Digital Watches: The Original Tech Marvel We All Forgot About

I graduated to digital watches around 1980, right when my Mickey Mouse watch started feeling a little too “kidsy” for me. My uncle gave me a Hewlett Packard digital watch with bright red LED display that flashed on with the push of a button. That thing felt like future tech strapped to my wrist. When it eventually died, my old man picked up a Pulsar digital watch for me, and I wore that one out just as fast.

Looking back, those early digital watches were straight up tech marvels. For the time, nothing felt more advanced. They were the closest thing we had to a smartwatch. As a kid, wearing a watch loaded with functions made you feel like James Bond or a time traveler.

Over the years I went through all kinds of digital watches. I loved the stopwatch functions and timed everything — how long I could hold my breath.. to how long my old man hogged the bathroom. Totally unrelated, but both were important metrics. And the backlights? I used them constantly, even when I didn’t need to.

Casio CA-53W-1CR
Calculator Watch

I also owned an insane number of video game watches like Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Q-Bert, and Legend of Zelda. Plus a couple legendary Casio calculator watches that saved me more than once in math class. Since I was seven years old I’ve owned over 100 watches, but I always circle back to digital displays. There’s just something about them.

Antiquated Digital Tech at its finest!
The Timex DATA LINK

In the mid-90s, Timex dropped one of the coolest wrist gadgets ever made — the Timex DataLink. Co-developed with Microsoft, it was basically a wrist-mounted PDA. You’d enter your notes, contacts, and reminders into a computer program, and the watch would read the data through a flashing light pattern on the monitor. It felt like sci-fi. Dead battery? No stress — just re-sync the data again.

And then there’s Casio, which completely changed the game with its G-Shock line. I’ve owned some very nice timepieces in my day, but G-Shocks hit a different nerve. They can take ridiculous amounts of abuse, they require basically no maintenance, they’re loaded with options, and Casio keeps pushing out better designs and special editions. They’ve turned digital toughness into a whole style category.
One of my absolute favorites is here:

The best watch I’ve ever owned — the Casio G-Shock
The watch that simply refused to die

I do love classic mechanical timepieces, but digital watches still hold a special place in my heart. When I find anything retro, unique, or just plain cool, I’ll post it here.

When Thanksgiving Changes: Nostalgia, Lost Routines, and Finding New Meaning

I woke up this morning with a weird feeling. Not bad. Not great. Just off. Out of sorts. The kind of feeling where you know something is different, but it takes a minute to figure out what it is.

I used to have a routine on Thanksgiving morning. It was automatic. I would get up early, put on a hoodie, and head over to the convenience store to grab the two biggest newspapers in the area. Not for the news. For the Black Friday ads. That was the real prize. I would grab a coffee, maybe some donuts, and then head home.

Once I got back, it was time for the annual mega breakfast. Biscuits and gravy. Bacon. Eggs. Sausage. Hash browns. Pancakes, maybe some grits. It was a once a year kind of breakfast and it always felt like the perfect way to start the day.

Then I would spread out the newspapers and start digging through the ads while the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade played in the background. That was my morning. It felt right. It felt like Thanksgiving.

Now I look around and none of that is here anymore.

Newspapers are ten bucks a pop if you can even find them, and the Black Friday ads inside are barely worth flipping through. Most of the sales start weeks before the actual day. The fun of finding something by digging through pages is gone. Everything is digital. Everything is instant. I miss the treasure hunt part of it.

I was never the guy waiting outside for the big TVs or game consoles. I would definitely be there once the doors opened, but would then go after the weird little deals. Five dollar coffee makers. Seven dollar towel sets, etc. All the stuff no one was fighting over. That was my lane and it was fun.

But the breakfast? My kids are grown and everyone’s routine is different now. I might end up eating cereal this morning. It feels strange even thinking that.

The parade? I honestly don't even know what streaming service I need for it. (and I'm so sick of constantly having to download new streaming apps). Such a stark contrast to back in the day when I would just turn the TV on, flip the channel either way two or three spots amongst the network channels and start watching it. 

Same story with the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Special. It was the way I finished off my day. Maybe with a little wine or brandy.. and one last slice of pumpkin pie. I would most likely have to sign up for yet another service if I try to watch it tonight.

Thanksgiving dinner? I'm not going to get started on that one for a few reasons. That one is still a question mark. I just don't know where or what it will look like, which is something I never used to think about. 

Things change. Time moves whether we want it to or not.

I've always been a creature of habit. I like my routines. So being this far away from what Thanksgiving used to be for me feels strange. 

That being said my friends.. there is something oddly freeing about it at the same time. I cannot totally explain it yet. I've not yet sorted out the feeling completely. But maybe that's okay.

Maybe it's fine to sit in this space for a bit. To look back and miss things but not cling to them. To admit that the old way was great.. but the new way might have something in it too, even if I'm far from finding it.

For now, I am just here. Thanksgiving morning. A little out of sorts. A little nostalgic. A little curious what the day will turn into. Just me my coffee.. sitting outside gazing at the trees.

And maybe that is enough.

