Growing Up in 1970's Florida

Moving up to the Big (Little) League

2008-09-14T18:33:00.005-04:00

Somewhere in a box, my trophies from T-Ball and Little League will remind me how many years I played ball, but for some reason, I can't remember playing T-Ball for more than one season. If I did it for more than one year, I just don't remember. Nor do I remember participating in Little League for more than one year, though I feel certain I did. I am going to find those trophies and update you on that later.

As per usual, I don't remember any discussion in the household about my transition from T-Ball to the "bigs". Surely there must have been SOME discussion. After all, Little League is unadulterated, American-Pastime Baseball. T-Ball, is merely a game that employs a baseball. I don't recall understanding that distinction as a kid.

Almost everything I remember of my Little League experience is pleasant:

My team: Kelsey and Sons (a contractor, I think). My couch: Mr. Busby, father of our third baseman and a classmate, John Busby. Everybody liked Mr. Busby. I remember big smiles, bright eyes (blue, I think), close cropped hair, stocky with a thickish neck (to my kid's minds eye), and a real zest for coaching.

In T-Ball, you get your first cleats, team cap, and a t-shirt that looks like everyone elses, giving you a pretty good sense of "team". In Little League, you get the UNIFORM: ankle socks, pants with a stripe, a jersey with a number on the back, and a real baseball cap. My number was 13. In T-Ball, you feel like a member of a team mainly once you get around the other guys who all happen to be wearing the same color t-shirt as you. But when you have a full uniform, you're a member of a team as soon as you dress! It's a great feeling.

Another graduation of sorts: you got to play on the "real" field. At Princeton Elementary where we played, there were two fields: a smaller one for T-Ball that has the usual arrangement of a few benches for the "crowd" and another bench for the "dugout". I do not recall it having a scoreboard, and the field was generally rough at the edges. But the other field was where the real action was. Not only was it bigger, but it had a real scoreboard (manually changed by, I think, other kids that sat under the board and added the numbers), it had bleachers, real dugouts, and was well kept.

And then there was the concession stand! I've always had a sweet tooth, and the concession stand never failed me. I was probably introduced to a lot of candies there: Milk Duds, Baby Ruths, Sugar Babies, and the big SweetTarts stand out along with the obligitory popcorn. I was also introduced to a curious concoction: "suicide" drinks. To this day, I get funny looks because I can't walk up to a soda machine and just fill up with one type soda, its got to be a mix, and hopefully there is a little fruit juice or fruit flavored soda on top. I like a mix of cereals in the morning also.

I played outfield for most of my career. I have vague memories of wanting to play infield, but no strong feeling that I remember. I started experimenting, though, on my own with pitching during some practices. It caught the eye of the coach at some point, but the need really wasn't there, so it didn't go anywhere. Until...during one game that wasn't going well, I remember coach Busby calling me in from the outfield to take over the pitching (I played varying positions, I think I was in center field on this day). Unfortunately, one of the clearer memories from that day was a man (I guess a father of a member of the opposing team) in the crowd yelling mean things at me. I don't think I did too bad, though I remember being very nervous and throwing some wild pitches. I don't remember any kind of elation or accolades at having saved the day or anything, but I must have done okay because I did continue to pitch from time-to-time.

Remember Mike Hammond, the slugger from my T-Ball team? He was on my team again, thankfully, and he continued to be the slugger of the lot of us. Despite being a bigger kid than average, he wasn't the bully type, nor was he brash and loud. He was always mild mannered, quick to smile. When approaching the plate to bat, he had a quiet calm about him, never a "let's go hit that ball!" fury you might associate with a competitive slugger. Yet, he was the homerun king of our team, and the guy the opponent's outfield actually took steps back for as he approached the plate.

In the end, Kelsey and Sons was probably in the middle to top of the pack, as was I personally. At the end of what must have been my last year playing, I remember feeling utterly demoralized when I wasn't among the All-Star selections. I don't remember being a stellar player, but I must have felt I meritted some recognition, so I was really upset, but I kept that to myself. Well, a few days later, I get a call from Mr. Busby: do I want to be on the All Star team? Heck yeah!! I had no idea what changed such that he decided to extend me an invitation, nor did I care!... So I traded in the red and white of Kelsey and Son for the green and white of the Princeton Little League All-Stars. I kept the number 13.

So the idea is that all-stars from each Little League division then play each other, the winners going on to larger and larger venues. Well, our team did not fair too well, as I recall. I honestly can't remember playing more than one game, though maybe we played a few.

So, a game might last what, a couple hours? And yet, all rolled into the one All-Star game I remember playing are not only some of my best memories of baseball, but also the happiest moment I remember between me and my parents, particularly my father. As I recall:
Sometime shortly before that game, I remember my father taking me to the high school near our house (my future high school, Edgewater) and spending time with me, giving me pointers on hitting the ball: lining up at the plate, stance, touch the bat on the opposite side of the plate, eye on the ball. This is probably a regular occurence for some, but frankly, I don't remember another time I got one-on-one attention from dad where I learned something and was having fun with him. Later, just before the game, Mom and Dad said they would give me five dollars if I hit a home run - something I don't think I did the entire season.

So imagine the All Star game (I think it was at night which adds a bit to the drama for some reason): Our team is not doing real well, I'm first to bat one inning. Mom and Dad are both in the stands (rare?). I walk to the plate, crowd cheering from our side of the stands, I touch the bat to the other side of the plate as Dad had suggested, line up, look at the pitcher. First pitch - WHACK!!

Home run.

I'll never forget it. You can't help but watch the ball as you trickle towards first base - GO, GO, GO - center-fielder running, tracking it - GO, GO, GO - then to see it bounce on the other side of the fence -priceless! Rounding third base, I was facing the stands where I saw Mom and Dad, I held up my open right hand, five bucks, remember? and came home.

I don't think you can be happier.

It was our only point, we lost, and I don't know if I ever played another game, but I won't ever forget it.

T-Ball and Little League

2008-09-02T20:10:00.006-04:00

As a 7 or 10 year old, I don't remember having the option to compete in a variety of sports: Under-8 soccor, swim team, tennis - never entered my consciousness. I remember flag football (did not participate and don't remember wanting to), and, of course, baseball. As my parents were not at all athletically inclined, and often not inclined to push me into anything, I do wonder how I even ended up participating in T-Ball, but I did. In College Park at that time, you participated in the Princeton Little League, playing games at the nice fields behind Princeton Elementary.

My team: Control Specialists (a company that had something to do with traffic signals?) I remember two coaches: Mr. Riddle was the main coach, and his assistant was a much older fellow, Mr. Monk. Mr. Riddle was, I gathered, the (step?)father of one of my teammates, Jimmy Von Plinsky. I remember them both being nice fellows. Mr. Riddle was always encouraging and as far as I can recall, pretty enthusiastic. Mr. Monk was tall and lanky if memory serves, quiet, and soft spoken.

We had a pretty good team. The only other person on the team whose name I remember was Mike Hammond, a big-for-his-age kid, nice kid, and the recognized slugger on the team. I remember considering myself a pretty good hitter, but I figure I was at least in the middle of the pack somewhere.

The most I remember of the practices: being out on a not very tended, barren, elementary school ball field in the Florida heat with 10 or 11 not very motivated kids, looking at pine trees in the distance. I don't remember learning much, not that I didn't. But funny how you can't forget the canvas bag full of baseballs, bats, and helmets. Even though I've not played organized ball since Little League, the feel of a base ball scuffed with clay still feels like it belongs in my hand. I remember also starting to learn about the different bats: different weights, lengths, wood vs. aluminum. Another thing you never forget is the sound of a good hit. Oh, and how could I forget, going out and getting your first pair of cleats! Putting on cleats is like framing a picture - you are elevated above the norm, special.

