Good Childhood Memories

At the Ocean Ranch there was a children’s hour where we played games like, “I see something that you don’t see and the color is…” and you got a free milkshake if you guessed correctly.  They also had a sand castle building competition.  Finally, we could order a burger from the restaurant and charge it to the room without getting permission first.  We thought that was the greatest thing ever

In Vermont, we distracted ourselves by going swimming in the pond.  There was a long wooden pier that we jumped off, and then we swam over to the canoe or rowboat that the Hall’s had at the pond.  Other attractions were playing in the barn and going to Grandma’s house for dinner.

 In Minnesota, we walked to Lake Minnehaha to swim.  It was probably too cold to get into the water but we did it anyway.  Also, we walked to the creek and played with the clay that made up the banks.

 Dad used to love to barbeque steak on the charcoal grill.  He had it down to a science, letting the meat marinate all day and then having the meat cook on the fire for a very specific amount of time.  He served it with French fried onion rings and it was the best meal that I ever had.

 Swim meets were a big deal while I was growing up. They were held at Plantation Country Club and we built tent cities underneath the bleachers where we would play cards while waiting for our events.  Mom made us jelly sandwiches on raisin bread that has a frosting on it.

 Dad’s favorite meal that Mom cooked was leg of lamb served with mint jelly and strawberry shortcake for dessert.  He liked to let the short cake to stew in the strawberry juice for a while so that it could soak up the juice.

 My father always kept catalogues of boats for sale on the table in the family room.  He always wanted a boat and the one picture where I think he was at his happiest was the one where he went deep sea fishing on a daylong expedition in the Gulf.

We raced home after school so that we could watch “Presto the Clown,” “Speed Racer,” and “Ultraman.”  On Saturday mornings, we watched “Lidsville,” “The Bugaloos,” “The Hudson Brothers,” “Sigmund the Sea Monster,” “The Land of the Lost,” and “The Banana Bunch.”  On Sunday mornings, we watched “Star Trek” at 11:00 and, while waiting for that television show to start, we watched old movies.  There was a rotation of “Abbott and Costello,” “Martin and Lewis,” “Shirley Temple,” “Tarzan,” “The Three Stooges,” and the old black and white monster movies like “Frankenstein,” “Dracula,” and “The Wolfman.”    

If the teachers at Holy Trinity wanted to show us a filmstrip then we would have to go to a special viewing room next to Principal Julie Anne’s office.  For example, we saw “Cree Finds the Way,” and “Jot” in that room.

 We used to walk up to the “Convenient” store, even if we didn’t have any money, and stare longingly at the “Icee” machine, wishing that we could buy some of that liquid sugar.

Dad was a serious poker player and he kept a jar filled with his winnings on his dresser.  Mom told us to go to their bedroom and grab a few coins when we needed lunch money.

Our grandparents drove through Louisville on the way back to Minnesota in their mobile home.  They parked it on Long Boat Key for the winter or drove it to Mexico.  The souvenirs that they bought back for us included maracas, hermit crabs, and Mexican jumping beans.

We all felt pure joy when we saw the spire of the Eifel Tower at King’s Island when our parents took us to the park during the summer.

We used to sneak downstairs after my parents had a bridge party so that we could eat the left over candy.

Dad used to stand on the front porch and whistle loudly to call us to dinner.  Mom would ring a bell.

On Saturday afternoons, Mom made grilled cheese sandwiches.  On Sundays, after mass, she made waffles.

ACBL had an annual picnic on the Ohio River.  They had ponies, Bingo, clowns, sack races, and a seemingly bottomless trough of Coke.  We were in heaven.

The neighborhood kids would get together to play “Ghost in the Graveyard,” “Hot Potato,” “Four Square,” and street volleyball.

Searching for salamanders under the drain and crawdads in the creek, and playing in the woods behind the Rowan’s house. 

Climbing the Morton’s tree, crawling through the sewer tunnel, floating down the creek when it flooded, swinging on the Helmeyer’s swing, scaling the wall in the Pfeiffer’s back yard, and jumping on the Rowan’s trampoline. 

Mexico City

    I want to live.  I want to do things that other people cannot or will not do.  And I want to do them now, before I get so old and tired that I don’t want to do them any more.  That is why I chose to fly to Mexico City for a long weekend of tourism.  Travel puts a little kerosene in the carburetor, which means that if I want to be an interesting person then I have to be interested in the world around me.  It is easy to give up and stay home.  After all, there isn’t a lot of real estate between the day that you retire and dying on your recliner.  So I travel because it makes me feel young and energized; it also gives me something to look forward to and some place to direct my energy.