And the Winner for Breakfast Cereal Most Likely to Be Mistaken for Cat Food Is…

Growing up, I saw plenty of cereals trying to pass themselves off as “healthy,” but one always made me stop aghast in the cereal aisle. It didn’t look fun, it didn’t look kid friendly, it looked like something you would scoop into a bowl on the floor. When it first hit the market in 1977, nothing else looked quite like it. That unforgettable champion was Cracklin’ Oat Bran. In fact, it actually stopped me in my tracks once again today in the supermarket some 48 years later. 

I remember when this stuff showed up and how shocked I was that it was meant for actual human consumption. To my kid brain, it looked exactly like cat food. Same color, same shape, same energy. And it’s not like my mom fed us sugary junk. I grew up on Buckwheats and Wheaties, the classic “be good, eat this” cereals. But nothing in our pantry ever looked as aggressively adult as the Raisin Bran, Total, and Special K lineup. Those were the cereals that felt like they came with tax advice.

Fast forward to today, when I am actually trying to find the healthiest cereals on the shelf. Even if Cracklin’ Oat Bran were to show up at the top of that list (far from it) I still would not buy it. Heck, the cereal has so much sugar and palm oil, it negates the health benefits the fiber may have.

Yup.. that childhood image is locked in forever. Some things you cannot unsee, and for me, Cracklin’ Oat Bran will always be the cereal that looks like it belongs next to a scratching post.

How Classic ’70s and ’80s Toyota Corollas Stole a Florida Car Show and Sparked Puerto Rican Pride and Retro Nostalgia

The Little Cars That Left a Big Impression

The other night, I wandered into a car show in Kissimmee Florida, expecting the usual spectacle, muscle cars roaring, shiny sports cars glinting under the lights, Corvettes drawing crowds. And yes, they were all impressive, but none of them held my attention like something far more humble.

I found myself spending a heck of a lot of time viewing a broad assortment of classic Toyotas and Datsuns from the '70s and 80's. It was a really nice surprise and not what you’d expect at a car show, right? But these old Corollas and other Toyota models have a story. They were reliable, affordable, economical, and built to last. In my experience, cars like Toyotas and Subarus give you the most bang for your buck, especially if you’re the type of person who holds on to a car for most of its life.

Seeing these old Toyotas brought a flood of memories back to me. It’s funny: cars that were almost invisible in my youth because there were so many of them, suddenly command awe and admiration later in life. I feel the same way about VW buses, VW bugs, and even two-door Mustangs. Back then, they were just part of the background, but now? I’d love to have any of those cars as a toy today.

Now I’m thinking a classic Corolla could make a perfect little hobby car. I learned how to work on cars during two years of mechanic school, and these are the kinds of cars we worked on, 60s to ’80s models of all kinds. The simplicity and engineering on these cars was brilliant, maybe not genius, but engineered with common sense. Owner’s manuals used to teach you preventive maintenance, you had to know a little about your car if you wanted to keep driving it. Practically anyone could work on them and maintain them.

Growing up, so many of my friends had Toyotas, often hand-me-downs from their parents. Later in life, many adult friends still owned them. I remember piling six or seven of us teenagers into a tiny Corolla or Tercel, pooling what we had for gas, 50 cents here, a dollar there, and driving all night long, around town or even to Denver, 60 miles away.

At the car show, I noticed something curious: many of the Toyotas were owned by Puerto Rican families, and a lot of the owners were part of a local car club called 'Club Toyotero'. I talked with a Puerto Rican friend who was with me, and it turns out that Puerto Rico has a strong connection with these little cars as well. Multitudes were imported to the island, and they took everything thrown at them. Mountain roads, long drives, heavy traffic, and still held up. Over time, these reliable little cars created countless memories, which is why the love for them persists. And I could relate to those sentiments. My experiences in Colorado included many drives to the mountains, trips to lakes and rivers, the big city, and driving in extreme temperatures and conditions (albeit opposite of what they experienced on the Island). Coloradan's clock and unreal amount of miles on their cars, but nothing seemed to beat these cars down. They were truly an engineering marvel.

As I wandered among these beautiful little cars, I found myself imagining what it would be like to own one today. Sure, parts might be harder to find now that they’re over 40 years old, but their simplicity makes them incredibly versatile. Many had modifications, aftermarket air conditioning, racing parts, custom interiors. Their electrical systems were still simple enough that even a novice could create a custom gauge cluster. Other owners, similar to the 'Rat Rod' crowd, kept their cars as close to original as possible, even leaving the paint faded, worn and rusted. There’s something magical about seeing a car in its original form, preserved for decades.

Walking away from the show, I realized these cars had given me more than just nostalgia, they had sparked an idea for a possible future project or hobby car. If I can ever afford the time and space, tinkering with a classic Corolla might just be the perfect way to relive those memories while creating new ones.

Do you have memories tied to an old Toyota, or any classic car that still makes you smile today? If you grew up around these cars or you’re part of the Puerto Rican or Kissimmee car scene, drop a comment below. I’d love to hear your stories and see your rides.

How My Donut Taste Evolved: From Sugar-Explosion to Simple Perfection

🍩 The Simplicity of Donuts (and Getting Older)

There was a time when I wouldn’t even look twice at a plain donut. As a kid, I wanted the biggest, gooiest, most sugar-packed donut in the case, the custard-filled, chocolate-iced Long John. If there was jelly or filling oozing out, even better. I wanted that sugar rush that made Saturday mornings feel like a party.