But it doesn't end there - then there's the uniforms! In T-Ball, its just a t-shirt with a logo, and a cap. But when the whole team gets the same shirt and cap and you show up at your first game and see everyone with the same cap, you've got your cleats on, there's the other team with their same color shirts on - you become a team instantly.

I have distinct memories of approaching the teed-up ball, concentrating on getting a hit. You'd think it easy as pie, but it was pretty common to hit the rubber tee under the ball like it was a pinata, the ball just dropping to the ground like a lone piece of candy. Or you just missed everything - whiiiiiffffff! Now, if you haven't ever actually competed, you may not really understand this, but you don't just get a hit and then run to first base. No, when you get a hit, there is this incredible adrenaline rush - energy immediately pours into your arms and legs and you feel as close to a superhero as you will ever feel as you try to spirit yourself to first base. As you run, everything is in slow motion; you see where you hit the ball, you see the other player field the ball and look to first, you see them make the throw; you feel the horrible pull of gravity. When you know they've got you, its like trying to run away from something in a nightmare, you can only run in slow motion. I remember the feeling of running like a hungry bear was behind me, the too-big helmet rattling on my little head, sometimes just falling off completely. Making it to first base: priceless.

I vaguely remember scoring, but its interesting how that isn't something I remember generally. The old saying is true, I think: its not whether you win or loose, its how you played the game.

Cool Cartoon

2008-06-15T23:10:00.003-04:00

So I bought myself a birthday present: the entire first season (26 shows) of the Jonny Quest cartoons! I thought it was Johnny, but no, it is Jonny. I've watched two episodes so far: Mystery of the Lizard Men, and Arctic Splashdown. The Curse of Anubis, Pursuit of the Po-Ho, Riddle of the Gold, Treasure of the Temple, and Calcutta Adventure round out the first disc.

The first episode gives a very cursory introduction to the characters and a bit of background. There's Dr. Benton Quest, who apparently is so incredibly amazing as a scientist, some government agency (not sure who) has assigned "one of our guys", Race Bannon, to protect Dr. Quest's son Jonny from would be kidnappers. Hadji does not appear in the first episode, but he shows up unheralded in the second. Bandit, the dog figures almost too prominently, barking almost to the point of making me cringe.

It is funny to watch it as an adult after all these years. It hardly makes any sense, but you can see why it would be fun for a kid to watch, because they aren't going to be analyzing much. For instance, the first episode makes it clear that the Quests are worth the protection of a full time body guard, yet, when called in to help figure out why five ships have disappeared in the Sargasso Sea, they decide to sail a boat right into the middle of the Sea, and cheerfully bring the kid and dog along - by themselves! The Sargasso is full of old ship wrecks and Jonny spots one that is hundreds of years old and wants to go climb around on one, and Race says, "I don't see any harm in it" - sure, lets get the famous doctor's kid out walking around rotting ship wrecks, what the hay! Another hard-to-believe item: a character I had forgotten about - EUNICE, which is an acronym for something. Its a computer that Dr. Quest talks into conversationally and Eunice spits out an answer. Quite silly when you see it!

Regardless, I am having fun watching them. I am looking forward to The Curse of Anubis, which is the one with the mummy... Maybe I will learn a little about who Hadji is and why he is involved in all the action. One of the discs has a Handbook that "tells all about the Heroes, Villians, Locations, and more..." I think I will watch that prior to seeing many more episodes.

M, J, and D: don't worry, I'll bring these down next time (in about two weeks with the girls!) and we can have a Jonny Quest marathon!

Cheers,

G

By the way, Race's real name: Roger T. Bannon.

A Short Note

2008-04-24T22:09:00.002-04:00

First, thank you Laura, Johanna, and Clare for a wonderful break from work. It is always such a pleasure to see you! I can't wait to see you again.

Just a short note tonight. I heard a portion of a radio show recently, an interview with someone who wrote a book about his personal experience with a family member suffering from alzheimer's. One comment went something like this: to have your memory robbed (as in alzheimer's) would be like never having lived. This idea comes as close to capturing the essence of my reasons for pursuing this blog as anything I have heard or thought of to date. At some point, I realized I might as well have been a fictional TV character if I wasn't grounded in some way to a real and fleshed out past. And the more I dig into my memory and reinforce it with images, research, and discussion, the less fictional I feel, and that is good.

Got a long day tomorrow - good night.

Florida Room

2008-04-06T20:58:00.001-04:00

Florida Room
Originally uploaded by g_suttenfield

This is the Florida Room built in the late 70's replacing the original. The old room was probably only about 14 feet square, had jalousie windows, and a low-slope tar and gravel roof. I seem to remember stepping down into that old room, like 4 inches, but I could be mistaken.

The room pictured here is the first floor of a two-story addition. Note the floor plan sketch under the fireplace. This was a big room: at least 15 feet deep and around 25 feet wide. The addition was on the backside of the house, so you had to walk through the dining room to get to it. Even though it was Florida, Mom felt the fireplace necessary because it reminded her of North Carolina. It actually got some use, because I remember cleaning out the ashes, dumping them under the fruit trees.

To get to my bedroom, I had to walk through this room to the left. While I enjoyed the autonomy that came with being separated from my brothers rooms, there was this drawback: I had to trudge through the Florida Room, Dining Room, and past the Living Room just to get to a full bath. I got in the habit of bringing a full change of clothes with me if I was showering, and a trace of this habit has stuck with me to this day, even though I don't really need to do that anymore. There was a half bath under the stair, so that helped.

Things I remember about this room:
The carpet was a multi-colored greens-white-beige shag (it seemed okay at the time); the walls were a 1/4" wood-grained panel; the face of the fireplace was brick, also multi-colored; the windows were, I think, aluminum framed single-hungs; the ceiling was a "popcorn" finish and had some false beams applied to it. In addition to the half-bath, there was a storage area under the stair. This is where we kept our Christmas decorations including the faux christmas tree we used. It seems to me there was a pendant light fixture in there, but I can't seem to remember what it looked like. As for furniture, there was a Lazy Boy type chair (dad spent most of his time there, his pipes on a table nearby), and two sofas: the "green" sofa that was a sofa-bed, and another, newer one I can't remember the looks of. There was some kind of coffee table - I want to say it came from Grandmother's beach house - round with a glass top, a sort of bamboo-like frame. Or am I thinking of some other table? Also in the room was the TV, to the right of the fireplace, and on the other end of the room, near my room, was the piano, a very nice Yamaha mom had to get rid of when she moved to SC.
The "stereo" inlcuding turntable and radio was up against the wall shared with the kitchen. There were many days I thought I would melt as I suffered through Matt playing the same Van Halen album at full volume a thousand times. At least some times he would play some Beatles or the Knack for a change.

Kitchen-Dining

2008-04-03T22:55:00.002-04:00

Kitchen-Dining
Originally uploaded by g_suttenfield

So this was all I could muster on how the kitchen looked from the dining room. Something is missing in front of the fridge, or something. I was pretty sure the phone was on the wall as shown, but there was a counter, or table, or something else under it I thought, but I can't bring it to mind. Please advise (M,J, &D).

I need some help on the overhead shelf as well. I am pretty sure the sea fan was on the left, and some fish netting was up there along with some sand dollars and at least one star fish. I've shown three divisions, but maybe there were more? Fewer? What else was up there? Matt remembers that all or most of that stuff came from a trip to the Keys mom and dad made while we got left with the maid (Pearl, her son Chuckie, who else?). I have no recollection of that, unless this one brief image in my head of some kind of vine-covered clothesline is from that time...

Other things I remember about this area of the house:

The dining room used to have a cork floor that had a terrible rotted spot under the table I remember being somewhat damp. Most homes in Florida are slab-on-grade, where probably not built with a vapor barrier under the slab, and with the high water table, that would spell disaster for a cork floor. The cork was replaced with carpet when the addition was built.

