Nostalgia -- It's Just Not As Good As It Used To Be

[RetiredMustang]

This is a totally not serious thread. But, with U.S. Thanksgiving tomorrow, DW and I talked about what we were thankful about, and decided that at, or at least near, the top of our list would be the lifetime of memories, most of which we have shared (we married young).

So, what memories bring a smile to your face? It doesn't have to be cruising memories, but those have been a large part of our lives for a good many years. (And cruise memories may keep this from being moved to the Floataway Lounge:D). Please, no political type of posts. Just simple, everyday things that make you smile.

To start, here are some of mine, in no particular order:

- Sunrise on our balcony passing Eleuthra Island en route to Half Moon Cay (1990s and 2000s).

- Rootie Kazootie, or Tom Terrific and Mighty Manfred, the Wonder Dog. (1950s/early 1960s).

- That strap that used to hang off the front seats that passengers in the back seat could hang onto on tight curves, etc. As kids, we would jump about holding that strap, and urge Dad to take the bouncy road. I also remember my younger sister laying in the back window ledge of our old Nash Rambler as we took rambling Sunday drives. Totally unsafe by today's standards, but we thought it was great! (1950s)

- Rambling Sunday drives. (1950s/1960s)

- Sitting on Dad's lap and steering as he drove to the post office to pick up the mail from our mailbox. (OK, another non-PC thought, but real in the 1950s).

- The coonskin cap I had ... like "from the coonskin cap on the top of Ol' Dan, to the tip of his rawhide shoes ... " (1950s/1960s)

- The freedom of being tossed out of the house at 8:30 a.m. and told not to come back until lunchtime ... and spending the time exploring, turning rocks to look at bugs, or whatever, and roaming all over my small town, but knowing in the back of my mind that if I misbehaved any Mom could snatch me up and give my behind a smack, and if I ran as fast as I could home, my Mom would already know; she must have had peripheral vision or something. (1950s)

- And then having tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch.

- The peace that comes from a day at sea on a HAL ship, when you absolutely don't have to be anywhere at any time, to do anything you don't want to do. (Now)

- Nasi goreng; and lumpia; and osso bucco; and chocolate volcano cake. (Now)

So, what memories are you grateful for?

Dave

[kaleighsgram]

Thankful for.....
Finding out that my family could afford to send BOTH of us to college. My brother wanted to be a Dentist and I just wasn't sure I was going to go too.
My mother's Sunday dinner. Not to mention her baking. It was to die for!
The thought that throughout life we made good choices.
The Army who trusted me to teach their first graders.
The ability to cruise.
And my hero, my husband.

[CowPrincess]

Looking over the side of the Ryndam this September, and wondering what that weird fish was.... an orca! I was speechless, couldn't even squeak :)

When HAL used to offer caviar in the MDR

Someone on CC posting a pic of what I remembered as a cabin "key" -- a plastic thingamajig with holes punched in it -- memories of my first cruise came flooding back

Stumbling onto an onboard sale of old HAL "stuff", and snagging something that again brought memories of my first cruise flooding back

Pulling into the gas station and buying $1 of gas, to keep us going for a few more days

Washing my hair off the dock at my parents' cottage

The first time DH and I watched the sun set from the deck of a cruise ship -- Nov 2008

Watching our nearly immobile dog run down the beach, regaining her puppyhood at Long Beach, Vancouver Island, on the trip that I said "we have to take the dogs to the ocean, she needs to see the ocean again before she dies"

Chilly Willie cartoons at the movie theatre before the "Feature Attraction"

Saturday morning cartoons on the black & white TV

More later..... :)

[IRL_Joanie]

The memories of my wonderful hubby coming home from work one January evening in 2008 and asking me if I still had my pipedreams.

I'm thankful that he told me to go to Holland America And choose that pipedream and when I wanted to do it.

The pipe dream was a dream I'd had since I was 12 years old, to cruise on a cruise ship to Alaska.

That dream came true in May 2008 and again in 2009.

I'm thankful for the US Army and my hubby, for which without each other we'd never have met, since he was stationed near the DMZ in Korea and I lived in Sacramento California.

