Topic: If you were born before 1975, how did you make it his far?

[cadler]

im a model 58.
got burned up in an underground fort(only one small scar) ,fell outa trees actually got shot at with shotgun loaded with rock salt by a security gaurd at the local quarry. took our bicycles everywhere we needed to go.
was not allowed to have a minibike so we attempted to build our own with a bicycle frame and a lawn mower engine,got it all together(no clutch, we lifted the back wheel when starting) with a string tied to the throttle. The engine was mounted backwards and we went 10feet in reverse stalled and we never were able to start it again(probably a good thing) We would hang out in the woods all day. We would chase the DDT fogger truck that went down the street to try and kill the skeeters.
(my kids have 10 fingers and ten toes) We would try and kiss the girls(no sexual harassment in those days) Go to the local pool that had a high dive.
hitch rides on the back of cars in the snow by grabbing the bumpers and sliding on our feet as far as we could go (vws were the best).Play stick ball in the street in summer,tackle football in the fall. When we were teenagers it was like that 70's show.We had 14kids in our nieghborhood all about the same age. about six or seven of us still get together. What a time!

[ElCheapo]

I am a K0 I think? I am a 70 model.

That stuff brings back the good memories. BTW garden hose water had a taste that was quite aquired. When I read this I think to George Carlin (which I had the pleasure of meeting - at a broadcasters seminar many years back) saying "Dont pump the stomach of the kid who eats all the marbles" .

Did we forget about Lawn Jarts? These usually were accompanied by lots of drinking in the backyard. When I think if it mmmmm sounds a bit Ausie to me . Get drunk and whip sharp things in the air. Still looking for a set of the damn things just to say I have a set of them.

[clarkjh]

Still looking for a set of the damn things just to say I have a set of them.

Trade ya

James

[ElCheapo]

ekkkkkkkkkkkkk adicted to these horible thingys

What do you need? Be real man.

[clarkjh]

I'd have to check the parents basement, use to play with them all the time

As for what I need, I have a scarred #4 jug on my 550, you got any oversize pistons? Would ask for a nice set of juggs but I already married her.

James

[ElCheapo]

If you needed 500 stuff I would have your game nailed. But look and let me know. Back to work on the office. Lots to get done here. We have to go legit here. Scarry, but I will have no problem rolling in the cash

[clarkjh]

I'll take a look this weekend, who knows, mabe it's still around there somewhere.

James

[DiscoEd]

BTW garden hose water had a taste that was quite aquired.

I'm a 67 model...
 and you know I always prefered the taste of water out of a good old american made rubber hose that my Grandfather had from back in 1940 something. The water out of those cheap chinese vinyl hoses from the dollar store just doesn't have the same bouquet about it.

As kids...
We fought many battles over and over again from at least four different wars. A stick could be a musket, a winchester, or an M1. A palm sized rock could be a quite effective grenade. We died many times a day and had fun doing it. We dressed up in old fatigues and we weren't called terrorists or separatists and we didn't ever hurt any of our fellow students. We didn't grow up to become serial killers or prey on children. Most of us grew up to serve our country and our fellow citizens in some way.

We learned to hunt and fish and yet to have respect for our environment (even if Grandpa didn't.)

We were taught how to find our A$$ with two hands and how to make do with what was at hand. If there wasn't anything at hand, we made do with that too.

We knew the value of one good bicycle and a far away friend. (and an old counrty road with slow moving traffic)

We logged more miles on that one good bicycle than we could ever hope to achieve on a CB550 / CB750 in our adult years.

We knew that spray paint cans were good for making torches and for painting (and not grafitti).

Our parents always knew where we were... cause we were playing.

We got one channel on TV if the weather was good and the wind wasn't blowing.

We played outside (all 12+ months of the year).

We all knew that a "sissy" was a either your sister or a kid that wouldn't follow through on a tripple dog dare! A "sissy bar" was on the back end of a bike.

We smoked and chewed tabacco until we discovered it would make us throw up. (if we weren't smart enough to quit, we didn't piss and moan that it was the tabacco companies fault that we kept up the bad habit)

We actually learned about history, geography, reading, math and science in school. (even if it was skewed by the government)

We all had paying jobs by the time we were ten years old.

Yeah eventually there was Atari... but it didn't take us long to figure out bottle rockets, girls and beer were more fun.


Regards,
DiscoEd

[Bob Wessner]

It wasn't much different even 25 years prior to that, except for the Atari.  I wonder where and when things changed?

[DiscoEd]

I wonder where and when things changed?

Bob, I'm pretty sure it was either 1985 or 1955 depending on your point of view...
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088763/

[cben750f0]

am a '74 child... and my biggest worries have included bmotorbikes on the road , and that has been the last few years..... bugger lead based paints and the like.... i am more allergic to cage drives that cant turn there heads!!!...peace

[8 Track]

Yeah eventually there was Atari... but it didn't take us long to figure out bottle rockets, girls and beer were more fun.