Pre-addition, the kitchen had a small, circular fluorescent light surface mounted to a hard ceiling. This light may have been left in place after the addition, but a drop ceiling with acrylic lenses was added later. I am willing to bet this ceiling was long ago removed and/or replaced.

The window over the sink looked out to the back yard originally. Of course, that became the pass-through window looking into the family room later. I don't think it ever really functioned as such, but it was good to leave it open to the view through the glass doors.

I remember knotty pine paneling and cabinets in the dining room, but cannot call to mind the cabinets in the kitchen. Were those replaced with the addition?

Thats all for now...

Cheers,

1964 07 04 Sandia Base Albuquerque

2008-03-26T22:45:00.006-04:00

1964 07 04 Sandia Base Albuquerque
Originally uploaded by g_suttenfield

This post is especially for my lovely daughters, Laura, Johanna, and Clare:

This picture was taken, I believe, by either my grandmother (G-G) or grandfather while they were visiting my mother soon after I was born. The date on the picture, July 4, 1964, means I was just 5 or 6 weeks old!

My father was in the military at the time and was stationed in Albuquerque when I was born. My birth certificate says the doctor who delivered me was a Capt. Marx.

The tricycle you see in the front yard belonged to your Uncle Matt who would have been just a little over 2 years old then.

I don't remember anything about living here. I think this must have been the last leg of dad's military duty because we all moved back to Burlington, NC not too long afterwards, and I think that was so that dad could finish his college work. I don't know exactly when we moved back, but Uncle John and David where born in Burlington in November of 1965, so my guess is that we moved in time for dad to start fall classes, probably 8 to 10 months after this photo was taken.

In fact, I don't remember living in Burlington, either. Dad graduated from college (I think with Master's Degrees in Math and Physics) about 2 years later in the Spring of 1967, found a good teaching job in booming Florida, and moved the family down there by June or July that year. So, almost exactly 3 years after this photo was taken, I had two more brothers and was living in Florida! Its amazing how much things can change in a short time...

So here I am with Uncle Matt (I'm the cute little one on the blue bike) not long after we moved to Florida. That's our house on the right in the background. Remember the street was a cul-de-sac, a circular dead end, which is where we rode bikes and played games like Roll-A-Bat (thank you Matt). The batter would stand right in front of our driveway and hit out toward the street. I'll write more about that soon.

I think it strange I don't recall anything about these bikes, nor does Uncle Matt (his bike is brand new in this picture, mine is his old bike - sound familiar girls?). I suppose I would inherit his red bike in a year or two, but I can't remember it at all. The first bike I remember: my groovey red Schwinn Stingray! It had a "banana" seat, slick rear wheel, and regular front wheel. That bike I remember as if I rode it yesterday...

So my father became a teacher of Math and Physics at Edgewater High School not far from our house, the same school I would later attend. I would live in this house for the next 15 years until I graduated from high school and moved to Raleigh, NC to begin studying architecture at NC State in the fall of 1982.

Food

2008-03-23T12:11:00.005-04:00

Food - Restaurants

Reminiscing about the food we ate growing up in Orlando was made me realize how little we ate out, how many more options there are now, and also how many are still around, mainly in the fast food category. I looked into some of the restaurant's histories and learned a bit about some of our favorites.

Restaurants I remember going to:

A favorite: Shakey's Pizza. I never knew until recently this was a chain of restaurants started in California by a guy whose nickname was "Shakey" due to some nerve damage suffered in WWII. It became well known for the dixieland music it played in the restaurant. The company changed hands a few times, at one time being owned by a Singapore based company. A lot of the US stores closed at that time, now there are only about 60 stores in the States and over 300 in Asia. Its now owned by a California based company again. Things I remember about Shakey's:

I remember something about the dixieland music - was there a player piano in there? For some reason, barber shop quartets come to mind. And while waiting for our pizza, I remember playing pin ball machines. I remember the plastic glasses with that really good crushed ice for sodas... The seating area was wide open with bench seating, low light, dark woods.

Another favorite: Krystals. It turns out this is the second oldest fast-food franchise (founded 1932 in Chattanooga), but they are found only in the southeast and are privately owned. Their claim to fame: small, square hamburgers with steamed in onions. Yum! I remember buying BAGS of krystal burgers (seems like you could buy them by the dozen), and I remember them being around 25cents each. Each burger came in a small, open-top cardboard box. I don't remember much about the fries or drinks, or if there was any other desert or food option there. I could have lived off the burgers alone.

Foot long hot dog place: I've mentioned this place before, and am pretty sure it was in Pine Hills area. Foot long hot dogs, chili, and onions. Maybe some pickle relish. I remember the yellowish light (thank you John), possibly created by neon lights, but may have been yellow just to cut down on attracting bugs, since this had outdoor seating only.

KFC and Wendy's were other options. I remember Wendy's being an occasional Sunday-after-church destination, mainly for the all you can eat salad bar. I distinctly remember the chocolate pudding they always had. KFC had original and, I think, extra crispy at that time. I remember having the original most often. Oh, and great biscuits.

Another fast food destination: Roy Rogers. Roy Rogers didn't have anything to do with it. The company was started by a Marriott exec in 1968 and the name was chosen for the 'honest' image they wanted to be associated with. I loved the roast beef. It turns out the company currently has stores in only 9 mid-Atlantic states, none south of northern Virginia, so I guess the one on, I think, Lee Road, is gone.

I know there was a Steak and Shake in Winter Park I remember going to later, but did we go there in the 70's? I can't visualize mom and/or dad eating there.

Another Sunday event that was nice: the Sweden House Smorgasbord. In trying to remember some restaurants we would have taken Grandmother and Granddad when visiting, this is the only one I can visualize (a little help here, please?). Basically, this was the mother of all buffets, though I can't remember any particular food. I just remember it being a real treat.

I remember Arthur Treacher's Fish and Chips. Like Roy Rogers, this company was started in the late 60's and does not appear to have a Florida location anymore. I really enjoyed eating there - great chips with malt vinegar.

Speaking of treats, I can remember going to Dairy Queen, Dairy King (wasn't that the name of the place near us on Edgewater Dr.?), and for awesome ice cream cakes and ice cream sandwiches, Carvelle.

One other spot I have a vague memory of eating: Albertsons Drug Store diner. I don't quite remember beign there with mom or dad, I just remember the place. Anybody remember eating there?

Believe it or not, that's about all I can remember. So, we mainly ate at some fast-food restaurants and a pizza joint.

Is that it? M, J, and D, please help fill in some blanks here.

Food - Home
Hamburger Helper (Beef Stroganoff was my favorite)
Lots of Crock Pot stews
Mac and cheese
PB and J, PB and banana, PB and honey
Pimento cheese sandwiches and
Fritos (I coveted my Frito Bandito pencil eraser in grade school)
Chipped beef on toast - something dad liked in the Navy, as I recall.
Lots of cereal: Total comes to mind immediately.
A big favorite: Mom made a delicious sloppy joe.
Mom really like apple butter, so I remember that with toast.

A memory from the old Florida Room: TV trays, sometimes with TV dinners. It's the TV trays that I miss. How many times did we eat on these folding tray tables while watching TV? The tray tables I remember as having gold, bent metal tube legs with a plastic tray that snapped on to the legs. The tray was a molded plastic, light colored with some kind of muted floral pattern. I can't remember when we stopped using those.

One home-made treat that was awesome: baklava. We have Mrs. Sweitzer to thank for teaching mom how to do it. (I'll have to do a post dedicated to the Sweitzers at some point - their friendship saved us from oblivion)

I know we must have eaten other things, but if I've left off something major, let me know.

