An open letter (and song) for my kids...

I don't get to see them very often, but they're in my heart every day...

Thanks to Neil Young for letting me borrow the words from his tune (I'm) Here For You.

When your summer days come tumbling down
And you find yourself alone
Then you can come back and be with me
Just close your eyes and I'll be there
Listen to the sound
Of this old heart beating for you
Yes I'd miss you
But I never want to hold you down
You might say I'm here for you

When the winter comes to your new home
And snowflakes are falling down
Then you can come back and be with me
Just close your eyes and I'll be there
Listen to the sound
Of this old heart beating for you
Yes I'd miss you
But I never want to hold you down
You might say I'm here for you

In the spring, protective arms surrounding you
In the fall, we let you go your way
Happiness I know will always find you
And when it does, I hope that it will stay

Yes I miss you
But I never want to hold you down
You might say I'm here for you
Yes I miss you
But I never want to hold you down
You might say I'm here for you
I'll always be here for you

Dad

Clark Griswold: Why aren't we flying? 'Cause getting there is half the fun!

We're moving 1200 miles east very soon. Packing up, picking up, moving the entire lock, stock, and barrel(s) to the heart of the Southwest. Of course, when you lived in California for many years, moving east and south isn't really the southwest any longer, at least to us.

Initially, I will be heading southeast in a few short weeks, Loretta will stay here to wrap things up with the house. I will be starting a new career, both of us will be starting a new life in a new place. One of my duties going early includes securing a new place to live. More on this evolving story as it happens. I'll be staying with my best friend of over 40 years until the process is complete. He's single by the way and lives alone in a nice house on the outskirts of Albuquerque. I would never undertake such an intrusion of a friend's life if he was married and still had kids had home. We'll be "bachin" it for a few months. And I know he won't let me leave mys shoes or dirty clothes lying around!

Anyway...so, how the heck does one get to New Mexico from northern central California? Well, you fly, of course! Why not drive? Several reasons, not the least of which is the fact that I need to leave the "reliable" car here for Loretta. And certainly not the least of which is what it will cost me to drive versus flying. Try this: $240 for gas, $75 for a motel room, $50 for food totalling $365. Compared to $111 to fly.

Another reason not to drive...did you see Vacation? Clark Griswold and his family traveled a similar route on their way to Wally World. I wouldn't be driving a brand new Wagon Queen Family Truckster. I would be driving a 1986 Nissan 300ZX. And although it is in relatively good condition, a lot can go wrong in 1200 miles of desert driving!

After the Griswold's unfortunate accident at the end of the wrong road, his experience with the greasy garage mechanic/sheriff deputy makes me a little leery of taking this route and mode of transportation through remote areas of the southwestern United States.

Mechanic: Ain't never seen anyone so shit-all stupid as you driving off that road. You musta got manure for your brains.
Clark: Yeah, well, we're from out of town. How much do I owe you?
Mechanic 1: How much you got?
Clark: No, I'm asking how much the repairs are.
Mechanic 1: I'm asking how much you got!
Clark: You're out of your mind. Look, I don't have time to fool around so how much is it?
Mechanic 1: [waving a wrench] All of it, boy!
Clark: What does the sheriff think of your business practice?
[Mechanic 1 laughs and shows Clark his sheriff's badge]

'Nuff said?

Just for fun. More of those memorable quotes from Vacation.

"Mom!"

This is a photo of MY Mom when she was a kid.

Get your own.

Happy Mother's Day, Betty.


O.K....I'll share her with you!

Bucket Seats Killed The Drive-In Theatre

I believe it was the proliferation of the bucket seat in American automobiles that lead to the ultimate demise of the drive-in theatre. More on that theory later. And even though one would be hard pressed to find an operating drive-in near them, they are still around...but, sadly, not many.

Historically, the first drive-in theatre was built, and patented, in the early 1930's by Richard Hollingshead in New Jersey. His patent was eventually declared invalid by a Delaware district court in 1950...and drive-in theatres multiplied like bunnies.

