spring coil in front) using just the one leg on the non-queenie side.  Probably she only chased me a handful of times, but she looms big in my memories.  Sadly, in my current neighborhood of 10-15 houses, I’m the only one who takes the paper…a bygone era.