Cheers,

Loquats

2008-03-12T23:29:00.004-04:00

loquats
Originally uploaded by g_suttenfield

Here is a fruit I consumed regularly as a child, but have never seen anywhere except my back yard. Some interesting facts (from cfrg.org):

Name: Eriobotrya japonica
Distant Affinity: Apples (Malus spp.), Medlar (Mispilus germanica), Stone Fruit (Prunus spp.), Pears (Pyrus spp.) and others.

Origin: The loquat is indigenous to southeastern China. It was introduced into Japan and became naturalized there in very early times. It has been cultivated in Japan for over 1,000 years. It has also become naturalized in India and many other areas. Chinese immigrants are presumed to have carried the loquat to Hawaii. It was common as a small-fruited ornamental in California in the 1870's, and the improved variety, Giant, was being sold there by 1887. Japan is the leading producer of loquats, followed by Israel and Brazil.

Adaption: The loquat is adapted to a subtropical to mild-temperature climate. Where the climate is too cool or excessively warm and moist, the tree is grown as an ornamental but will not bear fruit. Well established trees can tolerate a low temperature of 12° F. The killing temperature for the flower bud is about 19° F, and for the mature flower about 26° F. At 25° F the seed is killed, causing the fruit to fall. Extreme summer heat is also detrimental to the crop, and dry, hot winds cause leaf scorch. High heat and sunlight during the winter often results in sunburned fruit. The white-fleshed varieties are better adapted to cool coastal areas. In a large tub the loquat makes a good container specimen.
Harvest: Loquat fruits should be allowed to ripen fully before harvesting. They reach maturity in about 90 days from full flower opening. When ripe the fruit develops a distinctive color, depending on the cultivar, and begins to soften. Unripe fruits do not ripen properly off the tree and are excessively acid. Harvest time in California is from March to June. The fruit is difficult to separate from the cluster stems without tearing and must be carefully clipped individually or the whole cluster removed and the fruit then snipped off. Ripe fruit may be stored in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 weeks.

The loquat is comparable to the apple in many aspects, with a high sugar, acid and pectin content. It is eaten as a fresh fruit and mixes well with other fruits in fresh fruit salads or fruit cups. Firm, slightly immature fruits are best for making pies or tarts. The fruits are also commonly used to make jam, jelly and chutney, and are delicious poached in light syrup. Loquats can also be used to make wine.

I also learned there are at least eight orange-flesh cultivars and six white-flesh cultivars. Orange-flesh varieties include 'Big Jim', 'Early Red', 'Mogi', 'Ms. Cooksey', and others. White-flesh names include 'Advance', 'Champagne', and 'Victory', among others.

I seem to remember ours being yellow to orange - is it possible each tree was a different color?

*****

The fact the fruit must ripen on the tree coupled with the labor intensive harvesting explains why you don't see them in the average grocery. It is intriguing to see that some varieties can work well as a container plant. Maybe I should get one inside here!

I have fond memories of standing under the tree, just eating away. I don't remember ever having a bad loquat. They seemed incredibly consistent in quality, though I don't recall we did anything, ever, to maintain those trees! Did we even once prune the things? Fertilize? I just don't recall that happening. I do recall taking ashes from the fireplace and placing them under the citrus trees - I'm not sure if that was really advisable, but it didn't seem to hurt.

The jam, jelly, and chutney ideas above are interesting, but as much as we boys ate loquats, I do not recall mom or dad ever expressing any interest in them, and never do I recall havesting them in any quantity to bring inside and keep in the fridge.

Yum! I miss 'em.

Come-Gitcha Plant

2008-03-09T14:27:00.001-04:00

Come Gitcha plant
Originally uploaded by g_suttenfield

Why are some otherwise mundane things more memorable than others? This plant was located behind our Florida room prior to adding on the new family room, so it was removed about 30 years ago. That means I lived around it 8 or 9 years, so until I was 11 or 12. Despite that brief tenure, I will never forget this plant. One thing that tends to elevate a place or thing in your memory is naming it. This wasn't just a plant in the back yard, it was the "Come-Gitcha" plant. And far from being an ordinary shrub, it had several singular characteristics: First, the leaves were huge (to my young mind), hand-like shapes at the end of arms; the 'arms' were attached to a contorted caterpillar-like trunk that appeared to be covered in eyeballs; the the roots shot out from all over the trunk appearing as a Medusa-like tangle of snakes. Pretty cool!
It was torn out to make way for the new addition. I don't remember seeing that happen - maybe I was at school, or just watching TV. But I don't remember caring that it was gone either. Funny that I still remember it so clearly.
Matt reminded me of playing underneath it with our army men and other toys. I seem to recall spending some time there with my favorite Tonka toys: the front-end loader and dumptruck! Other memories I associate with that plant: ant lions and rolly-poly bugs. I think there were tons of both under that plant.
After doing a search of dozens of tropical plants being offered for sale, I still haven't come across one that looks like what I remember, so, for now, this drawing will have to do.

3613 N. Westmoreland Drive

2008-03-08T17:27:00.002-05:00

3613 site plan
Originally uploaded by g_suttenfield

Sketching from memory the floor plan and site plan of the home in which you grew up starts off pretty easy, but the details can be quite blurry. Despite the fact that I left 26 years ago (after living there only about 15 years), I feel like the plan shown here is reasonably accurate. [Note: You'll want to get a better look at this picture: Open another copy of this blog in another window, click on the picture (takes you to Flickr); click on "All Sizes" button just above the picture] A few addenda that come to mind:

1) What is labeled as a 'lime tree' Matt suggests was a sour orange tree; also its location should be shown closer to the front-side yard.
2) The lemon tree in the front yard was closer to the street and to the left a little.
3) The palm tree to the left of the drive should be further to the left.
4) I think the naval orange should be more centered in space between the pond and the loquats.
5) "Rollerball" is written in the street - I think this should say "Roller Bat".

Some things I'm not sure of:

a) Was the 'old' patio still there?
b) In the left side yard there was a gas tank. I remember someone occassionally coming to fill it. What was this used for? A very early memory: a gas fired heater in the living room - could this have been connected to the gas tank?

Some items to note:
The willow in the 'very back' was blown down in a storm before we left there.
Note the two crosses in the left side yard: one for Whiskers, Matt's hamster, one for Francis, my hamster, may they rest in peace.
Look closely at the pond: careful David!
Note the sniper on the roof of the structure at the top of the page.
Note the bicycle in the garage: this is a reference to my accident sliding my Stringray bike into the wall.
Note the Slip 'N Slide location in the middle back yard (hard to see).
On the right side of the page is a sketch of Ladie's dog house as I remember it.

Any other addenda, gentlemen?

Cheers,

A Look Back With a New Lens: Back Yard Citrus

2008-02-23T23:49:00.009-05:00

Orlando tangelo
Originally uploaded by g_suttenfield

You know how every once in a while you find out that something you've known since childhood - so long you don't even remember learning it and you just "know" - turns out to be wrong? One of the interesting aspects of this memory project has been the process of shining new light on and re-evaluating some of those old bits of "knowledge". Uncovering the memory is just the start, because as you clear the dust off the memory, you're uncovering images as seen through the eyes of a child. Once you have reclaimed the memory - an image, a sound, a saying, whatever - you can begin to learn more about what was going on around you back then, partly just by virtue of seeing it through a broader lens born of being more experienced in the world, but you can also do simple research that can expand your understanding of your childhood environment. As a child, your limited world view necessarily hinders your ability to evaluate or understand anything beyond your immediate experience. You're also very impressionable, and if an adult tells you something, you will tend to accept it as fact, not being aware that adults don't know everything about which they speak.

