More shadow art... transient, moving with the earth, caught in an instant
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| looks like handwriting to me |
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| back door to yard |
love this haircut
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| want this |
Fine Dining
On youtube:
animals like music, this is heartwarming and he sings to all kinds of animals. The parrots bob their heads to the beat and dance around
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Iu85jI08W4
want to lower your BP? want to see bunnies and chicken sleeping together peacefully? and a cat?
our prompt
What was growing up in your hometown like?
Tampa seemed like a typical American town back then. I grew up in Seminole Heights, now a heritage area, a quiet suburb well in the city but not downtown. The woolworth with it's luncheonette was downtown.
A lot of people took buses around, and our house was between the elementary school and high school, making both of them within walking distance. It was safe but had less kids as a lot of the homes were original buyers and older.
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| my Hillsborough High School |
Downtown had a movie theater that was air conditioned and had ornate ceilings, stage, velvet curtains and a star studded ceiling. We could walk on sidewalks to the pool and library near the Jr High. Our high school was the oldest in Tampa and beautiful but NOT air conditioned.
It was hot most of the time but I was mostly outside if I had play time, biking and skate boarding and painting on the opening of our car port. The homes were built around the turn to the 20t century, with sidewalks connecting all of us, tiny one car garages in the back, accessible by alley's that also held trash cans.
I enjoyed visiting with our neighbors, going to Gasparilla parades and the state fair, playing with the kids around us. I remember once having a sandspur war, do you know what sand spurs are? Horrible weeds with tiny brittle spikes that grow tall and can be flung by silly kids.
Nearby was Fairy land, or Lowry park with tiny fairy tale houses and animals and places to hold birthday parties. There were also pavilions where families came for parties, putting up little lights at night, and my sister's birthday was celebrated there once. Night time, lots of music and teens dancing, food, cake...
cakes were home made usually, parties were full of kid games and cheap gifts and frilly dresses. We belonged to the local Methodist church near the elementary school, a huge blond brick ediface that had uncomfortable seats and hymnals on the back of the one in front of you. Most people lived quiet lives with little excitement but a lot of interaction.
Most of us vacationed at the near by beaches which had stores to buy floaties and coppertone suntan lotion, a pier with ancient old men fishing, palm trees and kids galore.
It was safe for kids back then, I didn't know any family who had guns, we felt safe to roam, even riding our bikes to downtown on the interstate while it was being built through our neighborhood, eventually going North.
Tampa had a Cuban historic area, as we were known for cigar making among other things. Ybor City was full of fun, nearby was Tarpon Springs a Greek community, also fun with great food. Tampa was diverse making it culturally rich.
17 comments:
So many adorable things here today! The little rabbit quilt! The man singing to animals! The baby bunnies video! Thanks, this made my day!
Your bunny quilt is super cute! I'm enjoying Survivor too. Was sad to see Bianca cry when her fire was snuffed. I could use a little less of Sai. Lol!
That hairstyle put me in mind of Olivia Newton John (don't ask me why). I learned over the years that there's no hope of my hair doing anything other than what it wants to so I've given up on 'styling' it. Of course I could wear gobs of hairspray but I hate the stuff so that's not in the cards.
I grew up on a farm, five miles away from the nearest little village. I was an only child who had a friend who also was an only so the animals were my friends. When I got to be about 14 I would ride my bike into the village on Saturday afternoons so I could volunteer at the little library there. My parents sold the farm and moved into the village when I was in grade 11 and my summer evenings were pretty much spent sitting on the post office steps with my friend watching the world go by. Not exciting, but we didn't expect anything different.
I do love the book series by Bowen. We're seeing some touches of green but are so dry there is more brown. It's a bit early for many plant shoots to be poking through yet. My childhood hometown - pretty much like the TV shows of time. Leave It to Beaver or Father Knows Best. It was a very typical Minnesota small town in the 50s and 60s.
Isn't is funny that we remember which buildings were and weren't air conditioned. My schools were not until I got to high school. How did we learn with those big fans in the windows!? But I loved going into Ben Franklins (a little pre-Walmart store) and getting so cold!
Who doesn't want to snorgle baby bunnies?? I just returned We Three Queens to the library yesterday. I figured some of it out, but not the killer. Cows seem to adore music - who knew?
