Closed Doors, Open Windows

Welcome to my "Open Window"...a place of hope, encouragement, and adventure as we journey down the road from "Closed Doors" to the new opportunities God places in our pathway. I hope you will take the time to go back and follow the trail of mixed blessings and fears, failures and triumphs from the past and side-trips in the present. Perhaps it will conjure up some of your own special memories, and be an invitation for you to share with others. I look forward to spending this time with you!

Monday, February 17, 2025

Tuesday 4~ Teen Time Memories

Teen Time Memories

Hey! Welecome back to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4.
Would you like to talk about some blasts from the past?
You know.. like malt shops, teen hops, proms and rock and roll? OK, let's do it!

1. Was there a teen hangout in your town or near it where teens seemed to gravitate? What was a favorite place to go?

The "Dixie Drive In" was a popular place for teens to go and hangout. They had curbside service with the trays on the windows and "Car-Hop" girls would bring out your order of hamburgers, cokes, milkshakes, or whatever you wanted. They also had indoor booth seating. I remember my older brothers and sister used to go there, but I was too young and was not allowed. By the time I was a teen ager it wasn't as popular as it was in the later 50's/early 60's. I did go there a few times, but it really wasn't a place that I enjoyed going to all that much. It was set between several different little towns that all kind of formed a "triangle", and so kids from other towns/high schools (Rivals!!) also hung out there. I really preferred staying with my friends from my own school.

The place I remember most was our downtown drug store, which had a soda fountain and tables. A lot of kids would go there after school and get a 5 cent cherry or vanilla coke, or french fries, or a milkshake and a hamburger. When I was a teen, I would go there after cheerleading practice after school, and wait there until my mother came and picked me up after she got off work at 5:00. It wasn't open at nights, so it really wasn't a hangout for the weekends or nights, but primarily an after school place.

2 Did you attend your high school varsity games? What high school activities did you enjoy the most? Yes, I attended all of our high school varsity games, football and basketball in particular, and sometimes baseball too. I was a cheerleader all through Jr. High and High School, so I had to go to the games! What activities did I enjoy the most? Hmm, well, I did enjoy being a cheerleader, and also I enjoyed our after game dances...

Our school and town was very small...there were only 50 in my graduating class, (1968), and I went to the same school from 1st - 12th grade, so everyone knew everyone. I still stay in touch with several of my school friends mostly via Facebook. Sadly, like most people our age, our class is starting to dwindle down with so many who have already passed away. Our last class reunion was our 50th. We need to have another while there's still some of us left.

3. Did you have any teen idols whose music or acting you just really enjoyed? What music did you enjoy most? What movies?

Teen Idols...well I loved the Beatles, The Beach Boys, Simon and Garfunkle, The Righteous Brothers, Sonny and Cher, gosh, there were so many back in the 60's...and I loved most all of them.

Acting or actors? Movies? I loved The Sound of Music with Julie Andrews. It's funny, but I really don't remember a lot of really great movies, but I did always like the ones that Charlton Heston was in, like Ben Hur, and The Ten Commandments, etc., I'm drawing a blank here...but I know there were a lot more movies that I saw...just can't think of them at the moment.

4. Did your school have dances or sock hops and did you attend?

Yes, we used to have dances after the football games at the Civic Center. There was always a live band, which was usually a teen age group of guys who learned how to play guitars and drums and sing the popular songs of the day. The dances were well chaperoned (mostly), and it was always fun to go even if you didn't have a date. And yes, I went to the proms too. The link below tells a lot more about some of those memories:

HERE is a link to a previous post about my school years activities.

I guess that's all for this Tuesday 4. Sweet memories...(mostly!...lol...)

So now, since I haven't written in a few days, here's a few pictures to share from Still Waters Pond and around...

I decided to walk around the edge of the pond again this morning and check out the area where I think the Sand Hill Cranes may be building a nest, and at first this is who I saw...Yes, The Canada Geese Couple again...

But they are not on the same spot where they were the other day. They are not far from it, but just a short hop away. I don't think they are building a nest there, however, but maybe just sunning themselves because it was a pretty chilly day! (chilly for us anyway!)

But THEN, I looked back over to the spot where I originally thought the cranes would build their nest, and guess what??? Yep, There she is! Mrs. Crane is busily building her nest!! Often times they work alone to get the nest ready, and then Mr. and Mrs. Crane take turns attending to the nest once the eggs have been laid. I'm not sure if there is an egg yet or not. It looked more like she was still arranging things on the nest...but the sun was so bright it was hard for me to really see the details:

Look these pictures over and see what you think! If you see an egg, let me know!

I didn't stay long enough to see if she ever laid down on the nest. That would be a true tell if there is an egg there or not. I guess I'll be making more trips back and forth in the days ahead to see what is "developing".

I was just happy to see that I was at least right about this location!!

And much earlier this morning (writing this on Monday night), there was a small flock of Great White Egrets who flew in to the pond. They hung around for a while and even the Canada geese swam over to welcome them.

The light was not real good yet, since it was actually just at sunrise, but you get the idea! Always something wonderful happening on Still Waters Pond, no matter what time of day it is.

Like last night's sunset...

And here comes the Canada Geese flying in at sunset:

They flew around to the other side of the island, where they are apparently spending the nights and now most of the day as well...I hope they will build a nest, but time will tell.

I have probably 20 more pictures of this, but I won't bore you with all of them...just suffice it to say it was a magical time watching the beauty of the changing of the scenery as the sun continued to set in the west...no two sunsets are ever the same...each day is a new creation by God

Just as we are also a new creation when we accept Christ as our Savior...

2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV

17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away;

behold, all things are become new.

So thankful for that truth, aren't you? And the older we get, the more like Christ we become as we continue to grow in grace and hopefully in wisdom. That is certainly my prayer. I'm thankful that I am not still that same girl that I was back in high school!

1 What a wonderful change in my life has been wrought