tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149224757183756660.post2245704954221675487..comments2024-03-28T22:21:46.973-07:00Comments on Tossing It Out: The Wreck in the CanyonArlee Birdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11663942782929929334noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149224757183756660.post-33708442602624388862010-10-11T22:55:33.640-07:002010-10-11T22:55:33.640-07:00Hilary -- Thanks for visiting. Oh, to be able to ...Hilary -- Thanks for visiting. Oh, to be able to wander and wonder as we did when we were children.<br /><br />Bess -- Books do have a power to take us far beyond our daily lives when we let them. Thanks for visiting.Arlee Birdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11663942782929929334noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149224757183756660.post-40857445349524183762010-10-11T10:16:00.787-07:002010-10-11T10:16:00.787-07:00Hi Lee, I found your blog via Iggi and Gabi's ...Hi Lee, I found your blog via Iggi and Gabi's blogparty. I love your story -- sometimes I feel like the world was just so much more fascinating when I was a kid, and even a random empty field was just an adventure waiting to happen. <br /><br />Books, I think, help bring us back to that place, where things are not quite what they seem. <br /><br />I'm looking forward to reading more from you :)<br /><br />Cheers,<br /><br />~ BessBess Weatherbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09873091527596352004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149224757183756660.post-20639089331137882782010-10-10T23:41:14.222-07:002010-10-10T23:41:14.222-07:00Hi Arlee .. I loved that picture story ... I could...Hi Arlee .. I loved that picture story ... I could 'hear' your thoughts about what was there, and I could be with the three of you as you went on your adventure .. very evocative. Times and places change so much .. with all the development .. thanks loved reading this.<br /><br />We too used to wander off into the woods and streams and explore .. loved being free as you say .. happy days .. HilaryHilary Melton-Butcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17596532480645510678noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149224757183756660.post-87371502573887893372010-10-10T16:20:46.740-07:002010-10-10T16:20:46.740-07:00Paula -- Some of my biggest kid adventures were th...Paula -- Some of my biggest kid adventures were the bicycling ones. Yes, I too liked the daredevil stunts. I also liked to go on lengthy bicycling treks or "bike hikes" that would last all day. Years ago it was very popular to name schools after poets and authors; now there are a lot of schools named for activists and politicians which I think is a sad statement for education.<br /><br />Lisa -- KoolAid was such a popular drink when I was a kid. It was something like two quarts of water and 2 cups of sugar before they started making the presweetened stuff. <br />I still get filled with wanderlust when I see a mysterious road just beckoning me to follow it. Haven't grown up that much I guess except now I have a car. Maybe one of your upcoming books can recount some of those childhood adventures.Arlee Birdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11663942782929929334noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149224757183756660.post-78583187283008395442010-10-10T15:08:40.738-07:002010-10-10T15:08:40.738-07:00I love how you built this up to where I was thinki...I love how you built this up to where I was thinking that you would find skeletons in the car! But it was clear that others had gotten there 1st & had picked it over like car repair enthusiasts usually do. <br /><br />At least you got some Kool Aid for your efforts. & maybe 1 day you'll follow that canyon trail.<br /><br />I had lots of adventures when I was a kid -- too many to share here! :)notesfromnadirhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09904500676081267972noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149224757183756660.post-13800742322478736872010-10-09T15:38:12.476-07:002010-10-09T15:38:12.476-07:00The biggest adventure I had as a kid was biking ab...The biggest adventure I had as a kid was biking about 2 miles from home to a treacherous building lot that had been piled high with large dirt and gravel mounds, repeatedly running my bicycle down the hill until I took quite a tumble. (After all these years I still have cinders in my knee to prove it.)<br /><br />I think crime statistics as well as over use of television and computers curtail a great amount of creativity for children.<br /><br />Had to chuckle Lee - my grammar school was Riley School too. :)Paula Sladehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02923061193682673368noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149224757183756660.post-59148977345061507902010-10-08T21:47:34.761-07:002010-10-08T21:47:34.761-07:00Elaine -- The woods are some of the greatest place...Elaine -- The woods are some of the greatest places to stir the imagination--even as an adult.