A chocolate-iced donut with sprinkles? That was “plain Jane” to me. I’d only grab one of those if the case was picked over and the good stuff was gone. I wanted bang for my buck — flavor explosions, sticky fingers, frosting under my nails, and that feeling like I’d just pulled off the best trade in the school cafeteria.

But time has a funny way of changing not just our tastes, but how we taste.

These days, simpler is better. Ask me what my go-to donut is with a morning coffee, and I’ll tell you without hesitation, it’s probably a sour cream cake donut or a plain glazed cake donut. You know the kind: shiny, rustic-looking, a little jagged around the edges, like something Grandma might’ve fried up on an old cast iron skillet when you were a kid.

My go-to these days
An Old Fashioned Cake Donut

There’s something about that crumbly, slightly crisp exterior giving way to the soft inside that just hits right. It’s humble. It’s honest. It doesn’t need a fancy filling or a drizzle of anything. Just a donut, pure and simple, doing what a donut does best, keeping coffee company.

Now, don’t get me wrong, a Krispy Kreme Original Glazed, fresh off the line, still warm and melting in your mouth, is a whole different story. I could down four of those before my coffee even cools off. (Which is exactly why I do my best to avoid driving past the place, for fear of seeing the “Hot Donuts Now” sign lit up. There’s just no winning that battle.)

Somewhere along the line, my sweet tooth didn’t exactly fade, it just got wiser. I started slowing down, actually tasting what I was eating instead of just chasing the next sugar high. Maybe that’s part of getting older.. realizing that the joy isn’t in how much flavor you can cram into one bite, but in how much appreciation you can get out of something simple done right.

So yeah, give me the plain old-fashioned cake donut with a cup of hot coffee any day. The kind that reminds you of early mornings and simpler times, when a donut was just a donut, not a photo op.

What about you? Has your favorite donut changed over the years, or do you still go straight for the filled, frosted, and sprinkled kind?

Blogging like it's 2003 again

Readers of my blog have seen many different incarnations of this site over the years. Somewhere along the line, I started listening to all the “experts”, the ones who said I needed to have a razor honed niche, a Twitter to accompany my blog, then an Instagram, a Facebook page, and eventually even TikTok.

Somewhere in all that noise, I bought into it all and lost track of what blogging meant to me. It stopped bringing joy to my soul.

And personally, when I’m not in a good place mentally for whatever reason, I’m simply not a very creative person anymore. Over a couple of stressful, tumultuous years, my blog slowly fell by the wayside.. quietly drifting off the radar of the World Wide Web.

One night this past March, I found myself going through the old archives, scrolling backward through years of posts, trying to remember what used to make me tick back when life felt lighter. And then it hit me, the simplicity of blogging was what I’d lost. I made the decision right then and there to get back to basics with my blogging. I even wrote a blog post about it that very night entitled: Throwback to an Old Fashioned Weblog.

Back in the day, there was no chasing algorithms, no obsessing over clicks, no checking analytics every few hours. I blogged for me, for the feeling it gave me. The side benefit was that the things that excited me or mattered to me resonated with others. Through that honesty, I made genuine connections and even friendships that have lasted a decade or more.

That realization led to an experiment: what would happen if I went back to the old-school way of blogging? A real weblog, set in reverse chronological order of thoughts and ramblings, whatever was rolling around in my head at the time, out there for whoever might stumble across it. Nothing fancy. No algorithm chasing. No posting schedule designed to maximize reach. Just an honest-to-goodness weblog.

It’s been a rough couple of years, and I’ve lost most of the hobbies that used to bring me joy. Writing is one of the few that still does.

But trimming this blog down hasn’t been easy. Minimalizing and decluttering takes time. There are old posts that I feel funny about deleting, even though they don’t reflect who I am anymore. They’re my creations, and deleting them feels a little like erasing parts of myself.

Still, people change, even middle-aged Gen Xers. Some things that once lit me up just don’t anymore. Some things I don’t want to revisit. And that’s okay.

I’ve come to be known as The Retro Dad online, a moniker I’m pretty proud of. Most of my content still has a retro tie-in, but it’s also limiting to stay boxed into a niche. At this point in my life, I think the best thing I can do is return to the basics: blog when I want, about what I want, on my own terms.

Maybe I won’t get the traffic or likes that other bloggers chase, but I’ll connect with the right people. It’s cathartic, freeing, and it’s given me a new lease on blogging.

Buckle up and we’ll see where it goes.

Interestingly, many of my readers have noticed this latest incarnation.. the minimalized version of The Retro Dad. And no one’s complained. In fact, I’ve received more comments and messages lately than I have in a long time. That tells me I’m on the right track.

3 Vintage Shakey’s Pizza Commercials You Can Watch on YouTube

🍕 3 Great Old Shakey’s Pizza Commercials You Can Still Watch on YouTube

If you ever went to a Shakey’s back in the day, you know there was just nothing else like it. The smell of the pizza, the wooden tables, the player piano.. it was a scene. Shakey’s wasn’t just a pizza joint. It was a night out, a family ritual, a place you told your buddies about. These old TV spots still do the job: they yank you back to those nights like nothing else.

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1. “Shakey’s” — 1980 commercial

This one’s pure 1980s energy. Bright, upbeat, and the kind of ad that makes you want to pile the family into the car and go right now. It nails the “fun night out” vibe that made Shakey’s special.