I am thankful for the USO who were basically responsible for hubby and I getting together across the oceans:)

I'm thankful for all the experiences, good and bad I 've been able to live thanks to being an Army wife and mother.

I am thankful to HAL for helping to make my dreams of relaxing for a few dreams while looking out over the beautiful oceans and lands that I am able to experience.

I am thankful to CC for making this board and these posts possible.

Most of all I am thankful to the good Lord for giving me life:)

Joanie

[MACPC]

Making the rounds on Sundays - up and down the Bayous of south Louisiana to visit Aunts, Uncles, cousins, Grandparents . . .

Cajun heritage - being born one, growing up in Cajun country, especially learning how to cook Cajun food!!!!

Hard work ethic - watched my parents and relatives live working hard and playing harder . . . and having that imprinted onto my way of being.

Love and loyalty - celebrating 40 yrs with my DH, the honor of being mother to his two kids, and raising our own.

The good life of sharing fun, food, fellowship, faith, - the things that matter with the people that matter.

The freedom to cruise and to see the world from the deck of HAL ships - what a privilege and joy!

Memories of three HAL cruises, anticipation of leaving on #4 in 30 days, and the delight of planning the next one, and the next one, and the next one . . .

[sparky-elpaso]

RetiredMustang - you and I must have grown up in parallel universes. Tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich is still one of my favorite "comfort foods".

Getting up on Sunday morning before everyone else and going out and getting the Sunday paper and reading the comics - Mandrake the Magician and Dick Tracy were my favorites - 1950's.

Being told to "come home when the street lights come on".

Going to my Grandmother's house for Thanksgiving - which continued up until she was in her 80's. The smell of turkey and stuffing still transports me back to her house.

Celebrating our 40th anniversary on our first cruise - to Alaska.

Now that we're retired we can plan longer cruises. Looking forward to 34 days in Australia - the first item on our bucket list. Next - Voyage of the Vikings.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

[Taxguy77]

That tomato soup and grilled cheese really struck home. Today is Thanksgiving and DW and I are just going to have a sandwich. I had already chosen grilled cheese,:D I wonder if we have a can of tomato soup around?:confused:
Putting on a pair of Levi's and heading for the barn (4 blocks away) right after breakfast, ride home for lunch and disappear again until dinner.:cool:

[Crazy Gramps]

I miss the fun we had. Good and bad.

My kids and certainly my grandkids won't ever have that opportunity.

Gramps

[NH Cruisers]

-I am mostly thankful for meeting my wife back in '93.

-Thankful my step son turned out to be a good person.

-Thankful for being "laid off" by the Navy Yard as a painter in 1993. Forced me into my current position.

-Thankful for great in-laws and all my family.

-Thankful for being able to do cruise vacations, and finding out about them to begin with.

-Thankful I live in this great nation of ours (not to say its perfect).

-Thankful for our heros whether it be armed forces, coast guard, police, firefighter, teachers, etc... that keep us safe and make us a better people.

-Thankful for chilhood memories of virtually no responsibilities.

-Thankful that the CELTICS won last night.

-Thankful that I can be greatfull about these and 100's more.

Thank you for reminding me of some of the things to be thanfull for!

[Lesinindy]

Thankful memories of:

Drive-ins and and walking to the refreshment stand between the double feature and seeing all the cars with streamed up windows:D

Huntington Beach CA before condos and hotels

Free drinks on the airlines when I flew in uniform

My late father-in-laws prayer before thanksgiving dinner and watching both of his kids mouth the words to his long standing prayer (they knew it by heart)

Having Thanksgiving with all the folks from my work (factory in LA) that had no place else to go. We had a great spread in our house and sang songs afterwards.

Searching for pop-bottles to by a box of .22 shells (no one felt the need to keep us away from the guns).

Our 30th anniversary on a cruise.

Penny candy

Coke in 16 oz. bottles (glass and returnable for .22 shells)

[NH Cruisers]

I generally feel there is no time in the history of the USA that would be better to live in. Abundance of a variety of foods. Realatively cheap heat, air conditioning (I remember the first time going into a house with it. felt like heaven), price of fuel compared to hourly wage and high mile per gallon vehicles. Cell phones and always being in contact (sometimes thats a pain). Electronics are very cheap. Housing is pretty expensive though.