Case in point: I started thinking about all the citrus trees in our back yard, and just like that, I've got a lot of questions:

It never ocurred to me before that it was odd, even for our neighborhood, to have so many varieties of tree. Why would someone have planted that many varieties of citrus in their yard? Was the originial home owner connected somehow to the citrus industry?

The tangerine tree that was the last tree in the 'very back' was always loaded with small, not very tasty fruit, and I seem to recall mom and dad referring to this tree as a "root stock" tree. Have you ever wondered what a root stock tree is and if, in fact, it was a root stock tree? The little bit I've learned doesn't rule out the idea: a root stock tree is used to propagate different varieties of tree and are chosen because of their growing characteristics like resistence to viruses, cold hardiness, tolerance for different soil types, and the like. Strangely, it seems you can graft one type of citrus onto a root stock of some other variety that has the characteristics you want, and it will just grow as the type you wanted. For instance, sour orange is a favorite root stock for much of the Texas grapefruit industry. Also odd, it seems that it is not uncommon for fruit trees grown from the seed to lose some of the quality of the original, thus the need for root stock propagation.

But think about it: who but a farmer would have a root stock tree in their yard? I would love to know something about the person who planted our trees.

We also had what we always called a 'ponderosa lemon' tree. I tell people about those grapefruit-sized lemons and they've never heard of them. I have never heard tell of or seen a ponderosa lemon tree since, so I was beginning to doubt if that was what it was called. Turns out, there really is such a thing, and there's a picture of one on my Flickr site (links in the side bar).

Now for the part about learning you were wrong about something since child hood: it has to do with the tangelo tree we had. You know, the one near the loquat trees. I seem to recall the one tree having two varieties of fruit on it. Anyway, tangelo, a cross between an orange and a tangerine, right? WRONG! This from a Purdue University web site:

"Tangelos; are deliberate or accidental hybrids of any mandarin orange and the grapefruit or pummelo. The first known crosses were made by Dr. Walter T. Swingle at Eustis, Florida, in 1897, and Dr. Herbert J. Webber at Riverside, California, in 1898. They are so unlike other citrus fruits that they have been set aside in a class by themselves designated Citrus X tangelo J. Ingram & H. E. Moore (C. X paradisi X C. reticulata).
Tangelos range from the size of a standard sweet orange to the size of a grapefruit, but are usually somewhat necked at the base. The peel is fairly loose and easily removed. The pulp is often colorful, subacid, of fine flavor and very juicy. The trees are large, more cold-tolerant than the grapefruit but not quite as hardy as the mandarin. Nucellar embryos are not uncommon in these hybrids and most of the cultivars are self-sterile, so a majority come true from seed. Tangelos are not commonly grown in California but are produced commercially and in home gardens in Florida. They are much more satisfactory on limestone in southern Florida than the sweet orange and are prized for their quality."

[Pummelos, btw, are Asian fruits resembling grapefruits - its a new one on me, too]

It gets more interesting and even closer to home: this article goes on to discuss the most popular cultivars and it turns out one of them was first introduced in Orlando in 1964:

'Nova'–a 'Clementine' tangerine and 'Orlando' tangelo cross made by Dr. Jack Bellows in 1942, first fruited in 1950, and released by the United States Department of Agriculture's Horticultural Field Station, Orlando, Florida, in 1964. Fruit is oblate to rounded, of medium size, 2 3/4-3 in (7-7.5 cm) wide, 2 1/2-2 3/4 in (6.25-7 cm) high; peel is orange to scarlet, thin, slightly rough, leathery, easy to remove; pulp dark-orange, with about 11 segments, of good, sweet flavor; seeds numerous if cross-pollinated; polyembryonic, green inside. Early in season (mid-September to mid-December). Does very well on 'Cleopatra' rootstock. The tree resembles that of the 'Clementine' tangerine, its twigs are thornless, and it is more cold-hardy than 'Orlando'. This cultivar is self-infertile and trials have shown that 'Temple' tangor is a good pollenizer.

'Orlando' (formerly Take')–result of 'Bowen' grapefruit pollinated with 'Dancy' tangerine, by Dr. Swingle in 1911. The fruit is oblate to rounded, of medium size, 3 in (7.5 cm) wide, 2 3/4 in (7 cm) high; peel deep-orange, slightly rough, not loose; pulp deep-orange, with 12 to 14 segments, melting, very juicy, sweet; seeds 10-12. Early in season but after 'Nova'. A good commercial fruit in Florida. Needs cross-pollination by 'Temple' tangor, or by 'Dancy' or 'Fairchild' tangerines. The presence of honeybees, even without interplanting with a pollinator tree, has greatly increased yields. 'Cleopatra' mandarin is often used as a rootstock on sandy soils, but higher yields have been obtained on sweet lime and rough lemon in Florida. In Texas, 'Orlando' is most productive on 'Swingle citrumelo', 'Morton citrange', 'Rangpur lime' and 'Cleopatra' mandarin. Fruit quality is best on 'Morton citrange', sour orange, 'Sun Cha Sha Kat', 'Keraji' and 'Kinokune' mandarins.

'Seminole'–a hybrid of 'Bowen' grapefruit and 'Dancy' tangerine; oblate, not necked; medium-large, 3 1/4 in (8.25 cm) wide, 2 3/4 in (7 cm) high; peel deep red-orange, thin, firm, almost tight but not hard to remove; pulp deep-orange with 11-13 segments, little rag, melting, of fine, subacid flavor; seeds small, 20-25, green inside. Early in season but holds well through March. Tree vigorous and high-yielding, scab-resistant; leaves with faint or no wings, tangerine-scented.

'Thornton'–a tangerine-grapefruit hybrid created by Dr. Swingle in 1899; oblate to obovate, a little rough and lumpy, puffy with age; medium-large, 3 1/4 -3 3/4 in (8.25-9.5 cm) wide, 2 7/8-3 1/4 in (7.25-8.25 cm) high; peel, light-orange, medium-thick, almost loose, easily removed; pulp pale- to deep-orange, with 10-12 segments, soft, melting, juicy, of rich subacid to sweet flavor; seeds slender, 10-25, green inside. Matures from December to March. Tree vigorous and high-yielding, large-leaved, well adapted to hot, dry regions of California. Fruit is a poor shipper.

I wonder which cultivar we had?

Types of trees I remember, starting with the "root stock" tangerine in the very back:

R/S tangerine, I think grapefruit (white?), orange (no telling what variety), was that it for the very back or am I forgetting one?

Then, in that mid-section of the yard, there was that small naval orange tree kind of in the middle of the yard. Somewhere in there we had planted an avacado, but I don't remember that obtaining any real size. I don't remember another until you hit the tangelo, adjacent to what I remember being two loquat trees (see the Flickr pic of a loquat). Then I remember a white grapefruit, the small ponderosa lemon tree, and then in the corner of the yard nearest the house was that monster pink grapefruit tree. The yield on that thing was, just guessing, 40 tons of fruit every year ! On the other side of the back yard was the one lime tree we had. Here is another mystery in that I seem to recall the limes on that tree being sour and not very useful. Anyway, on to the front yard, we, of course, had only the lemon tree. These I think we used quite often, though I can't say I remember ever being asked to go out and pick a lemon on demand... I just remember them being good lemons.

I may be forgetting one or two - was there a standard tangerine in there somewhere? More than one standard orange tree? Regardless, that makes at least nine varieties and ten trees - when you think about it, doesn't that seem unusual, like somebody was really into experimenting, or something.

Other fruiting trees or shrubs:

The finger bananas, of course, the fig trees in the very back, I seem to recall some wild black berries on the fence behind the sour tangerine, and the loquats.

Amazing to me now to look back and think about growing up around all that and yet I didn't think twice about it while living there. At the time, the small, hard, green fruit was just something to be used as projectiles in fruit wars with your brothers (what would have been the most likely time frame for those- I would guess we didn't do that much after being 11 or 12, so maybe 1975 or so? Or did we piss dad off so much we only did that a couple times before we figured out we better not do it?); or the trees just something you had to mow around; or the rotting fruit just something you had to avoid stepping on (can't you smell that smell on demand?).

