by Bob Sparrow
As someone who loves to travel, I am happy to report that I will complete my 80th trip around the sun this week. So, it’s time to celebrate . . .
Don’t Let the Old Man In
The Wine: I’ll celebrate with an expensive wine (because I am now definitely too old to drink cheap wine) from my favorite travel destination, a Tokara ‘Telos’ a Cabernet Sauvignon from Stellenbosch, South Africa.
The Song: Don’t Let the Old Man In by Toby Keith. Here’s a verse from the song:
When he rides up on his horse
And you feel that cold bitter wind
Look out your window and smile
Don’t let the old man in
So, let me take a little time to reminisce about life back when I was growing up, back when the earth was still cooling . . .
TV programs we used to watch: The Lone Ranger, The Cisco Kid, , Sky King, Burns & Allen, The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriett, Father Knows Best, The Life of Riley, Groucho Marx, The Ed Sullivan Show and Your Hit Parade.
Ozzie & Harriett, David and Ricky
TV program I should have watched: Life Begins at 80 – If you’re not around my age, you won’t remember this television program, which ran from 1950 – 1956, and was on the radio starting in 1948. It featured people 80 and over and their accomplishments. I just remember them looking really old.
Radio Programs: Following are the programs that my brother and I listened to on our bedroom radio as kids when we went to bed around 7:00 – 7:30 each night: The Lone Ranger, The Shadow, Fibber McGee & Molly, The Cisco Kid, Boston Blackie. Later it was DJ, Wolfman Jack.
Favorite singing group: The Kingston Trio
Sports Heros: Mickey Mantle, Johnny Unitas, John Havlicek, Arnold Palmer, Olympian, Bob Matthais, and my brother!
Popular Movies: Laurel & Hardy, The Road Movies with Bob Hope, Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour, A Summer Place, Rebel Without a Cause, The Crimson Pirate, Titanic (the original), The Ten Commandments, White Christmas, King Solomon’s Mines, On the Waterfront, The Steel Helmet, Singng in the Rain.
Instead of new cars in ’43, ’44 and ’45
What was going on when I was born: That little skirmish called World War II, was just ending its second full year of combat in both the European and Pacific theaters. If you wanted to buy a new car in 1943, ‘44, or ‘45, you couldn’t, the automakers were not making cars during those years, they were making tanks, jeeps and other military vehicles – in 1946 you could buy a new car for $1,800. For car owners at the time, gas was 19 cents/gallon. And while we’re shopping let’s pick up some eggs for 57 cents a dozen, a pound of bacon for 43 cents and a half gallon of milk for 31 cents. At the time you could buy a three-bedroom house in Long Beach for $3,600. Yes, great prices, however, the average annal salary in California in 1943 was $1,548; yeah, that’s not a typo, that was the annual salary!
But enough about the past, I’m looking forward to the next 80 years . . . OK, maybe not that long, but I’m at the age where I’m seeing too many friends and family cashing in their chips, so it’s more important than ever to understand that no one is promised tomorrow and to live life to its fullest each day. I am hopeful that the future hold lots of time with my amazing family and allows me to experience some interesting places and cultures around the world that make me a better person and help me appreciate where I live.
Best Ever Kids and Grandkids
Jack, Suzanne and I believe we grew up with the best people, in the best place, at the best time
In keeping with the holiday spirit, I’d have to say . . .It’s a Wonderful Life!