Ginger or Maryanne?
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Back when I was a young man, we drank Bud … and we liked it! 
Boy have we come a long way since then.
Beer cans without a pull tab or tabs that came off. I remember buying a case for an impromptu party when we were supposed to be in school, I was the guy with a fake ID, only to discover the cans had no pop tops. Fortunately one of my friends had a church key.
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“Outside” was a directive from our parents…simpler times, if it was risky we didn’t know about it. Or care.
I’d ride a bike into town, 5 miles away, to play little league baseball… No helmets for either! No pads… The only drink of water was from a community bucket… we’d scoop out with our hands… I’m sure there was bad people around, but I don’t think they could catch any of us… Down to the river either to swim or fish… no parents around to supervise… How about swimming lessons… Seems as though the lakes just thawed out up here, and they’d throw us kids in… That was brutal! Sneezles61
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Maryanne! Are you kidding? No contest. Those short shorts were the best.
Cheers,
Ron
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Thanks everyone, for making me feel less old! 
Push button automatic transmission selectors anyone? hhhmmm?? First car my folks had was three on the tree… Hand brake down by tour left knee… You’d pull it back, then turn to set it… As a young whipper snapper, Mom just came home from shopping, hauled in an arm load of groceries… I proceeded to hop in behind the steering wheel, musta kicked that brake lever, down the hill, and into a swamp… I wasn’t able to sit for a while… Now days would you A, hug them and tell them its OK, or B, time for a little time out? 
Sneezles61
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Push buttons we’re great for candy canes. Not great for the transmission
My first car had a push button transmission. Before that could drive the farm trucks for going to town and picking up feed or the local swimming beach. 1962 Dodge Polara hard top. Leather seats and a 383 CI engine. Told my Dad to trade it in a couple years after getting it to help out replacing the farm truck little brother rolled. Was back to hitch hiking to and from college.
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It’s amazing how many young folks can’t drive a standard. Our daughter is 31 and she can’t. We had contractors at our house doing roof and siding. I asked them to move the dump truck they had because it was a little on my (PIA) neighbors yard. The boss wasn’t there and none of them could drive it because it was a stick. I finally asked if it was OK if I moved it and did it myself.
I learned on a '68 GTO my friend had. He taught me so I could drive the old Dodge van with a 3 in the tree at the place we worked. After that I bought a few standard PU trucks because I like to drive them. Being able to drive them came in handy at my career at the phone company because I had several standard trucks.
Hoping my next stick is a 68-72 Corvette. Gotta OK this with the Mrs. first LOL
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One winter around the mid 50’s we had a January warm up. River rose moving big blocks of ice. We could hear the ice hitting the river bridge a mile from the farm house. The flooding went into a tag alder lowland. While the water level was still high in the lowland freezing temperatures came back. When the water receded we had three levels of ice to play under in the tag alder. The highest ice was about 7 feet. On sunny days the colors were fantastic. Might have been dangerous but it sure was fun.
Might have been the following summer the river flooded again. The only thing that saved our cropland was the abandoned Medford to Chippewa Falls rail bed. We would go out into the flooded area to capture carp, brown trout, and northern pike. Unfortunately the Black river is now too silted for trout and even fresh water clams to survive.
I’m curious as to why the old dump trucks/semi’s aren’t allowed to have back to back transmissions… Was there something so unsafe or perhaps it was the advent of the newer truck transmissions and they had enough people to effect that law? Sneezles61
Oh man! Mopar 383. Guy here had one that would do wheelies!
Goats were pretty bad too! We were always a Pontiac family so had several. Bringing back the memories.
The town where I grew up was a muscle car hot bed. Weekends were constant cruising and drag racing. My first car in 1974 when when I was 16 was a 1951 ford pickup for $300, it was primered black and had a 390, automatic trans and rear end from a 69 Thunderbird, headers with straight pipes that actually shot flames when it backfired…never got the timing right on that thing… I had visions of turning it into a candy apple red show worthy hot rod truck. My buddy’s father ran a body shop and told me to get it sand blasted because it had about a dozen coats of paint under the black primer. I watched it fall apart as it was sandblasted. It was half bondo. Big holes just opened up everywhere in the body, bed, doors…One front fender actually fell off. I primered it and after driving through a few fences and clobbering a few mail boxes because the brakes failed often. I was driving it with a couple of buddies one day and flames came out of the steel dash opening where there should have been a radio. Turned out two wired shorted and caught all the old dry insulation on fire. I drove it for another few months with all the wiring exposed and sold it for $250.
Then I got a 68 Gran Prix, literally from a little old lady who never drove it. I had it for about 2 weeks. It was green with that swanky green vinyl top. Gave it a new battery and tires, tuned it and got it painted at Maaco for $99 I think…sold it and made 400 bucks profit. Bought a 68 camaro convertible with a 327, 4 spd, crazy fast. I had finally arrived. Such a fun car. Sold it in the mid 80s and have regretted it every day since.
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I grew up working in the family gas station and on the family farm. Got to see lots of cool vehicles up close an learned to drive at an early age. First one that was “mine” was a 59 dodge pickup, 6 cyl. 3 on the tree. Got moisture in the starter so had to park on hills in the winter to make sure I could get it running. Went through several farm/snowplow trucks then got a 70 Chevrolet Malibu. Red inside and out. Bought it from the local bankers son for $600. Found 4 joints under the front seat cleaning it for the first time. 350ci and duals, big tires , and big fun. I sold it for $800 my second year at NMU. Yep, regrets.
I got a 62 Volkswagen … 6 volt system… My idea was to make a dune buggy out it… never happened… Someone bought it from me and made a trike out of it… We had alot of woods and fields around us… By the county airport… We’d drive that sucker all over back there… Next up was a 65 Chevelle Malibu… Small V8, 289? torque flight tranny, and when it wouldn’t start, pull it to 30 MPH, and put it in drive and it would start! Sneezles61
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My only real hot car was a '69 Camaro SS. 396 375 stock HP. Turbohydramatic 400 automatic. Roller cam & rockers, headers, the whole 9 yards. The problem was with all that power and weight up front it was squirrely in the rear even with 60 series tires. All I ever did was pile money into it so I gave up on the racing around.
When I got a decent job I bought my first new car. A '78 Buick turbo Regal. Think it was the first production turbocharged car in the U.S. With a V6 it was a step down from the Camaro but quick enough to satisfy that need for speed but still be luxurious.
For a few years my winter rat was a '64 Jeep J162 Wagoneer. Paid $300 for it. Someone had painted it a horrid yellow with a roller or rattle cans. I had to put some sheet metal in the floor to stop the snow from blowing up on you. That thing would go through anything though. Sold it for $300.
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I’ve been feeling old lately. Not after reading this thread.
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