Good night.

Family Portrait

2008-02-17T23:23:00.003-05:00

1971 07 Shell Island_Whole Family
Originally uploaded by g_suttenfield

I guess it is somewhat telling when the only family portrait you know of is a polaroid snap shot. And I'm seeing it for the first time (that I can remember) just this past weekend.

It was taken thirty six years ago at my grandparent's beach house in Wrightsville Beach, NC. I only remember going once, but surely we went at least a few times? Anybody want to weigh in on that?

I remember a few things from this trip I will expound on in future posts (its too late tonight):

Fiddler crabs
Flying Kites
Loosing the kites (ran out of string - bye-bye kite!)
The green plastic pitcher of cold water in the fridge
Throwing up on the bathroom floor (drank too much cold water)

I'm trying to remember something particularly fun about this visit, but even though I can't, we must have had a generally good time, because I remember as we left to go home, being in the back of the Country Squire, waving to Grandmother and Granddad, being very sad to leave them.

I suppose it was Uncle Dave taking this photo, and Liz is pregnant with David Jr.

In context, I would have just turned 7, just finished 1st grade, and from the t-shirt, appear to have recently particpated in a day camp. The memory fragments I have of day-camp I thought were from the sixth grade, but this t-shirt clue has gotten me thinking this may be the more likely time. One blurred camp memory is of being ranked by swimming ability, and I recall just beating out being a 'minnow', I think the lowest category, so it makes sense that it was in this time period.

Some research on the "Northwest Branch Y Day Camp" didn't yield what I had hoped, since it turns out that is a popular name for camps all over the country. But after digging a little, I found the Camp Wewa web site, and that name really rung a bell. Could that have been where I went? Did any of the other boys go there? From their current web site, the schedule they follow now is probably very similar to what it was when I went:

7:00 am – 8:45 am: Before Camp Care

9:00 am: Morning Assembly

9:30 am – 11:30 am: Activity Periods 1 & 2

11:30 am – 12:15 pm: Lunch

12:30 pm – 2:00 pm: Swimming

2:15 pm - 4:15 pm: Activity Periods 3 & 4

4:30 pm: Afternoon Assembly

4:45 pm - 6:00 pm: After Camp Care

I remember an activity period or two: I think one involved creating a Gumby character, and I seem to remember making a belt or bracelet or something...

Goodnight.

The Power of a Puppy

2008-02-13T22:07:00.002-05:00

1970 John_David_Rusty_01
Originally uploaded by g_suttenfield

I just uploaded to Flickr a number of photos my mother gave my older brother years ago. His wife lovingly put them in chronological order in a photo album and stashed them away until this past weekend she remembered them upon reading some of this blog. What a treasure trove! There are a number of clues in these photos to questions I have had, and having some dated photos really helps putting things in order.

Take this photo, for instance (this might be me and John rather than David and John as its labeled, but no matter). Rusty was our first dog. He was with us only a short time before he was hit by a car (how long, I've no idea, but it was short). Despite having no memory spending any amount of time with this little puppy, the loss of him remains the single most painful memory of my childhood. I clearly remember sitting in front of his dog house, sobbing, for long periods. I still tear up at the thought of him. How is that? I don't remember pining away for a dog; I don't remember actually getting him - did mom and dad select him and bring him home to surprise us? I don't recall being surprised, or the first moment of seeing him. I don't remember even playing with him, yet 37 years later, the memory of his loss brings me to tears. Hmmmm.

Not long after, we got two other puppies: Bear and Lady, brother and sister mutts, part German Shepherd (which Lady favored) and part Lab (which Bear favored). I would love to find some photos of these dogs - this should be easy where Lady is concerned since she stayed with us for the rest of my stay in Orlando (a future post will need to be devoted to Lady - companion extraordinare). Bear, however, may be more difficult as he was not with us for long (again, I don't know how long, maybe a year - anyone know?). Bear became somewhat volatile, growling at us, and generally getting dangerous. In hindsight, I feel lucky things didn't turn out worse: I remember being in the back yard (they stayed outside in the fenced back yard) when I saw Bear approach me with his head low and a look on his face that I sensed was not very kind. I was standing near the door to the garage and just as I stepped toward the door, he leapt right at me, his open mouth and teeth hitting my face. I was able to slip inside and close the door and felt okay, just a bit shaken. I felt a bit like I had been slapped, otherwise I was fine. I walked into the kitchen a minute later, and what Mom saw was way worse than I remember feeling: a gash in your cheek, it turns out, can emit profuse amounts of blood. Not long after, I remember returning home from school finding only Lady in the yard. I asked, "Where's Bear?", and the answer was something about his having been taken "out to the country" or something like that. I don't remember being sad about that, nor do I remember being glad about it. I don't remember discussing it as a family (though not discussing anything would be the norm for most all issues), and I've not spent much time thinking about Bear since. Still, for my brothers and I, the phrase "Bear and Lady" goes together like "milk and cookies" and will, with Rusty, forever be a part of the lore of our past.

Public to Private - and Back Again

2008-02-07T22:17:00.000-05:00

A single-income, teacher's salary household with four kids: public school. Unless the teacher's salary happened to come from a private school, in which case, you may get a break, and get to go to the private school at a much reduced rate, or maybe even free.
Such was our case (I presume it was free or near it - Mom?). I went to Lake Silver Elementary for first, second, and third grades, while, I think, my father was teaching at Edgewater High (the public high school in College Park). But then, he got a job at Lake Highland Prep, and without much fanfare, that's where I wound up going for fourth grade.

Many of my classmates at Lk Silver I had known since kindergarten, and most since at least first grade. My best friend in third grade was Vince O. whose gandfather owned the local toy store, Toy Parade. We spent a lot of time together, and were cut-ups of sorts, Vince more so than I as I recall. Just his laugh was enough to stir the class. Derek and Troy were with me in Kindergarten, David C. since first, Howie R. as well. I remember a girl with long blond hair, Chellini, that passed me my first 'love note' (I don't remember responding). I was very comfortable at Lake Silver.

Despite being so established and comfortable, I can't remember at all any discussion about this significant change in my life. I don't remember being upset about not seeing my friends, possibly because some of them I still saw at church and around town. I don't remember if I saw less of Vince, or if I still went over to his house for play times. Nor do I remember exactly how it felt to be the "new kid" at Lake Highland. I do have a vague memory of the new routines there: I recall gathering around the flag pole in the courtyard every morning for, I think, a prayer, moment of silence, and pledge of allegiance. Miss Anderson (not related to the Miss/Mrs Anderson of second grade fame) was my teacher, and I remember liking her - I mostly remember her smiling face and blue eye liner. I remember learning to play the recorder, and remember her being impressed with my vocabulary and spelling. I met a great new friend, Charles M., who was a fellow model builder and had a real interest in reading science books. I remember being invited to a sleep over at his house, learning that some people put ketchup on their scrambled eggs, a new idea to me at the time.

While I don't remember feeling anxious about the transition to a new school, I don't doubt it was stressful. It was at this time I have my first memories of actually fibbing a couple times in the name of getting attention. Thirty years later, I still feel the remorse for even these little transgressions. For example: I remember discussion about a classmate who wore contact lenses. The teacher was really interested, other students were all wanting to see what they looked like- so, I said I had contact lenses, too! Well, I got called on that pretty quick, and lost face in a few kid's eyes, I think. The other time, my friend Charles was telling me about all the books he read, and how they were stacked in piles next to his bed. Well, I said I had stacks of books next to my bed, too! And frog skeletons hanging on the wall, just like he did! I have a vague memory of his being invited over to my house (I only remember one such time) and having to sheepishly explain that none of that was true. Luckily, I think I got this need for attention out of my system during that year, or at least the fibbing method of getting it.

