The Retro Dad

"How do you take your coffee officer Gannon?" "Double sugar double cream". I heard actor Harry Morgan utter this phrase when I was a young boy watching Dragnet reruns. The words boldly and eloquently rolled off of his tongue, almost quickly with no pause. His pronunciation made it seem as if all four words were joined as one. It was then at the tender age of twelve, that I vowed to take my coffee with double sugar and double cream when I grew up. In the 1970's and 80's, a lot of parents would not allow kids to drink coffee, out of fear that it would stunt their growth. My how times have changed.  My teenage daughters and their friends all love their mocha latte's and cappuccino's, both of which I never tasted until I was well into my twenties. The phrase "Double sugar double cream" has stuck with me all of my life. As a kid, I thought it was so cool, that I immediately started repeating my newly learned catch phrase whenever the o...

by Darrin Vindiola I've got to say that I'm leaning towards "fact" on this topic. Many of my friends wives often complain about their hubby's see through underwear, toe-less socks, and t-shirts that no longer fit.  I'd like to clear the air, and say that I'm not one of those cats that refuse to throw away their hole-ridden socks and underwear.  I can't deny it though.. I definitely posses the male "clothes hoarding gene". As a general rule, I try to throw out or pass along clothes that I haven't worn in over a year.  However.. I have been known to hold onto t-shirts years after they probably should have been cut up into rags for waxing the family car.  Case in point, my Disney World Tee that is older than my thirteen year old daughter.. I bought this tee at Disney's Animal Kingdom in Florida, back in 2000.  I fell in love with the tiki print on the front of the shirt, and didn't think twice about buying it.  Have you...

80's music always garners some major play time on my i-pod.  I couldn't help but smile when I heard a couple of Culture Club songs on my 80s playlist this week.  The fresh soulful Caribbean sound that was infused into their music was a style I always admired.  And what a ruckus these guys (more specifically Boy George) caused back in the 80's!  To many, Boy George was a mystery wrapped in an enigma.  Whether you loved him or hated him, there was no denying that the cat could sing. To those who weren't totally oblivious, Culture Club was an emblematic thumbing of the nose to bigots and partisans.  The band consisted of an Irish homosexual singer, a Jewish drummer, a black bass guitarist, and an English lead guitarist.  I remember Culture Club winning a Grammy for best new group, and people ( mostly over the age of 30 ) being outraged.  Even at the age of thirteen, I viewed the disgust and anger as utter foolishness.  If nothing else, the grou...

by Darrin Vindiola One of the many pieces of my childhood I've managed to buy back over the years, is this little fella you may  recognize.  It's a Mickey Mouse bank!  Remember waaay back in the day when everyone used cash and coins?  Wasn't it nice to have somewhere to store your spare change?  A bank just like this one did that for me for upwards of 30 years.  Here's some background info..   I've always loved Mickey Mouse and all things Disney, and as a child I was nearly obsessed.  In fact, the nickname my father affectionately gave me at the age of five was "Mickey". As a wee young lad living in southern California, my room was basically a shrine to Mickey Mouse and Disneyland.  I had Mickey Mouse sheets, blankets, pillow cases, curtains, books, a Mickey bubble gum machine, a Mickey AM radio, and the pride and joy of my collection, a Mickey Mouse bank just like the one above, that sat on my night stand. On nights when I wa...

As my kids get older, I often sit back and reminisce about their younger years.  Back when my daughter was eight years old, she ran quite a successful business from her bedroom.  Behold the sign that used to hang from her door.. Yes, my daughter ran a veterinary clinic for " Stuft Animals, and American Girl Dolls ".  Out of the goodness of her tender little heart, all services were even offered pro bono!  That being said, imagine my surprise when I came across the following sign later in the year.. Darn it!  Yet another casualty to the lousy economy that we were deep in the midst of a few years back!  I couldn't stand by idly, so I offered the veterinary clinic a bail out to keep the doors open.  I threw some business their way in the form of a few old action figures that needed rehabilitating, and paid handsomely for said rehabilitation.   In the end, I'm happy to say that my little one decided to tough it out and run her clinic ...

Hello and welcome to "The Retro Dad".   This new site will in a short time be replacing my other blog.. DadsDish.com.  Not much will be changing in the way of content, other than there will be a little more focus on anything loosely related to retro style, living, life & leisure, and more. In the weeks to come, I will be archiving retro content from Dad's Dish, and adding all new articles for your retro viewing pleasure.  Thanks for visiting, and make sure to stop by soon!