3 things that have changed over the years....
1. Technological mobility and the ability to connect with each other has gone through the roof. As a kid growing up in North Conway, NH back in the late 70's-80's I don't remember a single cell phone, ipad, nextel walkie talkie, bluetooth or computer let alone a laptop in my home. We had good ol' fashioned encyclopeadia sets, library books and a rotary, then pushbutton phone on the kitchen wall beside the side entry door. It had a 6', stretched to the max and knotted, coil cable that never did retract back into its original condition. We didn't even have another phone in the house and certainly didn't have a portable. We also remembered each others phone numbers. 10, 20 maybe 30 of them we could all remember. Not now, I push "add to contacts" on my cell phone and whamo, number saved without any brainpower used whatsoever!
2. The style of cars these days leaves a lot to the imagination. It used to be that everybody knew the look of a car's front grill or destinctive rear fins. Conical lights or even the beauty of a side profile at dusk could allow one to recognize iconic, legendary car models from one another. Now, a Mazda looks like a Ford (Ford owns them by the way), A Subaru looks like a GM (GM owns them by the way), Mitsubishi looks like a Dodge (Dodge owns them by the way), and even a Jaguar looks like a Ford (Ford owns them along with Range Rover too). I understand the efficiency of mass production with different badging, but this is really getting out of hand. There are a few new players on the market with KIA, Hyundai and Scion but they all look alike and haven't inspired me to get all goofy when they go by like a 50's car would. Let's just compare a few and you'll see what I mean. First up, the Mazda Protege. Now think hard as to what it even looks like, now think of a 57' Chevy Bel Air. Now we're talkin'! Up next, is a Ford Fusion or a 32' Deuce Coupe. Which one pops? Third up, is a Subaru Legacy against a 49' Mercury led sled. Come on now folks. What about a 63' Corvette Convertable, Ford Thunderbirds, and Cadillacs of the 50's and even the iconic Model T's and A's of the 10's, 20's and 30's...Oh, and the Deusenbergs holy cow I almost forgot about them! I haven't even jumped to the 60's and 70's with the muscle cars of the day. The point is made and I feel better getting it out in the open once and for all.
3. The snow of the day was much heavier, more dense and certainly more frequent for longer periods of time back then as opposed to now! I can remember sledding off the roof of my garage on a regular basis and my folks didn't seem to mind. Why? Because there was 4-5' of snow on the ground so the drop from a 9' roof was negligable and what would we land in.....4-5' of dense, won't break your legs, snow! We are responsible for the climate change that has taken this enjoyable outdoor pleasure away from the kids of today. Here is a pic of the house that I grew up in along with one of me sledding off the roof of the garage. Enjoy, because you'll probably never see it done again in your lifetime or anyone elses for that matter.
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I'm laughing at all of this. The visuals cannot be denied. You are sooo right. It did snow last year about 2 inches.
4 that has changed you on top of a roof about to launch
Justin, I remember the winter of 1949 when I was 5 years old. We had to burrow our way out of the door to the snow level above the eaves of the house. I would swing on the bars of the telephone poles out on the side of the road in front of the house. The following spring, when I look waaay up to the telephone bars, I couldn't believe it! Yes, those were the good ole winters! Great story and fabulous photos.
Awesome pictures; Awesome-er memories.
ChaRla MaRie
You are absolutely right Justin on all topics! I always have a head spin when I catch a old fashioned car go by no matter what conversation I am engaged in. As far as the weather goes, it's sad what we are doing to our planet. I've tried to do my part recycling and teaching the younger ones what to do but it ultimately has to be a conscious decision to make a change, as Micheal Jackson sang about. I love this planet earth and Mother Nature and all that lives here, it's your planet too, pass it on!
Well, not EVERYBODY knew/knows those cars, but your story was enjoyable anyway. It reminds me of my mother telling a story about her childhood in rural Ohio: once the snow was so deep it came clear up to the door that led off the second floor of their farmhouse - she said they could walk right out of it onto the snow.