NCC-1701 Blueprints, Hamsters, and the Age of Mobility

2008-02-01T22:57:00.001-05:00

Enterprise NCC-1701 Blueprints
Originally uploaded by g_suttenfield

Okay, my first real ebay experience has ended, and just as I had heard, everything happens in the last minutes and seconds of the auction! I was out-bid in the last seconds of both I had bid on. HOWEVER, there were a couple others that had a Buy Now option, and one of them was cheaper than my previuos high bids, including shipping! So, I am the proud owner of not one, but two sets of blueprints, one of which will be a birthday gift for a friend of mine.

So why am I talking about blueprints for the Starship Enterprise, much less buying them? Because I remember owning these as a kid, of course. These were published around 1975, and figuring I didn't get them when hot off the press, I suppose I had them around 1976. I would have been twelve years old, in 6th grade at Lake Silver Elementary. Interestingly, that is the only elementary school grade for which I can't remember my teacher's name. Not only that, I have no clear memories even of kids that may have been in my class. Here's one theory: I had been at Lake Highland Prep the previous two years, had lost my ties with kids at Lake Silver, and being painfully shy and introverted, pretty much became a wall flower in 6th grade. I have more memories of 3rd, 4th, and 5th (to be discussed in future posts) in which I was a sort of cut-up, always being reprimanded for being a bit loud or disruptive (the report card category "Self Control" always had the "Needs Improvement" checked box), but from 6th grade on, I was quiet as a mouse with far fewer memories. What happened?

It's interesting to think I got these blueprints around that time. Possibly a Christmas 1975 or birthday 1976 gift (unlike my own kids, we didn't get gifts unless there was a major gift giving holiday, or birthday, or we bought it ourselves with money from lawn mowing or bottle returns - more an that later). A few things I do remember from this time:

Being chosen do be on Safety Patrol at school. I was called to the principal's office one day (anyone remember his/her name?) and informed I was a candidate to do this job if I wanted to. I got a fluorescent orange sash and belt, but coolest of all was the badge! A silver badge like any good officer of the law would have. I remember there was a particular method of rolling the sash and belt up, so that it ended up in a neat, tight almost ball, badge on top. I should have more memories of the actual job: stopping traffic at crosswalks and maybe something having to do with the bus loop is all I think there was to it. I really don't remember, though this exercise is beginning to open that up a bit.

This is also, I am just realizing literally as I write this, the start of a major new era of mobility in my life: I began to ride my bike to school. I don't know exactly when that started, but surely that was the beginning of a new phase in my understanding of the world. How did that come to be? Did I ride while Mom took John and David in the car? Did they start riding to school around then? How did I feel that first day I rode my bike to school? Did Mom follow in the car the first few times? Did I carry a lunch box? If so, what kind of lunch box did I have? I don't think we had backpacks at that time, did we? I have a memory of riding with a brown paper lunch bag that is possibly from my high school days, but very possibly junior high also. I would wrap the top of the bag around the handle bar and hold on to it as I steered the bike.

I would ride my bike religiously through all my remaining years in Orlando.

Lunch boxes: now I remember having at least one of the standard metal lunch boxes you can still get today. I can just glimpse an orange top on the thermos. I can't quite make out the image on the box though I can still smell that 'lunch box' smell you get when you first open it up - a kind of metalic-peanut butter- and banana on white bread with canned peaches smell.

Was this now the time of Little League, or T-Ball? I think I will be able to find out the ages those sports allow, then relate them to other events. Might I have ridden my bike to practices, part of my new found freedom?

I think I had my hamster, Francis, around this time (for some reason, that seems right)

I have a very vague memory of going to a summer camp around that time: my main memories are being on a school bus that drove on a dirt road through orange groves to get to the camp area; making a Gumby character; and taking some kind of swimming test after which you were labeled a Minnow, something, or Shark, maybe something else (I remember getting in the wrong line accidentally, the Minnow line being the one I was supposed to be in, and ending up being rated at the level just above Minnow, whatever that was).

I would like someone to fill in the info about that camp: was it just a day camp (I don't remember staying over)? What were those swimming levels? Whose camp was it?

Well, this is the end of an exciting week: I earned my LEED accreditation; our office got a big job with UVa I helped interview for; and I have picked up blueprints of the Enterprise. Not bad.

Cheers,

Monkey ear pods

2008-01-30T22:19:00.001-05:00

Monkey ear pods
Originally uploaded by g_suttenfield

The 'ears' from the ear tree are a definite early memory. There was a tree in the front and one in the back when we moved in. The ears were excellent objects to throw, fitting so neatly in your hand.

These trees were huge, so I think it odd I do not really remember them being cut down, nor do I remember a stump (I think the one in the back was covered over by the new patio - perhaps the reason the tree was cut down in the first place?). I do remember remnants of the pods as left by the lawn mower. It seems to me they could get a bit smelly once over ripe as well.

Some interesting facts about these trees I bet you did not know:
Real name: Enterolobium cyclocarpum (means 'fruit in a circle')
The pod is a legume
It is the national tree of Costa Rica and El Salvador

Cheers,

vertibird

2008-01-30T22:04:00.001-05:00

vertibird
Originally uploaded by g_suttenfield

Matt, John, and David:
I am pretty sure I had one of these, I'm guessing in the '72-'76 range of years. Do you remember that?

Some TV and other Tidbits

2008-01-30T21:02:00.000-05:00

I was watching a VH1 special on the 1970's tonight (great timing, though I only saw about 20 minutes of it) and came away with these:

TV Shows:
Barney Miller. A great collection of characters in Jack Soo (sp?), Wojo (I won't attempt the whole name), Fish, and, of course, Barney.
WKRP in Cincinnati. Venus Flytrap, Johnny Fever, Les Nessman, the blonde (what was her name?).
Charo. Enough said (cuchi!)
Christy McNichol.
Farah Fawcett. Her image on that poster I had in my room is indelibly seared on my brain.

Here is something I would like very much to know what happened to it: in thinking about Star Trek (the real one with Spock and Kirk), I suddenly remembered I had a set of blue prints of the star ship Enterprise! What the heck happened to those!! Did Mom throw those out when she moved?!

When I left for college (1982), I left a room full of my life to date in College Park, not thinking even once that Mom would sell the house. That was 15 years of my life! I can't believe I didn't come home to at least look through my stuff, though I wasn't exactly mobile then. I don't remember the year she moved - did she put it on the market the next spring (1983)? Most of what I owned ended up in the landfill, I guess. Perhaps it belonged there for the most part. I took my stereo system with me to college, along with all my albums. She did keep my trophies from little league and t-ball. I don't think Farah Fawcett made that cut. It seems like I had other posters on my wall, but I don't remember them right now.

For whatever reason, I also thought about a friend of mine I hadn't thought of for at least 30 years, and I can't even remember his last name (it will come to me): Terry. Terry and Derek were, I think, neighbors, and it may only be through Derek that I knew Terry at all. The main thing I remember of him is his collection of very small soldiers - not like WWI or II army men - but like 18th and 19th century foot soldiers, calvalry, canons, and the like. And he was so studious about each type of soldier, their paraphenalia, fighting tactics, etc. Derek was right there with him, and between the two, there were thousands of soldiers. He was also very good at chess, as I recall. I wonder what ever happened to those fellows.

Good night.

USS Olympia

2008-01-29T21:21:00.001-05:00

USS Olympia
Originally uploaded by g_suttenfield

Somewhere, there is a Polaroid picture of the model I built of this ship. It was sitting on a pedestal, on top of the outside BBQ grill in my back yard. I'm going to guess it was in the late 70's.

