'Something Special, Just for Me!'

Are you familiar with the movie 'The Music Man'?

When I was a boy, mom had a friend that lived in Chicago. Her name was Clara Coors (she was of some relation to the Coors brewing family). For reasons unknown to me, Clara Coors, with some frequency, would occasionally send me a small gift. And it would arrive via the UPS (United Parcel Service) truck. Like the boy Winthrop Paroo, who waited for surprises coming to town on the Wells Fargo wagon, I lived in anticipation of the UPS truck, for I just knew there was "something, something special, just for me" on that truck.

Now, no one else was receiving gifts from her, so I can only guess that mom must have talked about me an awful lot. Unfortunately, I never met that wonderful woman who left such a fond memory and a compassionate note in my heart.

Island of Adventure

East of the city, along the banks of the Ohio River, once stood the area's famous amusement park, Coney Island. When we were children it wasn't unusual for mom and dad to take us to Coney Island on a summer day or evening for picnics at the riverbank picnic grove and hours of entertainment on the midway.

It was here that some of my fondest memories reside, sitting upon dad's shoulders as he carried me through the 'deep' water {the water was probably only 4-feet-deep, and dad was but 5'7" tall, but I was just a toddler at the time} to the island raft in Sunlight "The World's Largest Recirculating" Pool. Or, when I rode upon dad's shoulders on the park's midway so that I may see over the heads of the crowd of spectators to watch live entertainment being presented, or fireworks.

At the other extreme, my favorite ride was the carousel; spinning to the sounds of a Marine bandbox.

But my fondest memory is of grabbing dad's hand and leading him to the thrill rides that he and I most enjoyed. Once the rest of the family was settled and prepared to take off to enjoy their interests, I grabbed dad by the hand and we headed off to ride the Wildcat rollercoaster. You see, dad especially enjoyed roller coasters, as I learned to as well with his introduction. And the rougher the better. I was so small that dad had to place his arm around me and hold me into the seat for the wildest and best ride in the world.

The other family members had less of this interest, with one exception. At the end of each visit to Coney Island mom and dad would gather us together at the entrance of The Shooting Star roller coaster, a long rising and falling wooden thrill ride that paralleled the midway and river, that ended in a dark curving tunnel. There we four kids would wait while mom and dad took their one ride together for the evening. What seemed to become a romantic tradition, we children would watch as mom and dad rode up to the summit of the chain-driven first hill, dad's arm around mom; culminating in their later exit with a vision of their own childhood.

"Trick Or Treat!"

For Kristi's first Halloween I dressed her in a clown costume and, using red lipstick, I made round circles on her cheeks and nose. Taking her from house-to-house with her cousin Laury, I instructed Kristi on how to approach the house and what to say to the homeowner when they came to the door. Uncertain, and somewhat afraid, I escorted her up onto the first couple of porches. However, at the third house Kristi instructed me, "Daddy, I can do it myself!" She learned quickly.

"Not With My Son You Don't!"

A slight woman of petite stature, mom once confronted our (6'2"/220lb) church choir director in the church parking lot following morning service for inappropriately alienating her son, Jim, during choir practice; correcting and telling him, "NOT WITH MY SON YOU DON'T!" Jim soon received a public apology from the choir director in front of all the boys in the choir.

A Horse Is A Horse, Of Course, Of Course .....

'A horse is a horse, of course, of course, and no one can talk to a horse, of course, that is, of course, unless the horse ----- Is a giraffe!'

 

Bobby is the first-born of our generation. Being so, and spending a significant part of his youth with grandma and grandpa Rickard, he has many a memory of various events and activities surrounding his upbringing.

One of which is the time when, as a toddler, grandma and grandpa took Bobby to the zoo.

As grandpas are want to do, teasing as they will, while visiting the giraffes, grandpa told Bobby that the giraffe said 'Hi!' to him.
 

Of course, Bobby believed him. And, to this day, he still does! After all, would grandpa lie?