<br /><br />Ellie-- I do think there are greater dangers facing children in our time for many different reasons. There is much to be said for kids playing outside and taking control over their own imaginations instead of letting electronics run them.<br /><br />Karen -- Girls could always put a different spin on things than boys would. <br /><br />Carol -- As kids we went all over the neighborhood, but I think we were pretty careful. Nothing bad ever happened.<br /><br />Words Crafter -- I guess I did go up the road eventually, but it was just more canyon with no lost Indian tribes. Now a freeway runs where that dirt road used to be and the neighborhoods are even more sprawling. My old school is there but I don't think it's an elementary school anymore. I go down to San Diego every few years and I usually try to include a visit to the old neighborhood.Arlee Birdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11663942782929929334noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149224757183756660.post-39749134137106835232010-10-08T16:16:58.368-07:002010-10-08T16:16:58.368-07:00What a great adventure and imagination! When I was...What a great adventure and imagination! When I was growing up, Grandma kept us "cousins" and we roamed everywhere. <br /><br />There was an antique vanity that contained several old newspapers. One detailed a gruesome murder and we would make up stories about what really happened and see who could be the scariest....<br /><br />The mobile society we live in today doesn't offer quite the network that I remember growing up. And as for pedophiles and what not, they existed 40 years ago....they just weren't talked about. TV, cable, video games, internet...all keep children indoors and more isolated. And the toys and games are already laid out for them, no need to use much imagination. This is a primary concern for us teachers....<br /><br />I feel they miss out on a lot...<br /><br />Did you ever go and explore the dirt road?The Words Crafterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14520267901489487512noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149224757183756660.post-64841260979410729042010-10-08T11:06:06.145-07:002010-10-08T11:06:06.145-07:00I would've been inspired by that old car, too....I would've been inspired by that old car, too. I think kids today miss out on a lot by not being able to run around and play freely in the neighborhood. We had such good times.Carol Kilgorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15168273312704732896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149224757183756660.post-62032855328361572652010-10-08T06:57:00.299-07:002010-10-08T06:57:00.299-07:00It was a different world when we were kids, wasn&#...It was a different world when we were kids, wasn't it? My sister, friends, and I would roam our neighborhood pretty freely, but I wouldn't recommend it now. Our adventures included playing houseboat in a two story outbuilding in our back yard. When the boys from across the street would play with us, it'd be a pirate ship. <br />Have a great weekend,<br />KarenKaren Langehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18177923284595298347noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149224757183756660.post-24960026158275462342010-10-08T04:33:39.954-07:002010-10-08T04:33:39.954-07:00I loved your adventure; I think mine mostly were n...I loved your adventure; I think mine mostly were near the shore line, digging and looking for treasure. There were rumors that Davy Jones, had been in Maine and left his. I was always riding to the wharf to see who was there, was anyone catching fish. One time there was a huge jellyfish; Everyone rushed to see it, it had attached itself to the wharf. It was amazing and huge, pink like a huge wad of gum. I didn't swim for a long, time after seeing this. I'd say it was 3' in diameter. It hung out for quite a while. Everyone was talking, about how big it was and what else was in the water. Then the JAWS movie surfaced and created more fear and trepidation. <br /><br />Children today, don't have the same opportunities. WE as a society are more educated and hence fearful. Pedophiles have always existed; Everyone thinks there are more.<br />I'm not so sure, just back in my youth the media didn't print or discuss this type of news.<br />Computer games may have broaden or stifled imagination; It is according to the child. I can remember my parents thinking TV was what stifled us. "Go outside,when I was your age,I would be outdoors from sunrise to sunset. They would have to drag me indoors. You kids don't have any imagination." Let's not forget they walked 5 mls uphill to school, in a blinding snowstorm, barefoot ;-D !~Ellahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06070952447277684613noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149224757183756660.post-87634267083841248242010-10-08T01:15:44.963-07:002010-10-08T01:15:44.963-07:00Hi Arlee
Thanks for dropping by and following.