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2. “Pizza Keeper” — 1978 spot

This 1978 spot (the “Pizza Keeper” box bit) is comforting in a way modern ads rarely are.. honest, simple, and all about the food and family. Those little production touches bring back the smell of hot pizza and the chatter of a lively dining room.

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3. Mid-1970s — little girl bowling commercial

Kids, bowling, and a big pizza hitting the table — this commercial is pure memory juice. It’s the sort of clip that pulls up a photo you forgot you had of your own pizza nights back then. If you miss the community feel of old family restaurants, this one’s for you. 

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Watching these makes me realize how much of a social anchor places like Shakey’s used to be. Not just pizza, a whole night out. Nothing I go to now quite scratches that itch. If you liked these, drop a comment with your favorite Shakey’s memory. Maybe I’ve got a photo or two that’ll match it.

🍫 My Top 5 Favorite Candies from the ‘70s and ‘80s: Sweet Memories That Still Melt in My Mouth

There was nothing quite like being a kid in the ‘70s and ‘80s and walking into a corner convenience store with a pocketful of change. The smell of bubble gum, the faint hum of a soda cooler, and the sound of the door chime — it was pure magic. You could spend 50 cents and walk out feeling like a king with a treasure trove of sugar.

Here are my top five favorite candies from back in the day — the ones that made every trip to the store worth it.

🍫 1. Ice Cubes

Every trip to the store wasn’t complete without grabbing a handful of Ice Cubes — those little foil-wrapped squares of creamy chocolate bliss. They came in those shiny silver or gold wrappers, and once you unwrapped one, it was game over. The texture was unbelievably smooth, almost buttery, and they melted the instant they hit your tongue.

You didn’t chew Ice Cubes. You savored them. Recently, I stumbled across them again at a German market — the same brand, the same foil, the same melt-in-your-mouth magic. It was like time traveling straight back to 1978.

🍬 2. Nerds

When Nerds hit the candy aisles in the early ‘80s, everything changed. Tiny, tangy, colorful crystals of pure sugar — and we couldn’t get enough of them. Half the fun was the box itself, with two separate chambers so you could pour a little of one flavor or mix them together like a candy scientist.

Whether it was Strawberry vs. Grape or Cherry vs. Watermelon, every handful felt like a flavor explosion. You’d tilt that little cardboard spout right into your mouth, and before you knew it, the box was empty and your tongue was neon-colored.

Nerds weren’t just candy — they were a full-blown experience.

🍭 3. Bottle Caps

If there was ever a candy that felt like a fizzy science experiment, it was Bottle Caps. They looked like little soda bottle tops and came in flavors like root beer, cola, and orange soda. Somehow, those chalky little disks captured the essence of a fizzy drink without being liquid.

My friends and I used to sort them out, trade our least favorites, and pretend we were “drinking” our candy. Root beer was always my favorite — and still is.

🍫 4. Razzles

“First it’s candy, then it’s gum!” That slogan was burned into our brains thanks to Razzles. They started out like tiny fruit-flavored candies, but after a few seconds of chewing, they transformed into gum — a magic trick that never got old.

Every kid in the neighborhood had a favorite flavor (mine was the original red). You’d pour the whole pack into your mouth, wait for the transformation, and suddenly you were the coolest kid on your block — blowing bubbles and smirking like you’d just discovered alchemy.

🍫 5. Reese’s Pieces

Before E.T. made them world-famous, Reese’s Pieces were a secret weapon for peanut butter lovers. The crunchy candy shell and creamy peanut butter center were an instant classic. After that movie came out, they became impossible to find — stores couldn’t keep them in stock.

Even now, opening a pack gives me that same sense of excitement. They were the perfect road trip snack, movie treat, or after-school pick-me-up.

🏁 The Sweet End

These weren’t just candies — they were moments. Each one reminds me of simpler times: riding my bike to the store with friends, counting out change on the counter, and walking home with pockets full of chocolate and possibilities.

The ‘70s and ‘80s were full of wild flavors and even wilder packaging, but more than that, they were full of joy — the kind you can still taste when you find one of these classics today.

What was your favorite candy from the good old days? Drop it in the comments — let’s see which ones still make our inner kids light up.

Why I Still Miss Old-School Newspapers (and Why We Need Them Back)

🗞️ The Morning Paper I Can’t Forget

Not long ago, I was visiting friends in Washington, D.C. — the kind of people who still have The Washington Post delivered to their doorstep every morning. One lazy weekend morning, I grabbed their freshly folded paper, stepped onto the porch with a cup of coffee, and cracked it open.

For a moment, it felt like I’d stepped back in time. The sound of rustling pages, the faint smell of ink, sunlight hitting that slightly off-white paper — it was pure nostalgia. My soul slowed down. The world felt quieter, simpler. Real.

🗞️ How It All Started: My Love Affair With Newspapers

Back in the ’70s and ’80s, that’s where it began — a lifelong love affair with newspapers. At first, I was just chasing the comic strips. Spider-Man, Alley Oop, Ziggy, Family Circus — those were my early morning smiles before school.

Then it evolved. I’d scan the movie listings, hoping to convince my parents to drop me off at the theater with friends. Once I started mowing lawns and earning a few bucks, I hunted for coupons — Carl’s Jr., Jack in the Box, all-you-can-eat buffets.

