Lions Roar

 

Forum: Around the Campfire at Lake Tyler

TOPIC: 

-1'

Created on: 06/17/09 06:11 PM Views: 4128 Replies: 8
Today, June 17,2009
Posted Wednesday, June 17, 2009 01:11 PM

Just thumbing the pages of Alcalde. I remember a lot of my classmates, but then again, hard to remember what I had for breakfast!

My wife Connie is at work. Hey someone has to work!

The dogs are asleep at my feet. So what else is new? Our kids are out of the house now so what do we do? Get dogs!

Oh the Derrick Drive In. So many memories. Afternoon thunder storms and an announcer, Kip Kippenbrock kept us all updated. Cruising Broadway on the red bricks. Made your tires squeal when you were just going slow. Well, not all the time.

 

Just looked at Mr. Woods picture. I saw that face and heard that voice many, too many times. "Come in Walter". I just sat down and listened. That is what we used to do then. Listen. What a concept.

The Lee and JT football game nights. The eggs we threw. I was always easy on kids later on in life for throwing eggs.

 

Anyway, wish I had just one day to go back to JT. The old brick building.

 

Stay safe all of you.

 

Walt

 

 
Edited 06/17/09 09:14 PM
RE: Today, June 17,2009
Posted Wednesday, June 17, 2009 01:33 PM

Texas

 

Connie and I were in Tyler several years a go. Ate lunch at McDonalds, only the best. Thunder storm, heavy rain, car on the other end of the parking lot. We got up and the manager took out an umbrella, opened the door and walked us to our car. Then he said thank you. 

 

When I bagged groceries at Brookshires, each time the door opened, we yelled, "Come on in, welcome". Almost brings tears. My Mom bought some groceries right after I started. I was walking out groceries to another customer, she was watching, when all the bottles fell off the cart and broke. She just smiled. I think later she cried.

 

God Bless Texas.

 

Walt

 
RE: Today, June 17,2009
Posted Wednesday, June 17, 2009 02:00 PM

 

Ronin?  I don't remember him.  Tell me more


 
RE: Today, June 17,2009
Posted Wednesday, June 17, 2009 02:13 PM

Laughing,

 

Not Ronin, sorry, Mr. Woods. Geez, no brain at all left. Mr. Ronin was a substitute in English.

 

Walt

 
RE: Today, June 17,2009
Posted Friday, June 19, 2009 02:07 PM

I also worked at Brookshire's (the one at Bergfeld Center) for a few years as a bag boy, then as a checker, then as a stocker.  I remember one time I was pushing a cartful of groceries out to a lady's car. There had been a big thunderstorm, and I noticed a whole bunch of money floating in a mudpuddle out in the parking lot. Like the total doofus I was, I said, "Hey, Lady, did you drop that money?" Obviously, she didn't, but she brightly exclaimed, "Why, YES, I did!!!" So I gallantly gathered up all the bills and presented them to her. What a dumbass I was... and she didn't even give me a tip!

 
Edited 06/20/09 08:15 PM
RE: Today, June 17,2009
Posted Saturday, June 20, 2009 11:01 AM

Well Ken, "It is what it is". Maybe she needed the money more than you. But then again, just another lesson we learned in life.

The old, "Finders keepers" quote is not really correct. In California it is called, " Misappropriation of found property". i.e. Theft.

 

I worked for the same Brookshires as you. Can't remember the people I worked with. I know I had paper cuts on all of my fingers from hitting the edge of paper bags. Oh, did you ever make the mistake of putting soft items on the bottom of the bag? Ouch!

 

I worked at the Tyler Theater and remember the first movie on my first day, "Hatari" Still have the theme song in my head. And, classmates that wanted in free? I am not without sin. Drove in the exit at the drive-in movie. Not proud of that at all. Theft? Yes. I had a date, classmate, at the drive-in.        Cold and ice was on the windows. I had the speaker rolled up in the window as we did then. I needed to start the car so I pushed in the clutch. Yep! The car rolled back and pulled the speaker out, taking the glass with it. Had to drive home with no driver side window.  Great impression.

 

What is New York like?

 

Walt

 

 
RE: Today, June 17,2009
Posted Saturday, June 20, 2009 06:19 PM

I remember several of the people who worked at that Brookshire's-- friends David Morgan, Ronnie Perry, Jeff Copeland, and Bill Beaird. Mary King (Becky King's mom) was a checker-- what a nice lady she was. And Jimmy, the black porter, now there was a neat dude. Jim Barr, the Assistant Manager, was pretty cool. Gene McKnight was the Manager-- I got along with him OK, but I gave him a wide berth. Oh yeah, and there was this evil, old checker named Louise-something that we all hated (for good reason)-- she got fired for stealing money. I remember right after that, Gene fired the boy that reported Louise's larceny to him. (Gene and Louise were thick for some reason-- maybe she had something on him?) Then not too long after that episode, Gene disappeared, himself. There was lots of drama going on at that store!

Walt asked what it's like living in New York City. Life in the Big Apple is FAST. No one has the time or the inclination to mess around, except the tourists. That's why New Yorkers give tourists dirty looks when they stand in the middle of the sidewalk gawking at something. This is not to say that New Yorkers dislike tourists, however. Funny thing about New Yorkers: we may seem rude or brusque, but we will immediately leap to help anyone in trouble. We watch out for each other... we're just not all huggy-kissy about it.  (But don't get in the way. Now that the sidewalks are clogged with Twittering yuppies, it's more aggravating than ever trying to get from Point A to Point B.)

New York street traffic is something else-- people say New Yorkers drive with one elbow on the horn and one finger out the window. Thank gawd I do not drive in New York City! Taking public transportation is stressful enough.

You can get just about anything you want, any time of day or night, in New York City. Except a Whataburger-- lord, I do miss Whataburgers!

You get used to the millions of people and the noise pretty quickly. It's odd, but when I go on vacation to some place quiet like a mountain cabin, the silence keeps me awake at night.

 

 
Edited 07/01/09 08:35 AM
RE: Today, June 17,2009
Posted Saturday, June 20, 2009 09:00 PM

Whataburger is one of many reasons our arteries are having a hard time! But like most, I sure miss them! I think they started right when we graduated.

Later in life it was donuts, cop thing. We really didn't eat donuts. The point was at 3:00AM nothing else was open except the bakers that started that early. OK, so we ate a few.

Bad Cop, No Donut!

 

Walt

 
Edited 06/20/09 09:01 PM
RE: Today, June 17,2009
Posted Saturday, June 20, 2009 11:53 PM

I BELIEVE IN DONUTS. There used to be a Krispy Kreme shop just a few blocks from where I live, and I would make frequent devotional pilgrimages there. Then they went belly up, a tragedy I mourn to this very day.

Buttercup Bakery took over the old Krispy Kreme space, however, and I admit I have grown rather fond of their cupcakes. We do what we must do!