I g...Hi Arlee<br />Thanks for dropping by and following.<br />I grew up in Corby, Northamptonshire - this town has woods. In my mind the woods were in the middle of town. Took a twenty minute walk to get there, but so did the trek to the town centre. The summer before the move, two of my brothers and I went out after breakfast, got back in time for tea and spent whole days in the woods; we ran wild. I was the middle child in the group, and I was seven.<br />The town we moved to was in the countryside, surrounded by fields. We didn't venture beyond the town boundaries because our love of pig and arable farming was less refined. Market day at the farmers' market? I can smell it from here. :sAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15459671422564355990noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149224757183756660.post-3821876390907424212010-10-07T23:12:01.565-07:002010-10-07T23:12:01.565-07:00Bud -- Yes, sometimes we got a bit foolhardy as we...Bud -- Yes, sometimes we got a bit foolhardy as we got older, but I guess you and I both had a higher power taking care of us.<br /><br />Diana -- I surprised that my mother and the other mothers weren't more concerned about what we were doing, but that's the way it was. <br /><br />Debbie -- Imagination did fuel the visionary ideas. Hopefully they will continue to keep coming.<br /><br />Larry -- I do know what you are talking about -- as we get older our interests and explorations change.<br /><br />Jess -- Glad you could come by for the visit.<br /><br />Marguerite-- The bayous I'm sure held plenty of adventures for young'uns. And parties I guess means lots of that good cajun food that you're always teasing me with.Arlee Birdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11663942782929929334noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149224757183756660.post-33768340219085276832010-10-07T22:33:24.245-07:002010-10-07T22:33:24.245-07:00Loved this post about your childhood adventures. G...Loved this post about your childhood adventures. Growing up on the bayou was one adventure after another. Boating, fishing, swimming, and lots of parties! My kids grew up on the Atlantic Ocean, so they had lots of adventures, too.Margueritehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15846051579802335412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149224757183756660.post-4416869142330172592010-10-07T19:15:04.022-07:002010-10-07T19:15:04.022-07:00Hey Lee,
Thanks for stopping by Falling Leaflets....Hey Lee,<br /><br />Thanks for stopping by Falling Leaflets. Loved this post about the car in the canyon :)Jesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14121018905141253640noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149224757183756660.post-58865454684309934122010-10-07T18:10:08.902-07:002010-10-07T18:10:08.902-07:00Lee-
We spent a lot of summers at the Jersey shor...Lee-<br /><br />We spent a lot of summers at the Jersey shore growing up.<br /><br />In Cape May, New Jersey, there was (is?) an abandoned bunker or fort of some kind, I from from WWII (the big one) that we would play in and around.<br /><br />It became fodder for many summer days and evenings. We'd play games of Capture The Flag around it (not the paint ball game, this was a more combatant version of tag). <br /><br />Those Jersey summers spanned most of my early years, stretching into my mid twenties. <br /><br />Of course, as adolescence kicked the hormones in, other diversions occupied those summer days and nights. <br /><br />Beer, women and song. <br /><br />And certain smoking weeds. <br /><br />LCDiscConnectedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07013919800637508392noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149224757183756660.post-48297336821807118292010-10-07T16:58:53.832-07:002010-10-07T16:58:53.832-07:00Wonderful!