By my teens, the classifieds became my treasure map. I’d circle used cars, hot rods, and project rebuilds I could only dream about. Eventually, I got hooked on the sports section, local stories, and world headlines.

When I moved out on my own, one of the first “grown-up” things I did was subscribe to the paper. That thump on the porch every morning meant the world was still out there, full of stories waiting to be read.

💭 What’s Missing Today

Fast-forward to today. I’m sitting here on a Sunday morning, coffee in hand, scrolling through Google News. I toss my phone aside and feel… disconnected. It’s not the same.

Not long ago, I grabbed an actual newspaper at a convenience store, just for nostalgia’s sake. Coffee, donut, and a real printed paper — a perfect combo. But when I scanned it at the kiosk, it rang up: $5.00.

Five dollars for a flimsy, paper-thin version of what once cost less than my breakfast. I sighed and set it back on the rack. That moment said it all. It’s not just the price that’s changed — it’s everything.

📰 The Soul in the Newsprint

Holding a newspaper was real. You could feel the ink on your fingertips and the weight of the words. You weren’t doom-scrolling — you were reading. You paused. You connected — with your town, your thoughts, and the world.

Today, it’s all push notifications and algorithm-fed headlines from strangers (or AI) we’ll never meet. The pause is gone. The reflection is gone. The connection is gone.

And think about all the people who made those papers possible — reporters, photographers, press operators, delivery drivers. Entire livelihoods erased as the presses went silent.

❤️ Why It Still Matters

That morning in D.C., flipping through the Post, I realized how healthy that ritual used to be. It slowed your heart rate, fed your curiosity, made you think. It wasn’t just information — it was engagement.

Reading the news used to make you feel connected and calm. Now it just feels like noise.

Maybe that’s what I really miss — not just the newspaper itself, but the pace of it. The peace. The deliberate act of sitting down and taking in the world at your own speed.

For all our screens and instant updates, somehow we’ve lost touch with something very human — the simple act of holding a story in your hands.

🗞️ – The Retro Dad

"Still missing the sound of rustling pages and the smell of fresh ink on a Sunday morning."

Racoon and Possum running through my mind

As you may have gathered, my thoughts often revolve around the recent and not so recent past. That being said, I've been finding myself intently reminiscing about my grandparents lately. When I was a young boy living in California, many an afternoon was spent at their house in Ontario, which was located on a busy street named Mission Boulevard. Back then, there was nothing I loved more than relaxing on the porch with my grandfather. We would while away the hours, sipping on soda and watching the trains in the distance roll by. During those afternoons, Grandpa would share stories about his youth, as well as an infinite array of life experiences.


Sometimes when there was a lull in the conversation, he would entertain me by yodeling, whistling, and singing old songs. Many of those songs are permanently burned into my brain, and often manifest themselves when I think of dear old granddad. However, there's one song in particular that I often whistle and hum to this very day.

Throw them 'simmons down
A "simmon" aka persimmon, is a wonderful fruit that somewhat resembles a tomato in color and shape.  The varieties I remember eating, kind of mimicked a plum in flavor.  My Grandfather used to sing a song about them that I used to love, and it went like this..


Possum in the 'simmon tree, Racoon on the ground..

Racoon shouts to the possum, throw them 'simmons down.

Throw them Simmons down.. throw them 'simmons down..

Racoon shouts to the possum, throw them 'simmons down.  


That's all there was to it.. a catchy little tune that always made me giggle and laugh. Every last detail about the way my Grandfather used to sing it, is permanently housed in my data banks. I can still vividly recall the way we held his pitch, tone, and even the speed he sang it.

I never thought much about the origin of this song, but always assumed he picked it up somewhere in the south. I decided to do a little research on the song, as well as persimmon trees, and was amused at the info I came across online. It's apparently well documented that possums love persimmon trees and their ripened persimmon fruit, as do racoons. I was elated to find the title and full lyrics to the song my Grandfather used to sing to me. Here's the skinny..

Raccoon's Got a Bushy Tail

Raccoon's got a bushy tail,

Possum's tail goes bare,

Rabbit's got no tail at all

Just a little old bunch of hair.

Raccoon is a mighty man,

He rambles through the dark,

You ought to see him hunt his den

When he hears Old Ranger bark.

Possum up persimmon tree,

Raccoon on the ground,

Raccoon says to possum,

"Won't you shake them 'simmons down."

Rabbit up in the gum stump,

'Coon in the holler,

Possum in the 'tater patch,

Fat as he can waller.



Raccoon's got a bushy tail,

Possum's tail goes bare,

Rabbit's got no tail at all

Just a little old bunch of hair.

I was surprised to learn that it was a five verse folk song that was originally sung by Pete
Seeger. Seeger released 28 songs and stories about animals on two short LP
records in 1955. The only instrument played in the song was a banjo, which gives me some added insight as to why my Grandpa loved the song so much.

It doesn't surprise me that Grandpa's version of the song is so different from the official version above. Grandpa most likely sung the song as he remembered it, or wanted to remember it. He got a real kick out of singing it, so maybe it was his favorite verse. That's how old folk songs and stories are sometimes. Liberties are taken with them, and the changes end up sticking over the years. I'm just happy the verse Grandpa used to sing, was in tact enough for me to dig up some history on this song.