Great post I loved your reminisce about your growing up town but it was the comment about not knowing any families with guns that really jumped out and grabbed me. We've never known that fear/concern. My Aussie SiL talks about living in a country with snakes - something else we are blissfully not tuned to.
I think me comment went awry - loved your reminisce about your growing up town but the comment about gun owning made me sit up and pay attention. It's omitting we have never had to think about. It's a form of alert we have never had to develop - like living with (or without in our case) snakes.
Wonderful nostalgia regarding your home town. I lived on the same block in Brooklyn, NY, for most of my life before moving west, and I feel like I can close my eyes and be back in Brooklyn whenever I wish, although I;m sure it has changed a bit. King Arthur has the best flour and mixes and your pretzel bites look deliciou!
Yep, my town had a Woolworths too. Played a big part in my childhood. What a beautiful spring Post. Have a nice weekend! Aloha, here's mine:
https://comfortspiral.blogspot.com/2025/03/awaken-my-heart.html?m=0
Your pretzel bites look yummy! I bet we would like those, too. I had forgotten about Woolworth's, but we had one, too, and could walk to it with a friend - that felt really grown up! Looking forward to seeing your SAHRR finish!
Oh, those pretzel bites look fab...might have to get this mix for my guys (who am I kidding, for me!). Our hometown had a Woolworth's in the city. My Grandparents lived near where my mother was raised and there were cousins and aunts and uncles around. It was wonderful. The suburbs where we live seemed less charming, but it worked. I find I like being in a walkable city for somethings, and Portland ME offers that. Also some brick and shingles on houses; a mix I rather like.
Those quilts are all so very pretty and boy, the pretzel bites sound good to me. I thought your highschool was Downton Abbey LOL! Thanks for joining Angel Brian's Thankful Thursday Blog Hop!
Oh I love Rhys Bowen! I have not read any of the A Royal Spyness stories., but I have read all of her stand-alone books:
IN FARLEIGH FIELD (2017) ...
The Tuscan Child (2018) ...
The Victory Garden (2019) ...
Above the Bay of Angels (2020) ...
The Venice Sketchbook (2021) ...
WHERE THE SKY BEGINS (2022) ...
THE PARIS ASSIGNMENT (2023) .
THE Rose Arbor (2024)..
Each one of them really good.
You ask about the place where I grew up. I grew up in Rotterdam in the fifties and sixties. Rotterdam was bombed completely during WWII. The soundtrack of my childhood is that of the noise of poles being driven into the ground to the bedrock to build foundations. (Holland is below sea level)
My parents managed to get an apartment in a newly constructed neighbourhoodwhen I was 5. I have a sister one and a half years younger than me. We had our elementary school within walking distance and the neighbourhood was quiet (hardly any cars) with many young families, so we had lots of play mates. There was a catholic school, a protestant school and a government school as in those days the Netherlands was quite divided in that respect.
One of our neighbors had a tv so every Wednesday afternoon us children went to watch the children's program at their house. And we were the family who got a telephone, so other people came to our house to use the phone. When we went to secondary school, we had to use our bicycles. It was 12 km on the bike.
We lived on the outskirts of town and a trip to the centre involved a ride on the tram. There were department stores and a 'Cineac', a cinema that played newsreels and cartoons back-to-back. The classic black and white Pathé news.
I had a happy childhood and we could play freely and safely. I still love going back to Rotterdam. It's an interesting city known for its modern architecture and its large international harbour.
Lisca
I've read many of the Joanna Fluke books and enjoyed the early ones, but they became very predictable and the main character's inability to choose between two suitors became very annoying. One wonders why the men put up with it. Anyway, I listened to only one of titiles on audio and found the reading of the recipes to be tedious. Plus the narrator of the mother made her sound like an old biddie and she was anything but.
I could write a whole book about where I grew. It was a residential area without any stores except the Mom and Pop grocery store my grandparents owned. I spent a lot of my childhood there. But also did all the things others have mentioned, riding bikes everywhere, playing outdoors with the neighborhood kids. My father did own guns, but they were strictly for hunting. We never messed with them. We had a big vegetable garden. So many good memories of those days.
Pat
Those pretzel bites do look good. I grew up on an air force base and had a safe childhood, free to roam with friends. Bike rides and walking to the movie theater are good memories. Sadly it isn't like this anymore. Thank you for linking up and have a great week ahead.
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