Matt, John, David: have you seen that photo lately? I'd like a scan of it.

4 minds are better than one

2008-01-28T22:07:00.000-05:00

So I've chatted with Matt (last week) and John (tonight) and have these gems to show for it:

First, Sara(h) Hinterthan. I have in weeks past had a very murky memory of playing Truth-or-Dare with some neighborhood children. It was nighttime, and I recall either moonlight or a streetlight - spooky either way. It seems like Tina Hood was there, maybe her brother Gary, and until tonight, a mystery blond girl: Sara?! I think so... When did she move? I can't remember ever even talking to her, but I am sure I liked her. Bart was hardly a fair trade.

Speaking of Bart: why do I not have ANY memory of seeing anyone else associated with Bart, not even parents?

Matt had mentioned a Tom Manny, and while the name rung a bell, I still haven't put a face to it, nor do I understand where we would have known him from. Is this where lawn darts happened? Also, was this the site of my ill-fated motorcycle ride? I have a distinct memory of being in a gang of kids, each one getting a chance to ride a motorcycle. It was a long, dirt/grass drive, flat, parallel to a barbed-wire fence with wood posts. It came my turn, and I must have been young, because I remember realizing immediately how big the bike seemed and how this was probably not a good idea (where were the adults?). I climbed on (was I brave, or just not wanting to 'chicken out'?) and set off. I got to a point on the drive and decided to turn around, soon finding that motorcycles don't turn like Schwinn Stingrays! Unfortunately, I turned toward the barbed wire fence, quickly ran out of space, didn't know how to stop, and rode the bike right into the fence. Somehow, it rolled up the fence like it was going up a hill, went vertical, and stopped, standing straight up, hanging in the fence. I fell off onto my back, though I don't remember being hurt at all. The main thing I remember: kids no longer got to ride the motorcycle, I knew it was because of me, and I still remember a few narrowed eyes of some angry boys. My coping method was to act like nothing happened and smile. Ugh, I felt so awful.
Where did this take place, and when? Was this the Enterprise Boys ranch that I would never have thought of if John hadn't mentioned it tonight? Tom Manny's? Comments? Guessing, I was nine-ish, so, 1973 (third grade). Hmmmm, maybe twelve-ish? Would anyone in his right mind let a sixth-grader ride a motorcycle?

John, without my mentioning it, also remembered the foot long hot dogs from Pine Hills. He also remembers a yellowish light, the walk-up window, and sitting outside (did mom often just stay in the car?). John also mentioned it was near a Dairy Queen to which we would go after the foot-longs (sounds like some carb loading to me!). Dilly Bars rings a bell. I wish I knew the name of that place.

John: please upload some of those pictures you mentioned tonight.

I think these are great stories to tell my kids.

Flickr

2008-01-28T22:04:00.001-05:00

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Cool!

Images

2008-01-25T21:50:00.000-05:00

Almost every day now, something calls to mind a memory from my youth: it could be a commercial about kids playing with some toy; a song overheard; looking at a map of Orlando; its great! I've also been doing a bit of research on flora, fauna, places, toys that I remember and, in some cases, have found images that I have downloaded. As I get those onto my Flickr site, you will be able to see them via the Flickr link to the right of the page under "Florida Images".

Also added to the site tonight: a couple of lists - models I've built, and TV shows watched. These will be added to over time, and other lists will follow, space allowing. Once you start remembering a few, others start flooding into mind.

Ultimately, I want to start to put these memory fragments into chronological order, or some semblance of it. I will research some of the shows, for instance, and see what years they were running. I might be able to spark additional memories by relating fragments to a particular time period.

An Exercise in Remembering

2008-01-16T22:41:00.000-05:00

I grew up in Orlando, Florida; College Park to be exact. My family moved there from North Carolina in 1967 as my father had gotten a teaching job at Edgewater High School. I had just turned 3. Since I have no memories prior to this move, in my mind this makes me a Florida boy.

For reasons I may not yet know, much of my childhood has seemed about as clear in my mind as one of those documentaries on an uninteresting subject you might see late at night while nodding off. In other words, my memory has, all these years (I'm in my 40's now), been very spotty: non-sequiter black-and-white flashes, sounds, and faces. Perhaps I have been blocking painful memories; perhaps it was just so dull that there truly wasn't anything to remember!

I've made attempts at tapping into my childhood memories a couple of times in the past - somewhat benign exercises that entailed my scrawling down every word or phrase or person's name I could remember. Unfortunately, what I could remember easily fit onto one small page of a sketchbook or journal, and even then some things that got recorded were, at best, vague memories that I knew weren't quite right. I would quickly move on to other more pressing issues and not revisit the subject very often. So, my past remained a dark blur.

Until recently.

This blog is about remembering, but it's also much more than that: its about mining for memories - memories of the people, places, toys, cars, bugs, animals, TV shows, music of my childhood in College Park. But even more importantly, it's about sharing and passing on those memories to my own children as a way of better connecting with them as they navigate their own childhood. Also, everyone is a product of their past, good or bad, and I believe I will better know myself if I pull my memories of childhood together and complete the picture of myself, like so many puzzle pieces.

The blog format seemed appropriate in that a one-sided memory has too many gaps (at least mine does), so I hope to get input from a number of sources and over time fill in many of the still quite big holes in my memory. Every new memory is like a building block that leads to another memory, and it really feels like I am 'solidifying' in mind and spirit, pulling (pushing?) my childhood out of the late-night TV world and into reality.

I'm looking forward to sharing, learning, remembering. Some of the topics:

Schools:
College Park Methodist Church (Kindergarten) 1969 [don't remember if full year, half-day or full-day, etc]
Lake Silver Elementary (1 - 3, 6) 1970 - '73, 1975 - '76
Lake Highland Prep (4 - 5) 1973 - '75
Robert E. Lee Jr. High (7 - 9) 1976 - '79
Edgewater High School (10 - 12) 1979 - '82

Bikes:
Schwinn Stingray [red, slick rear tire, white banana seat with silver speckles]
Schwinn 10-speed [black]

Dogs:
Rusty [sad story]
Bear [brother of Lady; sad story]
Lady [a lovely friend]

Cats:
Amos [not ours, but seemed like it based on how much time he spent in our house; black with white chest]

Hamsters:

Francis

Other animals encountered:
George the duck [resident of our backyard pond]
Tiny [neighbor's dog - I can't spell chiuaua]
Duke [other neighbor's Pug]
Dilly and Dolly [another neighbor's labs]
[I vaguely recall another neighbor's wiener type dog]

Cars:
Ford Country Squire wagon [yellow with 'wood' side panels, facing rear seats in cargo area]
Mercury Zephyr wagon [silver with red vinyl interior; stalled often]
Buick Le Sabre sedan [light brown with dark brown vinyl top, light brown suede-like interior]

Sports:
T-Ball [Control Specialists]
Princeton Little League [Kelsey and Sons]
All-Star team

Neighborhood:
N. Westmoreland Drive [cul de sac]

TV Shows:
Star Trek
Loony Tunes
Johnny Quest
Get Smart
Wild, Wild, West
Bonanza
Green Acres
Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom
The Wonderful World of Disney
Demolition Derby
Lost in Space
The Jetsons
The Flintstones
Mission Impossible
The Rifleman
Battle Star Galactica
[okay, so I watched a lot of TV- this list is just off the top of my head...]

Interests:
Playing the piano [when the TV wasn't on, so not that much]
Drawing
Biking [exploring, really]
Model building [ships, tanks, air planes, cars]
Model railroading [HO scale]
Fishing [occasional] [knocking Vince's tackle box off the dock - where were we?]

This is going to be a long running endeavor, so additional items will have to wait. I will stop here on this inaugural day...

Cheers,