In the end I'm more partial to Grandpa's version, but it was very satisfying to learn the history behind the song that we both loved so much.

By the way.. I'd be remiss if I didn't thank Smithsonian Folkways  for providing me with some back history, and links to buy "Racoon's got a bushy tail" and many other great folk songs written by Pete Seeger.

BIGFOOT - Childhood obsession & lifelong friendship

As a child growing up in the 70s, I witnessed Bigfoot fever firsthand. The now infamous Patterson-Gimlin Bigfoot video shot in 1967, started an obsession with the cryptid that carried on from the 70s to present day. I remember learning of Bigfoot for the first time on an old TV show called 'In Search Of'. It was a show hosted by actor Leonard Nimoy, that covered all sorts of unexplained mysteries and phenomenon. 

While the TV shows and news outlets shared sightings and stories, I got super interested when a sighting was reported in the Red Feather lakes area of Colorado, located about an hour away from where I grew up in Fort Collins. During my youth, our family camped in the Red Feather Lakes area, and I was always on the lookout for the big guy. 

At the ripe old age of ten, I would set out on secret solo Bigfoot hunting expeditions during our camping trips. I must admit that I got in my own head many a time whilst alone in the wilderness, or in my tent at night. There were several occasions when I heard/felt strong footsteps close by as well as hearing huge branches being snapped like twigs. Granted, this was also where Colorado Parks and Wildlife released Moose into the wild, and by the mid 80s, they were very abundant in the area.

I remember drawing WANTED type posters with my rendition of Bigfoot and taping them to my bedroom wall. Many a night I fell asleep staring at the drawings I made, wondering if there were the slightest chance he existed. My family didn't celebrate holidays when I was growing up, so I never had any lore like Santa, Leprechauns, the Easter Bunny, or Tooth Fairy to believe in. In a way, Bigfoot was the only legend in my childhood that I halfway believed in, and held out hope for his existence.

My old 'Fouke Monster' ceramic school project

When I was in 4th or 5th grade, I took a ceramics class at school. I had heard of a new (to me) Bigfoot sighting in Arkansas, and this one attacked a family. It was spotted in Fouke Arkansas, hence his name. You can see my nine year old brain failed at phonetically trying to spell out his name in the clay. 

The Fouke Monster is also known as the Boggy Creek Monster and Swamp Stalker. The town has capitalized on the legend, having festivals and businesses dedicated to Fouke Monster merch.

Fast forward to adulthood. While I've been alive long enough to definitely experience some weirdness and unexplained phenomenon, I'm no conspiracy theorist. I'm from the school of I want to believe.. but my brain requires hard evidence. That however, certainly does not mean that I'm no longer a fan of Bigfoot and anything to do with it.

I'm a sucker for any kind of Bigfoot pop culture gimmick. Just look at some of the stuff I've gladly spent my hard earned money on over the years.

BIGFOOT PIZZA
from Pizza Hut

No.. that's not a young Billy Crystal, it's some cat that people called 'The Pizza Hut Guy'.  And for a time from 1993 to the mid 90s, he pedaled Pizza Hut's newest creation BIGFOOT Pizza! This pizza was Pizza Hut's answer to Little Caesar's 'Pizza Pizza' promotion, which even came in similar packaging. Pizza Hut's pie however, was one huge pizza that measured about two square feet. 

The advertising campaign was quite ingenious. People would run around screaming their lungs out, and the Pizza Hut Guy would pop up screaming "IT'S BIGFOOT!". I fell for this gimmick hook, line and sinker, and bought a crazy amount of BIGFOOT Pizza over the years. I really do miss that pizza, but then again, I also really miss the way Pizza Hut Pizza used to taste back in the day.

SASQUATCH PIZZA

I've bought this 3 pound frozen pizza a couple of times. 

In the end, the gimmick was way better than the pie.

BIGFOOT Lunchbox

This lunchbox graces a shelf in my office. I don't use this for lunch although maybe I should. I love the scene of this socially distanced Bigfoot just chilling in the Rockies, leisurely watching a fisherman (and Nessie). That scene reminds me so much of the wilderness I grew up camping in.

BIGFOOT Air Freshener
Pine.. not BIGFOOT scented

BIGFOOT Action Figure

My Bob's Burgers BEEF SQUATCH Tee

Sasquatch Sweat Soap

I can attest this does not grow hair

One of my favorite caps in my current lineup

Gotta represent my home state

Great Divide Brewing's YETI Stout

Great Divide Brewing in Denver Colorado makes a wonderful Imperial Stout, my favorite in fact. They also have a killer logo for the beer, and I jump at the chance to buy any of their special edition beers and YETI merch I can find.

BIGFOOT SOCK CO.

I'm crazy about this company's BIGFOOT socks, and want every pair they make.

Bigfoot Socks Online

I'm not exaggerating when I say this is just a portion of things I've squandered my money on over the years. Bigfoot lore to me now is just fun, and his appearances in pop culture are usually entertaining and lighthearted. 

My adult self wonders about the ancient carvings, totems, and cave drawings that feature sasquatch type beings. I also often wonder why there's a law stating that it's illegal to kill a Bigfoot in Canada. 🤔 I guess the kid in me wants to still believe, and my ears do perk up whenever a news story makes the rounds about a Bigfoot sighting.

