A 500 mile drive down memory lane

I am thinking this morning of Dick Whipp, Sonny Kemp, Jack Austin, Dick Laemmel, Mary Bimm, Sarah Booth (I think she attended one) and many others, who came to our Indy 500 Weekend on Lookout Drive in Dayton, Ohio, Oakwood. We made a three day event out of it.

The Indy 500 was an all day event in those days, and we generally slept out in the "Picnic House" the night before. We had some really great times. Not sure how many of the old crowd are left.

The picnic house was great, I still suffer, in my back, from carrying those cement bags out there. Joe Rizzo did the brick work. My Uncle Denny could never remember his name, called him Josia Jallapy. I think Denny help with some of the framing, I know he did on the GIANT garage on Brown Street.

Dad found a big piece of one inch thick steel and that was what we cooked on, over a big log fire, a great place for a picnic.

I have been a fan of the 500 all my life, I think because of my Indiana heritage. I remember one year, we had been visiting at Uncle Paul's in Marion, and on our way back we got caught up in the traffic from the race. I remember we were a number of cars back, in a bumper to bumper line of traffic. Up ahead, a car was on the railroad tracks and could not get off. All I remember was seeing a big broad brimmed white ladies hat go flying in the wind as the train took the car down the tracks.

Howdie Bell was one of the announcers at the track, I forget the other names. There were announcers at each curve and on the straightaways. It was a great, all day, event. In the early years I listened to it on the radio. The Indiana University Band, Back Home Again in Indiana, the balloons, in the old days, Gentlemen, Start Your Engines.

Bring back the good old days .....

Looking back ............. a little

Not sure why, my old memories keep coming back to hen me this morning. I think it had to do with the passing of George Jones, and it got me thinking of all those who have been a part of my life, have passed.

My very early life, I think they are all gone. There may be a few left, but I have not been in touch with them for so many years.

The Guilds were our neighbors on Brown Street, the Burions, the Schmalls, and other escape e right now. Grace, Claire and Mary Jo were early family friends. The Geiringers, the Hurless's. Dr. Hurless on one occasion, I was probably in my threes or fours, quite young, and I had a new pair of tennis shoes, as we called them in those days. I was very proud of them. He jokingly told me he was going to take them .. I have never forgotten that little incident. I was always a little leery of him because of that, and he was a good family friend. I remember going to his house once, he had a radio that he had made, BIG speakers, short wave. We  listened to music coming in from London, awesome in those days. I think that spurred a love for radio in me that I have always had. Led to my building my first "crystal" set, with a cat whisker.

Watching Good Morning America, one segment was the high cost of proms. I think it was my senior prom, rented a tux, maybe even white tie and tails, too Sarah Booth, who I have just recently hooked up with on Facebook, after all these years, brought back a flood of memories.

Still some Oakwood classmates left, not many, but a few.

Then the Navy, one dear friend from there still in touch Ernie Moody. So glad he looked me up one time and called me ..... he is the only one left from that era.....

I am ssssssooooooooo thankful that I still have my memory, I pray I never lose it ................