It was proclaimed to be the tallest wooden frame roller coaster west of the Mississippi. Had you driven south on Atlantic Boulevard back in the 1950s from East Los Angeles all the way to Pacific Coast Highway in Long Beach you would have certainly notice the tall wooden structure known as the “Cyclone Racer.” RollerContinue reading “I do not want to end up deep in the ocean.”
Category Archives: LosAngeles
The removal of early California history.
Architecture In my little town I grew up in there was an adobe structure very much like the Spanish missions of early California. It sat far back about a hundred yards from the nearby boulevard. It was something like an apartment or dormitory building instead. An adobe dwelling that was framed with leafy cypress andContinue reading “The removal of early California history.”
My Dad and I watched Saturday night TV in L A.
Saturday night TV. I miss real Saturday night TV. Starting back in 1952 my dad and I and maybe along with my mom would watch on KTLA Los Angeles channel 5 the Spade Cooley show. Live from the Santa Monica pier. Spade was a west coast version of Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys. Remember?Continue reading “My Dad and I watched Saturday night TV in L A.”
Driving into the future 1956.
Motoring into the future 1956 GM Motorama was a live presentation I and others attended and saw in Los Angeles at the spacious Pan Pacific auditorium. It was an auto show displaying all of General Motors’ current cars and trucks. Chevrolet, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Buick, Cadillac, GMC and more. Plus, some of GM’s plans for theContinue reading “Driving into the future 1956.”
Needed good walking shoes.
Yes, indeed I’m walking. Now I am not saying this to just solicit your well-deserved sympathy but from kindergarten and all the way up to my senior year in high school I walked to school. Almost every day. I walked approximately two miles each way. Walked to elementary, junior high, and high school. Our grandkidsContinue reading “Needed good walking shoes.”
Leaving the parched farm for fertile ground.
In search of the promise. It was not an easy decision. There were those who wished they would stay. But seven souls pushed off from the motherland in search of the promise land. It was on this date in 1941 and the voyagers were determined to find a new life elsewhere. Life was a mightyContinue reading “Leaving the parched farm for fertile ground.”
Its much easier just to fall asleep.
A Sunday’s slumber. It seem to always happen while in church. Some people easily fall asleep as a matter of routine. Lots of head nodding and bobbling. My wife was an occasional head bobbler. Some members would be leaning so far forward giving the appearance of almost bumping their head on the back of theContinue reading “Its much easier just to fall asleep.”
Homeroom was not for the faint of heart.
Second period. At our junior high second period was always ‘Homeroom.’ Meaning we had an extra 30-minutes to discuss topics not related to the period’s curriculum. This was seventh grade 1956. The curriculum was metal shop. Our teacher was Mr. Leo Fanar. A tall balding man in his thirties and about six-foot two. He stoodContinue reading “Homeroom was not for the faint of heart.”
What does this have to do with my science class?
Ranching is not for me. Junior high L A County 1958. I had Mr. Macintyre’s eight grade science class fourth period just before lunch break. We were all just settling in at our desks when Mr. Byerman, a tall red hair and bespectacled no non-sense teacher with a public-address speaker like voice came to Mac’sContinue reading “What does this have to do with my science class?”
Ron’s grandma, Ron, and me.
Intergenerational laughs. I would often go home after school with my friend Ron. Ron lived with his grandmother in an apartment near our high school where Ron and I attended. I knew her as Mrs. Powell, a savvy senior woman and an up-to-date on current pop culture. And for certain a good cook. I wasContinue reading “Ron’s grandma, Ron, and me.”
Chuck the Blogger Guy 