Wanna Get Something Back?

Let's go back to when a school was like a palace, and teachers were respected professionals.

Denver East High School - 1927

What every school should be

A Long Time Ago

Ah, sweet bird of youth. Those halcyon days (and evenings of extensive inebriation) at The Bear's Den in Greeley Colorado.

50 years ago today. Atari Pong.

The Good Old Days

Because nobody ever went broke underestimating the American consumer.

Turkey Salad w/ Olives & Celery in Lime Jello

🤢

Pineapple and cottage cheese in lime Jello was a pretty regular thing at my house.

Sometimes, it was shredded carrots and raisins with a cole slaw dressing - in lime Jello.

Seems like whatever my mom had, she'd throw it in with lime Jello, and boom - side dish. Made her feel creative or some-fuckin'-thing.

Where Did We Go?

There is no literature or poetry in this White House.
No music.
No Kennedy Center award celebrations.
There are no pets in this White House.
No loyal man’s best friend. No Socks the family cat.
No kids’ science fairs.
No times when this president takes off his blue suit-red tie uniform and becomes human, except when he puts on his white shirt-khaki pants uniform and hides from Americans to play golf.
There are no images of the first family enjoying themselves together in a moment of relaxation.
No Obamas on the beach in Hawaii moments, or Bushes fishing in Kennebunkport, no Reagans on horseback, no Kennedys playing touch football on the Cape.
I was thinking the other day of the summer when George H couldn’t catch a fish and all the grandkids made signs and counted the fish-less days.
And somehow, even if you didn’t even like Poppy Bush, you got caught up in the joy of a family that loved each other and had fun.
Where did that country go?
Where did all of the fun and joy and expressions of love and happiness go?
We used to be a country that did the ice bucket challenge and raised millions for charity.
We used to have a president that calmed and soothed the nation instead of dividing it.
And a First Lady that planted a garden instead of ripping one out.
We are rudderless and joyless.
We have lost the cultural aspects of society that make America great.
We have lost our mojo, our fun, our happiness.
The cheering on of others. Gone.
The shared experiences of humanity that make it all worth it. Gone.
The challenges AND the triumphs that we shared and celebrated.
The unique can-do spirit Americans have always been known for. Gone.
We have lost so much in so short a time.
~Elayne Griffin Baker on Facebook

Some Of What We Lose

Claire Kelly at Melville House

The Mark Twain branch of the Detroit Public Library opened to the public on February 22, 1940 with over 20,000 books. The building’s architect was the prolific and celebrated Wirt C. Rowland, who was known as an “avid modernist and supporter of the Arts and Crafts movement…best known for contributing Art Deco-style skyscrapers to Detroit’s skyline.”

The library was referred to as a “regional library” and was designed to be larger than other neighborhood libraries. It included space for members of the community to not only sit and read books and periodicals, but also hold events and social gatherings...

We bitch about the loss of "community", and ignore the fact we've pissed it away because we don't have one fuckin' clue what the word actually means to us.

From urbanex.com:

 

Old Home Week

On the 145th anniversary of my (occasional) home town.

From Wikipedia:

In 1870, the Colorado Central Railroad laid tracks through the area on its route from Golden to link up with the Kansas Pacific Railroad and the Denver Pacific Railroad at Jersey Junction, 3 miles (5 km) north of Denver. On December 1, 1870, Benjamin F. Wadsworth and Louis A. Reno platted the Ralston Point townsite along the railroad. To avoid confusion with other communities along Ralston Creek, Ralston Point was soon renamed Arvada in honor of Hiram Arvada Haskin, brother-in-law of settler Mary Wadsworth.[11] Her husband, Benjamin Wadsworth, became the first postmaster of Arvada. Colorado was granted statehood on August 1, 1876, and the Town of Arvada was formally incorporated on August 14, 1904. A vibrant agricultural community, Arvada claimed the title "Celery Capital of the World."

I had a semi-crummy old farmhouse at 7898 Reno Dr.  The landmark water tower was right next door.  The water tower survives, but both the house and the street were erased to make way for "progress".  So I guess Mr Wolff is to be taken quite literally in this case.

Take Me Back

The bad old days, when 42nd Street was something kinda wild and dangerous (also fun):

I'm not convinced this qualifies as "improvement":

But I have to keep reminding myself that 'Nostalgia' was considered a mental disorder until mid-20th century.