A good many years back, I happened upon a photo of these curtains. I wasn't crazy about them, but there was something about these curtains that was so familiar!
Source Unknown
Do you remember bell bottoms and pinball?
That's my mother on the left and my little brother and sister playing pinball. Do you remember pinball? When I was a little kid, I was a pinball wizard along with my cousins and next older brother.
My cousin Doug and I were fanatics. Later in life, Doug's older brother Dale (nickname: Einstein, one of the first computer professors) wanted to surprise Doug with a refurbished copy of Doug's favorite pinball machine.
Soon after he secretly ordered the pinball machine, Dale died unexpectedly right after surgery, due to a blood clot. A while after the funeral, Doug got a call out of the blue that someone named Einstein had ordered a refurbished pinball machine for him, and it was ready to be delivered. Love Never Dies!
Notice the cigarette machines to the left of the pinball machines? Anyone could buy cigarettes back then!
I remember going to the liquor store by myself when I was 8 or 10 and buying Tiparillo Cigars for my father for a "surprise" birthday or Christmas present instead of the usual socks. No one batted an eye back then.
Geesh, in re-reading this I don't know what was worse...that a child would be completely fine walking into a liquor store alone, or that they would sell a child a pack of "Ciggies" or cigars without a moments hesitation! Trust me, life was much simpler back then.
And, P.S. I've never smoked, but I still love the smell of cigars. Whenever I smell someone smoking a cigar outside, I try to get as close as I can to them without looking like a stalker.
How about you? Have you got any 70's or 80's pictures and stories you're brave enough to share?
Thanks for dropping by!
Joining the party here:
Share Your Cup with Mrs. Olson
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My favorite clothing from the 70's that I try hard to forget was a pair of white go-go boots. I see pictures of me wearing them and I want to cry.
ReplyDeleteWhat was I thinking.
My Mother use to send me to the store around the corner to buy her cigarettes, she's write a note and they'd sell them to me.
I was never a wizard, but I liked to play pinball machines.
Janet, I laughed so hard at your description of your go-go boots! That's one thing I always longed for, but am grateful now I didn't get. And, I may have overstated the "wizard" part, but we were always "practicing" whenever we could get a few dimes together. We lived in a California resort area with a place that had an arcade full of machines, a roller skating rink, and a huge outdoor swimming pool and an indoor hot pool feed from a natural geyser underground source.
ReplyDeleteOn my latest post, A Happy Rug, I have a photo of myself in 1974 as a Peace Corps volunteer in Jamaica.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, film and cameras were expensive so I have relatively few pics of those days. And, the pics I have are such poor quality, but I still cherish them.
This past weekend family gathered at my home to celebrate my mom's life and we dug out boxes of photos to look at. We laughed so hard...and are still laughing...at those 70s pics. The hair and the fashions are the best...and YES...life was so much simpler back then. :)
ReplyDeleteOh Kim. I hope so much that you will share some of those precious pictures on your blog soon. Once again, I was so sad to read of the loss of your mother recently on your blog.
DeleteLoved the picture - oh how things were so much simpler then.
ReplyDeleteI have memories before then, in the 50's of me riding my red 2 wheeler bike down to the corner drug store for my mother. She would write a note for either cigarettes or a bottle of wine. The store owner knew us and would give it to me. Good thing I didn't smoke or drink. LOL I believe this was in the 50's remember I am 82, fast approaching 83.
Your post made me remember things that were way back in mind. Good thing I still have a good mind.
Have a great week.
Mary
Oh yes, I remember bell bottoms and pin ball machines. Used to play them all the time on base at the club.
ReplyDeleteNo, never bought cigarettes - didn't smoke.
My outfits weren't too bad but the hair??? I don't know what I was thinking....
ReplyDeleteMy favorite bell bottoms were red and blue polka dots on white with a shorty crop top to match. I do remember riding in the back of an open pick up truck and we didn't have seat belts or baby car seats either. We wore our boyfriend's class ring on a chain around our neck because we were "going steady."Also there were very few TV shows in color and the TVs were huge boxy things!
ReplyDeleteI think there was an Elvis song that went "won't you wear my ring, around your neck, to tell the world, you mine by heck..." I thought when I was 10 that Elvis would marry me someday.
DeleteWasn't the 70's the worst for fashion though? If you think about it, all other eras have made a comeback over the years, but not the 70's! It's a cute photo of you though in your trousers made out of curtains! :D
ReplyDeletemade out of curtains! hahaha. I actually think the 70's bell bottoms have made a few returns over the years. I do remember that we had the most famous models back then.
DeleteYeah bell bottoms have but not the awful wide baggy flares, thank goodness. :D
DeleteWell you sure looked cute in those bell bottoms, and to me, that fabric made better looking pants than curtains. Not only were the clothes awful in the 70's but the furniture and the colors; all that brown, orange, and gold, and shag carpet. I'll have to pull out a few pictures from the 70's. That would be something to post! :)
ReplyDeleteMelba, I'm looking forward to seeing those pictures in a post!
DeleteOh we all had those funny prints bells bottoms. You look so cute, though!
ReplyDeleteThen again, I loved Italian pant suits in gabardine made in Italy we wore in NYC at the time.
Lots of memories.
Fabby
Oh Fabby, I grew up in the wine country in California. I've never even heard of Italian Pants Suits in gabardine or any other material. We were heathens playing pinball, roller skating, and swimming.
DeleteMy mom would give us money to walk down to the tavern on the corner and buy her some cigarettes out of the vending machine. I now it was a different world. What a nice gift from his brother - yes, love never dies.
ReplyDeleteMs Bird, it really was special to him, especially as a last gift. It was a real problem to keep it going as it turned out. The machines are really temperamental, at least that one was.
DeleteOh, I have pix from the 70s! And 50s and 60s too. I'll have to dig them out. And yes, I was a big pinball fan back in the day. I still like them. Not the video games or computer so much, but pinball is an art!
ReplyDeleteI definitely have a few photos from the 60s and 70s. Love those pants. I'm sure they were the height of stylish. xo Laura
ReplyDeleteNo, my dear, won't be sharing any photos! But I'm so glad YOU did! I loved bell bottoms. In fact, even now I buy boot-cut jeans, though I'd feel a bit peculiar in full-on bell bottoms at my age.
ReplyDeleteJean, I'm with you on not wearing bells anymore. But I get a kick out of photos from the past. I've got to find my "Hot Pants" pictures. Do you remember those?
DeleteSo fun! Loved that walk down memory lane. I graduated from high school in 71, and yes I wore bell bottoms. I did not know that about liquor stores. Made me laugh! Thanks for sharing with SYC.
ReplyDeletehugs,
Jann