Until I learn any different, I'll still make the occasional comment that Bigfoot exists. My bride will roll her eyes as she always has, my kids will giggle and agree with me just to tick Mom off, and we'll all have a good laugh. Real or not, Bigfoot has made for some great memories and entertainment over the years, and indeed made life a bit more colorful, mysterious, and entertaining for this particular boring Gen Xer.

A walk down memory lane while decluttering - Lockdown Day 47

I've finally started cleaning and organizing the sections of my house that I've been putting off forever.  As I dig through boxes, closets and drawers, I've come across a few pictures and items that made me pause a moment to reminisce.

Photos from Disney MGM Backlot Tour in 1990

 Snow Speeder and Dessert Skiff from Return of the Jedi

 The Golden Girls House

 Coyote-X stunt car from Hardcastle and McCormick next to a Mad Max style car

 A BMX Bike I was building around 1983

My childhood mid 70s Dusty Baker baseball Mitt

Old bookmarks made by my kids long ago. I can even remember the books I was reading while using them. They were Hagakure the Book of the Samurai, and three Clive Cussler novels (Blue Gold, Valhalla Rising and Havana Storm). All great books, but I loved that these bookmarks were the last thing I saw, as I closed the books at night before going to bed.

Disney World park tickets from 1992  (I miss those prices)

Such vivid memories were immediately brought back when looking at these items.  I have great memories from vacations, and flashbacks to simpler times.  I have lots more stuff to go through on my mission to de-clutter and downsize.  I can't wait to see what other items I find that I forgot about in recent years.  I'll make sure to post more unique and interesting finds as I come across them.

Old school charcoal grilling - Lockdown Day 41

I normally only grilled about once or twice a month before lockdown. However, my gas grill was put out to pasture a few months back.  I always meant to buy a new one, but to me it wasn't a necessity so I kept putting it off.  Now that I am spending all of my time at home, I've been getting the itch to start grilling more.  Unfortunately, I'm now furloughed, with no hope of accessing the busted and disgusted Florida unemployment system anytime soon, so I can't afford a new Grill whilst pinching my pennies.  However.. I did free up enough scrilla to buy a charcoal grill for under $20.00.  I ordered it at Wal Mart and they brought it out to me during my grocery pickup last week.

While I turned my nose up at char grilling years ago, I was kind of excited to try my hand at it once again.  My Dad spent hours teaching me the intricacies of how to properly grill from the time I was eight years old, so I was confident I could grill up a good meal for my family.  The biggest turn off to charcoal grills once I was an adult, ended up being the time it took to grill a meal.  Now that I've got nothing but time, this isn't a factor any longer and I'm excited to use some of my time to char-grill once again. So what meal did I chose to cook for my inaugural charcoal grill session?  Why.. the great American backyard BBQ staple, Hamburgers of course!

The new Grill working like a charm

All of the char-grilling techniques came back to me pretty quickly.  With no charcoal starter contraptions except lighter fluid, I knew the longest part of the whole process was going to be getting the coals ready.  I mounded the coals into a volcano looking structure, soaked them with lighter fluid, waited 5 minutes, and lit them up.  It was at about the 20 minute mark that I was sorry I skimped on the charcoal, buying a cheaper generic brand.

Never go cheap on your charcoal
My Dad always told me to buy Kingsford charcoal, and I now see why.  It wasn't hard to get the charcoal glowing red and white on the inside of my volcano tower, but the briquettes were incredibly stingy about sharing and distributing their heat with their neighbors.  My bride had some hand held bamboo fans on the patio, so I grabbed one and fanned the coals for about ten minutes until my arm felt like it was going to fall off.

Once the charcoal briquettes were flaming red and glowing white hot, I spread them out and let them alone for about five minutes.  I then closed up the grill, letting the heat sterilize the cooking surface.  I was pleased to see I poured out exactly the right amount of charcoal to cook up a dozen burgers.  That is just something that comes back to you like muscle memory.  I know a lot of folks that hate char grilling because they say it's too easy to burn your food.  I would agree with that statement IF.. you walk away and don't pay attention to what you're doing.  My Old Man always said.. "Grilling is all about patience" and this is so very true. If you're rushed, irritated, or not 100% invested in what you're doing, your meal will probably at least be sub par.

I remember my Dad grilling only on weekends.  He would work hard all week, and it truly was a type of therapy for him.  He was in his element, he was a master, and it truly brought him joy to prepare any type of meal for us on the grill.  If we were eating dinner at 5:00, he would begin his process at 3:00.  He would start by pulling out the grill and cleaning it up.  He would then arrange all of the charcoal, allowing for proper airflow.  A trick he used was to grab small thin pieces of wood scraps from his wood shop in the garage, strategically separating the charcoal layer by layer.  I remember not being able to walk anywhere near that towering inferno of charcoal for fear of singing the eyebrows off of my face.

Finally, he would spread the charcoal out evenly and would tell me.. "It's still not ready yet.  You need to let it sit for awhile so the insides of the charcoal get hot too.  If only the outside of the charcoal is white, they will go out and get cold when the grease and juices from the meat start dripping on them".  In the meantime, he would carefully prepare the meat, sprinkling it with Lawry's seasoned salt and other spices.  When the meat was finally cooked he'd tell me "We're not done yet!  We need to let the meat rest and clean the grill up.  Let the heat do the work for you! Scrape and brush your grill before the charcoal cools down".


