The good old days, I miss them for my kids.

[maynard]

 

[mikephillips]

Yep. Before moving out into the country I remember running the neighborhood as a kids with the others. Walking 2/3 of a mile more or less to and from school. And not being inside unless the weather demanded it, or the folks said so...

 

[Basil]

Yep. Before moving out into the country I remember running the neighborhood as a kids with the others. Walking 2/3 of a mile more or less to and from school. And not being inside unless the weather demanded it, or the folks said so...

I grew up on a quiet little street in a small town in West Virginia. We used to hike all over the woods behind the house, walk the railroad tracks, walk 3 miles to the local swimming pool, stay out until dark, sometimes stay out after dark if the fireflies were out (catching them in mayonnaise jars), and would go trick or treating by ourselves. Those were the days.

The house I grew up in. When we lived here it did not have the brick facade nor the brick wall in front.

I used to ride my soapbox racer down that hill in front of the house. It seemed much steeper back then!

 

[AngliaGT]

Now you're qualified to play the car travel game -
"I'm so old that I remember......"

 

[mikephillips]

Sitting facing backwards in the station wagon with the rear and side windows open to keep cool. And toe folks towing a trailer to NYC via Canada on vacation to see the World's fair in 65 before it closed that fall. You know, one of the things I remember most about that was even then there were portions of the fairgrounds that weren't complete.

 

[AngliaGT]

Trying to get over a mountain pass just before Weaverville,CA,
& finally making it on the third try,due to overheating in our '53 Buick,
even though we had a "Desert Bag" in front of the grille.

 

[PAUL161]

Never lived in a city, always a country kid, and walked 2 + miles to grammar school and 2 + miles back every school day Summer and Winter! That's the way it was, we didn't know any different! 9th grade bussed to High School 10 miles away, didn't like riding the bus but had no choice.

 

[mikephillips]

Riding the bus wasn't so bad back then for me after we moved outside town. One winter it went off the road and a farmer took us into town in his car. Car was full so I got this cute cheerleader a year ahead of me on my lap during the ride. Couldn't complain....

 

[John Turney]

Ah, memory lane. My first house burned several years after we left, but this is the second:

It didn't have the peace symbol when we lived there.

I had a 0.3 mile walk to school, which is still there:

It was a two-room schoolhouse, with grades 1 - 4 in one room and 5 - 8 in the other, one row per grade. Now it's an adult school, so I could go back, but it's closed due to COVID.

 

[NutmegCT]

And now, instead of actually doing things ... the young'ns have ...

Sad - especially as they don't know what they've already missed.

 

[AngliaGT]

I get so tired of that! Seems that every young person I work with
has a smart phone in their pocket,& has to check it every five minutes,
even when they're on company time,& no one in management will say
a thing about it.

 

[mikephillips]

I see folks, head down scrolling, as they shop, walking the sidewalks, sitting in their car and even with it propped ion the wheel as they drive. My phone?? In my pocket generally when I'm out unless someone calls or I need to call. Not interested in browsing the net, watching tv/movies, playing games or trading random messages. I'd rather watch the world around me. My brother's kids will retreat at family gatherings to corners with theirs rather than associate with the wider group.

I have read that there are some studies that indicate excessive smartphone use can rewire parts of the brain similar to a chemical addiction.

 

[LarryK]

Kind of funny how today the kids need the phones so the parents know where they are. Back when, you looked down the street for the pile of bikes or hear the crack of a bat during back yard ballgame. In reality, the neighbors kept an eye on you and would use the land line to snitch on you. Now, neighbors don't know each other.

 

[mikephillips]

Yea, I know some of the older neighbors around me, but the younger one pretty much stay inside and keep to themselves.

 

[John Turney]

 

[John Turney]