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| Ny first Christmas with Bill - 1964 Pennsauken, New Jersey |
Or something like that. Only a few more days to go before Santa dumps his load (or something like that). It's one of those days folks.
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| Original photo - oh whatever happened to that sweater - they don't make them like that anymore |
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| Female impersonator Philadelphia Mummers Parade - 1965 Back when female impersonation was dangerous |
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| Me, yes in "bank drag" (overcoat and horn rimmed glasses) at the Philadelphia Mummers Parade 1965 |
Then comes the Big Gray Chill, the bitter cold monochrome months of January, February and March. The "just get through it" months of mid winter. The "I hope it doesn't snow two feet" months.
When I was a kind, which was a LONG time ago, Christmas couldn't come fast enough. Such was the glittery promise of the magic of getting free things. Invariably I was always disappointed with my "take" but I still remember my favorite Christmas. That was the Christmas of 1954 when I was twelve years old, I received my first camera. Oh sure, I know what some of my faithful blog followers are thinking "So that's when it ALL STARTED with Ron and HIS CAMERA." Yep, that is when it started. Even then, at the tender age of a dozen years I started clicking away. My year each younger brothers John and Isaac were the involuntary subjects of many of my first photo assaults.
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| My brothers Isaac, John and our pets Bobby (the cat) and Sam (the dog) - Christmas - 1954 |
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| The Charles News Agency (on the left) Downingtown, PA - 1970 (the earliest I could get a picture - I bicycled this street (Lancaster Avenue, Route 30) from 1954 to 1959 - where I grew up |
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| The only known picture of my on my newspaper bicycle - one of my brothers took this picture - don't blame me - 1954 |
I was a newspaper boy back in those days and earn about $5.00 a week, which after what I spent on candy and comic books; didn't leave a whole lot left for buying and developing film. But I did manage to take quite a few pictures for a Fifties teenager, more than almost all of my friends and classmates I daresay.
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| "Bobby" - 1954 - my first and only cat pet - a willing photo subject |
20 comments:
you are NOT going to believe this, but my old lady had a lamp like that (first pix) in our living room in paoli!
you were standing in front of the academy of music in "bank drag".
you know what would be cool? a "then and now" photo of pix #3 (female drag) and pix #6 (route 30).
Anne Marie,
You truly are a real Philly Girl! You recognize the PLACE TO BE during the Mummers' Parade, in front of the Academy of Music.
I like you suggestion but I don't think I can do a "now" photo of pix #3, I'm sure that drag queen is long gone. As for pix #6, yes, I can do that. I'll do it the next time I visit Downingtown which shouldn't be too long.
Ron
By the way Anne Marie, remember when people used to get dressed up to go out? Hard to believe I got dressed up to see the Mummers' Parade. In my later years I saw the parade in "bar drag." No pictures exist of that era as far as I know. Shame.
Ron
hohoho
May the new year be your best one yet !
for pix #3, not the drag queen but the street corner.
Got it Anne Marie! Great suggestion. I'll be in Philly March 5th, 2013 for the Flower Show. I'll take the "now" pictures then.
Ron
New Year's in Philadelphia was always the best Dr. Spo. We looked forward to New Year's more than Christmas. New Year's Eve in the bars and then New Year's Day, freezing on Broad Street watching the Mummers strut their stuff. Jolly good fun!
well then I guess I will have to commute downtown on that day to see you! we can have a drink at the loew's hotel bar (the PSFS building); that's where I met shawn from san diego.
I love the newspaper route photo with the long bicycle shadow!
Despite awful tensions of the mid-20th century I remember goofing off a lot more than I do now. Maybe that's why Christmas excitement is harder to feel. There's all this build-up then nothing skips town faster than Christmas. I write goofy essays but that's about it these days. Maybe that's a doable New Year's resolution: forget world news and goof off a little more every day.
David,
I wish I had more pictures of me with my newspapers and my paper route. Those years were such a big part of my life, I'm surprised I didn't think to take more pictures. I delivered newspapers from 3rd grade to 8th grade. Five years; 10 years old to 15 years old. Loved that job! Probably the best job I ever had
Ron
Geo.,
I still like the colors and sounds of the Christmas season but the "excitement" just isn't there any more for me. I like the way you said "There's all this build-up then nothing skips town faster than Christmas." Well said. The week after Christmas before New Year's is one of the most empty of the year.
Ron
Anne Marie,
Make plans to have lunch with me and Don on March 5th. I would like to check out the Westbury Bar and Restaurant at 15th and Spruce Streets. That's where I met Bill forty-eight years ago.
Ron
Great pics! I had a paper route from the age of 14 until I was 19 and college got in the way. Loved it (well, almost every part of it - the deluging rain wasn't too great).
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
Peace <3
Jay
I came to your blog through finding Jon who follows John's blog! Love your old photos and look forward to following your blog in 2013!
I certainly remember Kodak Brownies and I reluctantly remember how tedious photography was before Digital cameras. Buying the film, waiting a week for the photos to be developed.......
I like Bobby the cat. My cat hates cameras and is difficult to photograph (much like myself.....).
Jon,
Photography was tedious wasn't it back in the Good Old Days? A major operation time and expense wise. Never knew if all of the photo would "turn out." Now we have digital and we know right away. In one way I miss not having digital cameras available when I was young but then if I did, can you imagine how many photos I would have now? Literally hundreds of thousands! I would never get through them.
Bobby the Cat was named after my first big high school crush, Bobby Murdaugh. Bobby the Cat was a big ham and always posed for pictures. Unfortunately, Bobby had a sad ending which I will relate in a future blog posting. Of course my father was involved as he usually was in bad things happening in my life.
Ron
Welcome Paul! I love Jon's blog but am not familiar with John's blog. What is the name of it?
Thanks!
Ron
Jay,
Now I remember, when it rained (and snowed), the paper route wasn't too great. I must have blocked those memories out of my Paper Route Good Times. I quite my paper route for a very silly reason, I thought by the time I was 15 I was too old to have a paper route and too big to ride a bicycle. Now that I look back on it, I should have kept my paper route. But the mindset was different in those days wasn't it? So much has changed.
Have a wonderful Christmas!
Ron
will do honey! :)
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