Amen to that, brother!

[ElCheapo]

I actually have an atari still  . You are right disco, those stupid china hoses suck. I remember on the farm my grandpa had a red rubber hose that we used to drink from. I think it lasted like 20 years, unlike the crapeneese ones we buy every year 

[mylittleho]

I'm an Early 1979 model. Still remember playing Atari, getting my ass wooped, having my dad threaten to call the police and have me taken away.. (rather than the other way around now adays) I remember playing in the woods and coming home covered in poison Ivy.. and the street light thing really hit home.. when they started buzzing you knew they were going to come on any minute and you BETTER be home when the first one actually came on.. I remember when, on Christmas morning, all the neighbor kids were out on their new bikes, skateboards, roller skates, scooters... Now adays you go out on Christmas morning and there isn't a sole to be found..

The major issue I have now adays is spanking.. you just don't see it enough today.. and these kids.. they are brats.. some of them have their PARENTS shaking in their boots...

I tell you what.. my kids WILL be spanked.. we were all spanked.. my siblings and I are all well rounded, polite, normal human beings.. My dad made us so affraid of him, that our asses became sore whenever we would even THINK about doing something we knew we shouldn't... and now that I think about it.. it seems like the holy terrors i grew up with were the ones who parents didn't give a crap about them to discipline them..

so yep.. my kids are going to get their ass tore up.. I'm starting early with my Nephews.. I popped one the other day for not listening to me.. (not hard at all just enough to get his attention) and he goes "ha-ha that didn't even hurt me.." (He's 4) well the second time not only hurt his ass but he also got sent to his room for disrespect.. I will NOT have a snobby, disrepectful nephew.. he will have a sore ass long before that ever happens..

[techy5025]

I am a '44 model.....war baby I guess.  I was always a techy...started when I convinced my
Dad to let me fix the five tube RCA radio jobbie.  Changed the tube and saved him ten bucks the
repair shop would have charged. Started running the projectors at a theatre and maintaining
over 100 washing machines at coin-ops the owner had...still have a bad taste for them. Had great
fun tricking the bells in school into going off early....they never figured that one out, but their
attempts at repair netted me a lot of tubes for my ham radio.

So I have had a paycheck since I was 14 or so.  I can't understand kids that depend on Dad for
a handout.  My neighbor has three that have never held a job and they are all over 20 now.

Never had a rifle but had several BB guns and no one (I know of) lost eyes. We had a pump water
well for my first 10 years and a walk to the outside depository.  The only thing hi-tech I remember
was when Dad installed a heater that you could turn on from inside the house to "pre-heat" it.

I always had a petal bike and put lots of miles on it in rural Tenn.....actually I was driving when I
was 13 or so....you could get by with a lot of things then. I think it was a '29 Chevy which
my Dad ran on half gas and half kerosene.   My first "real" bike was a Honda 305 Dream...sure
wish I still had it.

Jim

[cbjunkie]

that sure is a pretty bike, techy...have you posted photos of it for us to drool over?

[techy5025]

cbjunkie,

Pics are in the gallery.

....and thanks.

Jim

[Bob Wessner]

Never had a rifle but had several BB guns

I'm the same vintage. These posts have brought back memories, this one in particular. Did you ever try pouring 3-in-1 oil down the barrel of your BB guns? Made Red Rider Magnums out of them. 

[cbjunkie]

pray elucidate

[techy5025]

Bob,

Just checked and I still have my Daisy.....sure wish I had the Lionel
train set from the early 50's.  That would probably finance another
750.   I think my Dad gave it away after I moved out.

Jim

[Bob Wessner]

I was an American Flyer fan myself, realistic two tracks you know. 

pray elucidate

As I recall, the oil improved the piston seal. You could easily punch holes in a tin can. Occasionally you had to dismantle the thing and sop-up excess oil, but then we would start all over.

[seaweb11]

1960 model here/ As long as I had my bike under my ass I was happy.
Mustang..........

[dpen]

1955 model myself.

had my first bike at 9yo - a BSA Sunbeam scooter.

Took off all the bodywork & rode around the streets (big exposed, finned flywheel 1 inch from the right ankle)

Hurt myself less on this than I did on pushbikes & home made skateboards

[mylittleho]

Bob,

Just checked and I still have my Daisy.....sure wish I had the Lionel
train set from the early 50's.  That would probably finance another
750.   I think my Dad gave it away after I moved out.

Jim

My dad still has his lionel set from 1949.. his dad bought it for him when my dad was only 6 months old.. when I was about 10 my dad brought it down and we played around with it.. took a lot to get her going.. he wants to get the loco fixed.. It needs some work.. It was in exceptional condition and all the components still worked after spending the last 40 years in the attic..

[techy5025]

If you go to almost any model train show, you will find vendors selling almost all the small
parts for the Lionel trains.  They used a lot of common parts so fixing them...or at least
getting the parts... is relatively easy.

Jim