[cake_crumb]

Huge barrels of enormous, Kosher dill pickles, serve yourself. Cream soda. The swimming hole, even for those who had a pool. Hunting for nightcrawlers. Camping in the yard. Being allowed to play competetive games in school and getting prizes for winning. Playing mudball and paintball with rubber band and stick guns. Model rockets. Sparklers. The time my brother and I tried to build our own two man glider, which we crashed (ok, not such a good memory, but we were only 9 and 11)

[hardhead]

Depending where you lived, big barrels of SOUR pickles and black olives! I used to run to my aunt's sub shop for lunch from school (3 blocks away) and get a sub sandwich, a 10-cent soda and have 5 cents left for the pinball machine. (my 50 cents a day lunch money)

[SLB]

Growing up in rural Wyoming in the 1950/60 era is something I will always treasure. From having the responsibility as a 4 or 5 year old caring for livestock ranging from calves to horses to chickens; to the hunting and fishing experiences as a teenager.

I remember the first TV I saw set up in the display window at the Montgomery Wards store. At night there was always a crowd there watching it. We got our first set in 1959.

I had not been back to Platte County in several years except for cursory visits unitl last summer. We went to see my parents and spent a good portion of the trip driving around my old haunts. It sure brought back the memories. The good and the bad. The fishing with my dad and Uncle Alec (he could spit on the ground and catch a fish there, or so it seemed). Deer and antelope (prong horn) hunting with my dad and Uncle Art. Uncle Art had lost an eye to a corn stalk sword game when he was 6. He was a crack shot. I had the pleasure of reminiscing with him and another uncle at my dad's funeral last December.

Just writing this brings the memories flooding back. Both of these uncles were a part of my growing up, and now that one is 90 and the other is 87 they will not be here much longer. Glad I was afforded the advantage of gleaning from their wisdom over the years. I hope the generations Y or Z or whatever will take the time to learn from the experience of those who have gone before as we have.