Taking a Sunday drive in the country was a tradition for us growing up in the forties and fifties and would raise our spirits. Lots of times we would leave the paved roads and drive and bounce around on great country lanes and see some folks riding in rumble seats of old cars. These Sunday drives were good medicine after going to church, and when we got home after eating at great restaurants or stopping for ice cream or root beer which was a real treat, we would finish reading the Sunday comics and be laughing. We had now been prepared for the week ahead by then great caring and educational parents.
Just taking off and wandering around the countryside, turning on roads never traveled before, and being amazed at the beautiful vistas that awaited you.
Our parents taking the time to explain all that was being viewed, and teaching us of natures beauty and bounty, and giving us an appreciation of our blessings we had at the time. These drives gave us a perspective on life that many children today don't get or have today.
Macadam, concrete, and manicured lawns can't give the beauty we saw and "felt" in nature's happenstance.
Taking these same routes today, makes my heart heavy. These four scenes are now replaced with cookie cutter housing, and the traffic on the roads traveled as a youth makes the same trip unbearable. One of our favorite destinations for dinner at the time was Trainers in Quakertown, an expectation then was, if you order it, eat it and don't waste food. An e-mail response I've received:
Just wanted to say that those pictures were beautiful and the sure bring back memories from long ago. The year before Cathie and I were married, (1961) I worked for Eastern States Coop. I along with another man drove a large truck with a grinder on it to all the farms to grind feed for the farmers. The Russell Booze farm is now Truman High School. Joe Canby's farm is now Hampton something or other. There were a lot of what I call great men that farmed Bucks . The Leedom's, Melskies, Balderson's, Shull, Belky, Twining's, Carter Brothers. This is just a few of the people that showed me that hard work and laughter were good together. All their farms, except maybe Belky's and Balderson's are housing developments. Maybe I should write someone about these men and their families. I have a lot of stories about most of them.. It's a real shame that they are gone... Roy
hits since 10/15/2009