I think today's kids are lucky if t...Wonderful!<br />I think today's kids are lucky if they develop an imagination at all. I do worry about who our visionaries of the future will be.Debbiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17480046958714954128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149224757183756660.post-37193334785624468462010-10-07T16:08:11.557-07:002010-10-07T16:08:11.557-07:00Oh how I loved your adventure Arlee. What went thr...Oh how I loved your adventure Arlee. What went through my mind was what your mother would have thought if she knew what you were doing!<br />Things were much different when we were children. We went everywhere! My Katie was 13 before I let her go by herself to our local library, 3 blocks from the house. My how times have changed.<br />Love Di ♥Dianahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11429812875586479256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149224757183756660.post-31993161963097887942010-10-07T15:29:04.743-07:002010-10-07T15:29:04.743-07:00meant to say the state police came calling! my mot...meant to say the state police came calling! my mother saved my butt from being put into reform school.unnamed ladhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00147841736324054200noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149224757183756660.post-44643411719578278032010-10-07T15:26:43.883-07:002010-10-07T15:26:43.883-07:00getting into and searching old barns and old house...getting into and searching old barns and old houses/shacks were a pastime for us. the only problem is one day i took it to a new level and the state police calling....<br /><br />really enjoyed reading this article, Lee!:)unnamed ladhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00147841736324054200noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149224757183756660.post-86777725579266104642010-10-07T15:24:27.745-07:002010-10-07T15:24:27.745-07:00StMc-- I think we've determined that you and I...StMc-- I think we've determined that you and I have had many parallel experiences in our lives.<br />Old abandoned cars have always fascinated me. They don't seem to be as common as they once were as far as just being out in fields and in open spaces, but I still like to see them if they are there. An old car always has some kind of story that we'll rarely ever know.<br /><br />Andrew -- Kids are smarter than adults. They can always see the real story that the adults now longer recognize.<br /><br />Madeleine -- I'll have to check out your blogfest, although I have presumably sworn off for a while.<br /><br />Laura -- Now the canyons where I used to roam have mostly been developed, although a large portion has been preserved by the city of San Diego as a natural park with hiking trails. I want to go back one day and just hike the trails and feel the aura that I used to experience as a child. <br /><br />Liza -- Maybe the car had actually belonged to a teenager in the 50s. It must have lost the race.<br /><br />Lynda -- Most of my adventures really happened in my head as I turned my surroundings into something more than they really were.<br /><br />Margaret -- Farm life always seem romantic to me. I think parents today are much more protective today than we were. I mean I was well cared for, but I did get some free rein to take some chances and do what seemed like daring things. I think often adults had more of an eye on me than I thought, but my mind was freer. A lot of kids today are smart as far as intellect, but maybe they haven't had a chance to be silly kids as much as I remember things being.Arlee Birdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11663942782929929334noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149224757183756660.post-45619332333487352252010-10-07T15:07:41.741-07:002010-10-07T15:07:41.741-07:00Yvonne -- I'm appreciating the extra time I ha...Yvonne -- I'm appreciating the extra time I have now. I read often when I wasn't playing. I also played my violin, but not as much as I should have to become good at it.<br /><br />Dezmond -- Sounds like you had a more scholarly arty childhood. No wonder you became a professor. I wonder if vampires roamed the cemetary?<br /><br />Alex -- I'm not sure I'd really have liked to have found bodies, but a stash of treasure would have been pretty cool.<br /><br />Jules -- Children are much more protected than we were and for good reason. These are more restraining times for children and their imaginations are guided more by outside forces like TV and modern technology. Ours was a simpler time that encouraged daydreams.<br /><br />Mary -- You confirm what I just said to Jules. Many of my childhood memories are more vivid than adult memories, probably because I had more time to savor the experiences and think about them.<br /><br />Asadisae --Thanks for you visit to this blog and to all of the others you visited on this day.Arlee Birdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11663942782929929334noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149224757183756660.post-58742989647570587062010-10-07T14:43:04.664-07:002010-10-07T14:43:04.664-07:00As a child, I was fortunate to live on a farm, and...As a child, I was fortunate to live on a farm, and because I had seven younger brothers and sisters, I roamed the property practically supervision free. Exploring was my life. There was always an adventure waiting for me around the corner. We built forts out of hay bales. We swung from ropes attached to trees. We swam in ditches. My granddaughters today have far less freedom. Though I seldom watched televsion as a child, my granddaughters watch a lot of it (mostly educational). They do live on a farm, thank goodness, but do not roam freely. Their parents and I would not allow it. As a result, the girls will probably have more "school smarts" than I did as a child, but possibly won't have the imagination. Only time will tell.Margaret Duartehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16105309340849038764noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149224757183756660.post-87795962691503852632010-10-07T14:35:53.096-07:002010-10-07T14:35:53.096-07:00Loved your adventure. Most of my adventures happen...Loved your adventure. Most of my adventures happened in my head.Lynda R Young as Elle Cardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09975442291393246148noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149224757183756660.post-22850940668484505592010-10-07T14:30:46.571-07:002010-10-07T14:30:46.571-07:00I picture the movie version of Grease when they ar...I picture the movie version of Grease when they are racing down Thunder Road when I see this picture.Lizahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16170701034715108039noreply@blogger.com