My very first memory of going to the drive-in was somewhere in the late 1950's. My parents took me to the Van Nuys Drive-In to see War of the Worlds. I don't recall if that was the "feature presentation" or the second feature...no matter, it was my first. By the way, I can still remember to this day watching this flick from the back seat of an old Oldsmobile and hiding my eyes through most of the basement scene. There were always two movies, a cartoon or two before the start of the first movie, and previews at intermission. And, those wacky snack bar ads successfully designed to produce a salivation response for hot buttered popcorn, icy cold soft drinks, and other tasty treats. There was always a playground located near the snackbar or right below the screen where we could go and swing on a jungle jim or spin on one of those little merri-go-rounds until it was time for the movies to start.


Many a time our family would pile into the station wagon to go see movies like Creature From the Black Lagoon, Beach Blanket Bingo, or The Birds. We'd bring our shopping bag full of homemade popcorn (yes, a full shopping bag) since Dad refused to pay the exhorbitant price charged for America's favorite snack at a drive-in snack bar. We would, however, usually be allowed a trip to the concession stand at intermission for an ice cream bar or some other more perishable junk food item. Friday night trips to drive-in theatres as a child were nothing less than exciting and highly anticipatory. Great memories from a different time and space.

Going to the drive-in as a teenager with a driver's license was quite a different story of course! I finally understood why some of the cars windows were so fogged up you couldn't see the occupants inside. Yes, people went to the drive-in without any intention of watching the movies. And, the advent of bucket seats (and subsequent death of bench seats) would contribute significantly to the extinction of this iconic form of American entertainment...making out at the drive-in! This outlet for adolescent debauchery became nearly impossible, or at the very least extremely uncomfortable, with bucket seats. Forget the back seat as well as cars got smaller and smaller. Thank goodness for our 1960 Chevy Impala and 1962 Pontiac Bonneville. Those seats and roomy interior provided endless options. Enough of this already!

A local news story recently reported the closing of Sacramento's last drive-in theatre. And, Loretta and I visited (for the first and last time) a nearby double-screen drive-in swap-meet last weekend. They don't show movies there any longer, and the swap meet was nearly void of vendors or patrons. Walking around, up and down the sloped aisles where cars filled with families parked on Friday nights brought back these fond memories. The speaker stands had long since been removed. In-car sound being accessed through the car radio, quite a technological improvement over the tinny, metal speakers we'd hang on the window.

But, stereophonic sound and upgraded concession stand menus featuring sushi, goat cheese pizzas, and lattes wouldn't stave off the inevitable. The drive-in theatre's time has come and gone. Automobiles without bench seats may not be to blame, but it's a quaint, if not completely naive rationalization on my part for the death of the drive-in theatre. A more likely culprit would be the home video/home theatre explosion. In any case, another opportunity for parents and children to spend close knit time together has gone away.

By the way, that last photo is of the Galaxy Drive-In Theater in Ennis, Texas. Yes, there are a handful of operating drive-in theaters remaining in America. Many of them in the mid-west and quite a few located along Route 66.

Try this link if you're interested in seeing more of what used to be a favorite, and abundant, form of entertainment in a baby boomer's childhood.

Another Time, Another Place, Another Life

I couldn't help myself. A huge wave of nostalgic waxing flowed over me as I began the overwhelming task of going through boxes and boxes of old stuff in our garage. I just had to drop this into a blog.

Yes, that is me (on the left) in an ad for my radio show in December of 1986. This morning news, music, "entertainment", comedy skits, and whatever else we could conjure up off the cuff program was one of the last ones in my illustrious career in radio. I did stay in that business for a few more years however in sales and commercial production. But the daily early morning grind ground to a halt shortly after that picture was taken. It didn't end for lack of an audience. It ended for lack of commercial revenue at the radio station. Live, small town morning radio shows were beginning to go the way of the Do-Do bird. Satellite programming had begun to wedge its way into the Central Coast market,ie, San Luis Obispo/Pismo Beach area of California.

Oh, I could have endured a few more years on the air...without a raise or even promise of more money. I could have stayed on and accepted longer work hours and more duties to justify my salary. I could have, but didn't. A couple of years later, I was "wooed" away from the glamour and fame of local radio and into the glamour and fame of restaurant management. The remainder of that hideous story (restaurant management) is now history as well.