Nostalgia is great and oh there are some great memories. But to go back to that time... I am happy in the present.

[michmike]

Getting up on Sunday morning before everyone else and going out and getting the Sunday paper and reading the comics - Mandrake the Magician and Dick Tracy were my favorites - 1950's.


I still think of Dick Tracy and his wrist radio every time I use my cell phone.. *L*

[sparky-elpaso]

I still think of Dick Tracy and his wrist radio every time I use my cell phone.. *L*

I hadn't thought of it that way. By the way - I grew up in Lansing.

[bepsf]

Afternoon naps on the Living Room sofa w/ my Uncle at Grandma's house.

Grandma's Brunswick Stew, Homemade Pickled Peaches & Pickled Watermelon Rind.

Open windows and doors on hot summer days.

"Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color" and "ABC's Wide World of Sports"

Playing on the front lawn while the older folks sat out on the front porch in rocking chairs w/ tall glasses of iced tea.

Going to the shore and skipping stones on the water.

Watching Mom and Dad get dressed up for New Year's Eve parties, then falling asleep on the sofa in your new robe & pajamas with Guy Lombardo on the TV...
...then Mom and Dad waking you up and carrying you to bed while the National Anthem is being played.

"The key is under the mat"

The aroma of Grandpa's pipe tobacco.

Mercurys, Oldsmobiles, Pontiacs and Plymouths.

Seeing the USA in our Chevrolet.

Made in the USA/Union Labels in all our clothes.

Anything that was Made in China was rare, exotic and expensive.

A shiny new Schwinn or Radio Flyer under the Christmas Tree.

Eastern Airlines L-1011 Tri-Stars - with complimentary meals served with wine on china and silverware in Coach!

Escorting family into the Airport Terminal and waving goodbye thru the large glass windows as the plane backed away from the gate - and being there for them at the gate the moment they stepped off the plane to welcome them home.

Ship's tours for non-passengers when they were in port, shipboard Bon Voyage parties followed by the rush for the gangways at the "All Ashore!" and waving goodbye from the pier while the folks on deck threw confetti & streamers.

[mudscraper]

Yes sir Brian.

Eastern Airlines L-1011 Whisperliner. My fave of all time. Numerous flights to MIA and SJU from ORD when flying was fun.

[Vic The Parrot]

Yes sir Brian.

Numerous flights to MIA and SJU from ORD when flying was fun.



Yep


Flying was fun ...

:(



PS

How ya been? ;)

[Vic The Parrot]

Someone on CC posting a pic of what I remembered as a cabin "key" -- a plastic thingamajig with holes punched in it -- memories of my first cruise came flooding back







I remember those!

On my 1st trip on a HAL ship ... ms Nieuw Amsterdam back in 1991.
Heck, I even remember the "real" keys used to open cabin doors. :D

[Himself]

I am thankful I am still alive and in resonalbly good Health.

My memories are of those thirty cruises I have taken on HAL. Each one is a treasured memory and they were all great.

[AzEileen]

The first time I met my future husband who asked me if I wanted to share his popcorn at a bar called "The Pour House".

R & R in Hawaii. (Rest and Relaxation, Viet Nam Era; we had made it through 6 months, only 6 more months to go)

First cruise to celebrate 20 years marriage.

Returning to Hawaii on a cruise....just because we wanted to.

Not a memory yet but soon will be.....first HAL cruise to celebrate 43 years together.

[tjcox9]

I'm thankful for meeting my now DH in the Java Cafe on the Prinsendam in 2005, and our many cruises and other experiences since then.

[RetiredMustang]

To all of you who replied, thanks very much. As Bob Hope used to sing, Thanks for the Memories. Sorry for starting a thread and then not posting back, but we had the holiday thing going, and then I was one of what I estimate to be at most 2% of the U.S. population that had to work today. (But don't feel sorry for me, as it is a trade-off -- I'm off next Friday and DW and I are doing the New York holiday thing for the long weekend for us and not many others: Rockettes at Radio City, tree in Rockefeller Center, window shopping at Macy's, etc.)

