This is a historic day.
For the first time in nearly 40 years of trying, I hit EVERY green light on East 10th from Sycamore Avenue to the West side of the viaduct and set a personal record of 6 minutes from my house to the TV station. And that’s without speeding. Well, not too much.
So this is what it’s come down to then? Blogging about driving to work? Well, nothing much has happened to write about in the week since we’ve been home from Arizona. Oh, I did bump in to Bernie Hunhoff in the Keloland lobby on the same day the legislature nixed his bill to change the design of our state flag. If you recall, I expressed my feelings about the proposed change here on my blog (I and thousands of others didn’t care for it) and while Bernie could have made our encounter an uncomfortable experience, he was as cordial and cheerful as ever. Being a democratic leader in a republican state..you learn to roll with the political punches.
I see Wild Water West plans to bring back Drive-In movies. I hope it works but, sorry, I have my doubts.
I have nothing but fond memories of the Sioux Drive-In Theater from when I was a lad but trying to relive those memories at the Verne Drive-In outside Luverne a couple years ago, proved disappointing. Back in the Drive-In’s hayday, there was no such thing as daylight saving time meaning dusk doesn’t occur until nearly 10 PM in the summer months. If there’s a double feature that means it’s two in the morning before the show’s over. Too late for most working stiffs and those of us retired folks whose eyelids start to sag at the stroke of 9.
Back in the 50’s and 60’s, people who went to the Drive-In did so in a CAR. There were rows of gravel humps at varying degrees of slopeiness from front to back on which you’d pull the front wheels for a clear view of the screen then grab the speaker and hook it onto the window. But most people now drive high profile pick-ups, vans and SUVs. Theater managers try to get them to park toward the rear to keep from blocking other’s view but if you’re in a Prius you could get lost in a canyon of Caravans, Suburbans and Ford F250’s. Also, the few remaining Drive-In theaters have long since abandoned the idea of providing speakers on poles. In part, I suppose, because they became collector’s items for thieves or got destroyed by cars snagging the cord with their bumper..back when cars still had bumpers. Instead, audio is transmitted over an FM frequency you can pick up on your radio. Just make sure your battery is capable of dealing with the 4 hour drain.
The nice thing about speaker poles is they used to keep vehicles properly spaced apart. Now, it’s sort of like festival seating at a rock concert with ugly stares or a verbal rebuke coming from the guy next to you if you park too close.
But, if the Wild Water West deal works out, I’ll give it a try. Might even attempt a little front seat necking with Linda for old time’s sake. Won’t be the same, though. There’s no way she can slide over next to me with that dadgum center console in the way. No more bench seats equals no more close cuddling..no more Aqua Net aroma in your nostrils or soft angora sweater fuzz on the shoulder. It might also be fun to see if outdoor theater patrons still explore their rebellious side by joining in a chorus of horn honking in an attempt to humiliate the projectionist into starting the darned movie already. That reminds me, I need to get the Camaro’s horn fixed before summer.