I still long for the days of getting up at 4:00 am to do my morning radio show(s). I didn't relish hauling my lazy ass out of bed that early. But I did perk up once I got shaved, showered, and dressed, mustered some enthusiasm, and got quite a kick out of sitting down at the microphone before the sun came up and doing what I did. What I did was, and I use the word loosely, "entertain" folks on the radio. I played what was called Adult Contemporary music in those days, Easy Listening might be what it is referred to today. Although there was music, most of what I did was talk, take calls on the air, run trivia contests, interview people on the air live, do comedy skits as various characters such as Professor J. Michael Klembottom, Madame Julia, and Winston Mannington. The latter character's spouse being Phoebe Mannington (voiced my Glenda, my morning partner). It was a lot of fun while it lasted. But the times were changing. I guess I was as well.

The radio audience wanted "more music and less talk" now. And it was easier to sell commercials for a music format than for a talk format back then. It was and still is a game of ratings. It didn't matter that the higher rated stations audience were comprised of mostly teenagers (and still is today). Our very loyal, slightly more mature, more discerning, money-spending listeners couldn't keep me on the air any longer, despite a very flattering letter-writing campaign after we announced our impending departure.

I was no Howard Stern. That wasn't my style anyway. I was somewhat witty, but certainly not as crude or sensational or shocking. I did come across on the air as if I was actually enjoying what I was doing. And I was.

People ask me all the time, "Why don't you get back into radio. You were really good and you enjoyed what you were doing?" My answer: "It is rare to find a radio station owner who appreciates than genre any longer. And, heaven forbid...actually pay you for it!" And as a point of fact, too many of those little stations are owned by large radio groups. They own hundreds of stations now. And it's all about "numbers".

Perhaps with our upcoming relocation to another city in another state, I will explore the possibility of radio broadcasting again. Perhaps not. At the very least, my radio experience will always be there to fall back on. And you know what? It may indeed be time for that "fall back".

Bing bong! Five minutes past the big hour of five o'clock! Here's the new one from the Eagles!!!

The One Dollar Donut Economic Indicator

Forget about the government's leading economic indicators or the news media's town criers who masquerade as experts in this field. Never mind the cost of gasoline as it passes the four dollar mark. If you want to know where the economy is going, check out your local donut emporium!

Yesterday morning, I sauntered in to our very local, very old, donut shop. Salida Donuts (not sure if that is actually its name, it doesn't matter) is a mere 100 feet or so from the Salida Post Office. Every couple of weeks, either Loretta or I rationalize that it is time again for a huge dose of starch, sugar, and fat in the form of a donut (or three) and we indulge. She always gets some sort of cream filled eclair thingy. I opt for several old-fashioned-buttermilk glazed or maple bars. Know this...I'm not talking about those anemic Krispy Kreme air-filled puff donuts. I'm talking about nice, big, gut bombs from your locally-owned-by-prideful-Asians donut shops. Good donuts!

In a brief exchange between myself and the friendly Filippina donut shop proprietor lady, I learned some disturbing, though not surprising, economic news. The cost of her basic, no-frills donut line will go from 65 cents to 75 cents very shortly. Late last year, it was 55 cents. Of course, the fancier ones will also undergo a similar price increase. She explained the cost of flour and other pastry accoutrement has gotten out of hand lately and she has no other choice but to pass this increase on to her customers. "No big deal", I consoled the donut lady as she continued to apologetically explain her business dilemma. "We'll still buy donuts...maybe not as often", I offered with a patented sympathetic smirk on my face. In a quaint broken English, her lamented response was, "Business much slower than last year this time!". I grabbed my little white bag of donuts off the counter, threw her a real smile, shrugged my shoulders, and excited the Salida donut shop with the little silver bell ringing out a subtle goodbye.

I can't help but think that our donuts will reach the one-dollar mark soon. One dollar for a frickin' glob of flour, sugar, and fat! If you don't believe that, keep in mind the cost of gasoline has risen much higher than 30% in a short amount of time. I realize the factors controlling the cost of a gallon of gas are much more volatile and politically oriented than the cost of donut flour, but not much more.

Whether we are in a recession or not, we are in for continued tough economic times ahead. Perhaps The One Dollar Donut will be a good thing for us Americans. After all, most of us are too fat anyway! We have a choice with donuts, eat less of them. Not so the case with utilities, milk, and bread. We need heat...and we gotta eat something!

By the way, did you notice the price of a half gallon of milk is almost three dollars now?