   My first day in Mexico City started off with a visit to The Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  I was expecting just a church but it was much more than that, containing wide sweeping grounds and newly constructed gardens.  The Shrine is one of the most popular sites in the world for Catholics and the statues alone were worth the excursion. Among the buildings on the compound are the Old Basilica, the Indian Chapel, the Camilla del Pocito, and the New Basilica of Guadalupe.  Of course, I have heard the story of how the Virgin Mary appeared before a man in Mexico but I had no idea that a compound of enormous size and expense was dedicated to this miracle.

   Our second stop on Friday was Teotihuacan (Ta-Uh-Tee-Waa-Kan), which is located about an hour north of Mexico City and, because of the traffic, was almost a two hour drive on the way back.  This UNESCO site include the Pyramids of the Sun and Moon.  When you think of Mexico and the Aztec culture, these pyramids are what will come to mind because they are so famous.  You are not allowed on the pyramids but the Avenue of the Dead leads you from the pyramids to the Temple of the Feathered Serpent, which you are allowed to climb upon.  I felt like a kid again as I sprinted up the steep stairs and had my picture taken in front of three of the 260 serpent heads that the temple contained.

   Since I paid for a private tour on Saturday, my guide had a lot of time to fill because we moved from attraction to attraction so quickly.  Leonardo took me to the 1968 Olympic Stadium, the Estadio Azteca which can seat over 80,000 fans, and to the University of Mexico City to see the huge mural painted on the side of a building.  The mural was created by artist Diego Rivera and represents the struggle of the Mexican people for independence.  These three places were just an aside.  The first of two main attractions was the Plaza de la Constitution where President Obrador was giving an important speech later in the afternoon.  Because it was such a popular event, the avenues were filled with hawkers and sellers of street food, and every corner of the plaza contained a squad of police officers in case there was any trouble.

   After the plaza were took a break from the city and drove to Xochimilco (Sow-Chi-Meel-Kow), which is a series of canals where you can ride on gondola-like boats.  These boats are all painted in bright colors, can seat up to twenty people, and if you want to make your ride even more festive you can rent a Mariachi Band to play for you.  It is a tradition in Mexico City to take your kids to Xochimilco at least once during their childhood.  Some families made an afternoon out of it by renting the boats for a longer excursion and brought a large picnic basket with them.  On weekends college students rent the boats and make a booze cruise out of the ride.

   Our last stop was to Coyocan (Coy-A-Ocan) to see the Centennial Gardens and the Frida House.  Frida Kalo was severely injured in a train wreck when she was young and, during her convalescence, her father installed a mirror over her bed and gave her an art kit so that she could practice self portraits.  Frida became famous for her art which contained bold colors and whose themes included pain and passion.  Her house was turned into a museum after she died.  Just around the corner from her house is the Centennial Gardens, which includes the Fountain of Coyotes.  The Gardens were filled with people because we arrived on a Saturday afternoon and that is when the park holds its festivals.

   On my last day in Mexico City I visited the Museum of Anthropology and Chapultepec (Cha-Pool-Tuh-Pek).  The highlights of the museum were seeing the Aztec calendar stone, the reproduction of Pakal’s Tomb, and a model of Tenochtitlan (Tuh-Nowch-Teet-Lana), or the capital of the Aztec Empire.  Chapultepec Castle was the home of emperors and presidents until it was turned into a museum.  And because it is a castle, I was expecting a rather dour fort with cannons and barracks, but instead it was a palace filled with plazas, statues, and gardens.  Situated above Mexico City, and surrounded by a park that is twice the size of Central Park, Chapultepec is the jewel in the crown of Mexico’s cultural life.
   

      My buddies in Louisville asked me why on earth would I want to go to Mexico.  My answer now is that my flight left at 6:00 amto Dallas and I was in downtown Mexico City before 11:00 am because of the time change.  In essence, it only took a morning’s worth of travel to get to Mexico City and I spent the rest of the day taking a Hop On Hop Off bus tour.  A first rate hotel only cost me $160 per night and all of the food was reasonably priced.  The people could not have been nicer and the things that I saw will stick with me for the rest of my life.  So I say to anyone who will listen, “You should go to Mexico City