Many of you kindled more memories in me: Sunday comics (I liked Alley Oop and that "new wave" Peanuts), collecting pop bottles for spending money, open doors with screen doors to keep the bugs out in summer before a/c, etc.

Some more thoughts:

I remember when the HAL door keys with the holes in them were the "new-fangled" ones; we probably did two or three cruises before they came into play, but for the life of me I can't remember what we did before then. But I do remember that we didn't like them because they were too big to hold in a wallet.

Maynard G. Krebs on one of my favorite TV shows, "Drop In". The actor later had another role -- as Gilligan.

Fresh eggs, fried in the morning, with the smell of the bacon waking you up, and toast, and fresh milk that we got from the farmer a couple of miles out of town the day before, which Mom drove to in the '49 Pontiac that my then-future BIL left behind while he did his time in the service.

The smell of hops at harvest time. And, since school started in August but let out for a couple of weeks in September, helping with the grape harvest, using one of those curved grape knives; even though I was under 10, I was expected to listen and learn while I was being taught how to use one, with encouragement offered by way of a clout in the ear if I used it dangerously. Similarly, the spring harvest of asparagus, when we would rise at dawn and work a couple of hours with long handled blades before riding our bikes to school.

And, for bepsf -- Brian, I remember when airplanes were so rare, we would rush outside and gape upwards when we heard the props of one coming by. I envy your traveling in elegant times, although my memories of flying as a late teen seem elegant by today's standards.

Getting out in Shannon, Ireland, when our aircraft stopped for fuel en route from Philly to Naples.

Aircraft that had to stop for fuel.

Endless summers with endless Monopoly games for which my brother and I would invent silly rules. The card game "War" where he would start with all the red cards and I with the black -- exactly even, which made for looonnnggg games, but where did we have to go in a hurry?

Being "bored with nothing to do" on endless summer days, until Mom could not stand it any more, and she would toss me out again after lunch, and I would find things to do, often to the point of almost being back late to dinner.

Knowing what came after "Apple Core! Baltimore!"

Kick the Can. Work Up. Hiden Go Seek. Dirt clod fights. Cops and Robbers in the '36 Ford in the empty lot down the alley on the edge of town.

But, in all that, I am reminded of a line of one of my favorite writers, P.J. O'Rourke, who wrote something close to "If you wonder about the present being better than the past, remember two words -- modern dentistry."

Dave

[bepsf]

I'm thankful for meeting my now DH in the Java Cafe on the Prinsendam in 2005, and our many cruises and other experiences since then.



Ahh, Yes - I miss the Java Cafe...
...and Caviar on HAL (Cunard Queen's Grille still serves it, Gratis)
...and Fixed/Traditional Seating in the Lower Dining Room...
...and Royal Viking Line.

[RuthC]

Ahh, Yes - I miss ...
...and Royal Viking Line.
I didn't realize how special that line was when I cruised them. How I wish I could have a "do over".

[Two@Sea]

Too bad I am entirely too young to remember anything posted so far (:rolleyes:) and I certainly have no recollection of...

Bucky Beaver and Ipana toothpaste
The Cisco Kid (and Pancho)
Clarabelle, Buffalo Bob, Princess Winterspringsummerfall, and the Peanut Gallery on Howdy Doody
Ribbon Candy at Christmas
78 rpm records
1957 Chevy BelAirs!
The Platters, Roy Hamilton, The Letterman

None of which were on cruise ships (to keep it relevant to cruising ;).)

[iancal]

It is not as good as it used to be, it is BETTER. You can start with the price of cruises.

[RetiredMustang]

I didn't realize how special that line was when I cruised them. How I wish I could have a "do over".

I remember docking in Anna Baia in Wilemstad, Curaco in the late 1990s and being alongside Stella Solaris. We thought at the time that she was a sleek ship, and we should book a cruise on her some day. Sadly, she was gone before we could do so.

Dave

[mudscraper]

Yep


Flying was fun ...

:(



PS

How ya been? ;)
Doing well thanks. I`d rather be on the Maasdam causing trouble.:):)

[NH Cruisers]

Maynard G. Krebs on one of my favorite TV shows, "Drop In". The actor later had another role -- as Gilligan.


Dobbie Gillis? The TV show.