One year around the 4th of July, I had a Black Cat firecracker that ended up being a dud.  The fuse disappeared into the firecracker, but it never exploded.  I decided to throw it into the pile of hot charcoal thinking it would immediately pop off.  At least a minute had passed and it didn't blow up, so I assumed it was an all out dud.  My Dad then came out to check on the coals, and the firecracker finally blew up, spitting coal and ashes straight up into the air.  I thought for sure I was going to get in major trouble, but my Old Man jumped back and said "Hmm.. one of those pieces of pine must have had a lot of water in it".  I never did tell him it was a firecracker, but maybe I will one of these days.  He'd probably get a kick out of it.. now.

Yes, char-grilling is definitely a bit time consuming compared to gas grilling, but I must admit, the meat has a totally different taste.  The burgers I made on my new charcoal grill were possibly the best tasting hamburgers I've ever grilled.  I didn't do anything fancy either.  I just rubbed the patties with garlic salt and sprinkled them with Worcestershire sauce before grilling them up.  In the end, I threw some quality cheddar slices on each patty during their last minute on the grill.  My family raved about them, and that made me happier than all get out.

It does take more time to char-grill, but the whole process makes me slow down and focus on what I'm doing.  The satisfaction I get out of crafting an incredible meal is great, and everything about it to me is very calming.  The walk down memory lane it provided me was priceless, and I can't wait to charcoal grill once again.

Yes, I am a child of the 70s, 80s, AND 90s

Shawn Robare, the author of one of my favorite retro themed websites.. Branded in the 80s touched upon a point in his most recent article, that I've been pondering on lately.  He talked about how even though he was a child of the 80s, there were a lot of things about the 1990s that felt very much like his experiences when he was younger.  This is exactly the way I feel for a few different reasons.  

I've used the tag line 'Child of the 70s, 80s and 90s' for myself on different social media platforms from time to time over the years.  I say this because I was born in 1970, so I experienced my childhood through both decades of the 70s and 80s.  My son was born in 1990, so I kind of never stopped enjoying a pop culture generated for kids.  I would buy him toys and action figures that we would play together with for hours on end.  I also watched cartoons and kids programming with him that in turn led us to go out and buy more toys geared towards those properties.  


To be honest, I could even push the envelope farther and say I was like a big kid for much of the 2000s! When the Star Wars prequels hit, my son became interested in that fandom, and it was like I was living my whole childhood over again (but this time with an expendable income).  When my daughters were born, I watched more cartoons and kids programming, and had a blast doing so with them.  Nickelodeon and Disney programming ruled our Television during that time for sure.


People I've known in the past, have thought it was kind of weird for me to know so much about the cartoons and shows that my kids watched.  Kids I work with are truly taken back that a guy their parents age, knows the pop culture from when they were young, backwards and forwards.  My bride asked me once, how can you stand watching all those kids shows?  I told her "Sure they are packaged for kids, but who do you think is writing them?  It's people around my age.  I can see through the fluff and simplicity to find the humor and entertainment value in it.  In some cases, the comedy really does speak to me".

Here's a short list of some shows I inadvertently got hooked on because of my kiddos:

• Batman the Animated Series
• Disney Afternoon Shows
• The Adventures of Pete and Pete
• Legends of the Hidden Temple
• Hey Arnold
• Doug
• Rugrats
• Eerie Indiana
• Are you Afraid of the Dark?
• Adventure Time
• Regular Show
• Drake & Josh
• Spongebob
• Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide
• Teen Titans (Not Teen Titans GO)
• The Amazing World of Gumball

In turn, I also got my kids hooked on a few shows that I am a fan of..

• Mystery Science Theater 3000 (My son is an absolute mega fan now)
• Disney's Zorro
• Jonny Quest
• Death Note (Anime)
• Svengoolie
• ANYTHING Star Wars related
• The Office
• Parks and Rec
• Curb your Enthusiasm

While I definitely have an affinity for the decades of the 80s, 90s, and 1st decade of the 2000s.. I feel like I'm pretty well versed in pop culture from the 60s to present day.  My friends always enjoyed having me on their bar trivia teams, to do cleanup when it came to arts and entertainment questions.  On occasion, they would praise me for my knowledge of random facts, and I'd just laugh and tell them I was born with a brain that was wired to collect and store useless information.  If there's something that entertains me or I geek out over, it gets locked away in the old memory banks.  If its something I have no use for, or detest.. I can easily wipe it from the hard drive, freeing up valuable space.

As a kid I lived a bit of a stressful childhood, but always felt at peace when I could play with my toys, enjoy my favorite television shows, or simply read a book.  A lot of people forget how to de-stress and reconnect with their inner child.  Stress isn't something that I can turn off like a switch, but the conduit for me to do so is definitely always there. I can usually easily get back to that childlike zen state, by doing things I love like collecting, writing, reading, biking, and several other hobbies I enjoy.

This blog has been a lifesaver during this pandemic, serving as a pressure release valve of sorts. I do however want to write more articles soon about my love of the recent past.  Keep an eye on this space if retro pop culture is your thing!