Don’t grow up too quickly, lest you forget how much you love the beach.”
We’re still in a heat wave of sorts. It’s not as hellish as the south or the mid-west, but it is far too hot for us this time of year. I’m still inside where it’s cool. Later, though, I’ll have to venture out as I still need a few things for tonight.
Saturday night was drive-in movie night. We, of course, always wore our pajamas. I remember when I was around 5 or 6 and I left the car by myself to go the bathroom telling my parents I’d be fine. I found the bathroom but couldn’t find our car afterwards. I went up and down the rows getting more and more panicky. Finally I went to the concession stand. They announced me over the car speakers, and my dad came and rescued me. I was still young enough to feel relieved instead of embarrassed. My dad was an impatient man. The idea of waiting in a long line to exit the drive-in was totally unappealing so he’d get a head start on the traffic. We left before the movie was over. My father guessed at the end time, but I have no idea how close his guesses were. I just know I watched a silent movie as we left the drive-in.
By this time most Sundays, my dad would have packed up the car for the beach. That meant the tartan cooler, the picnic basket, the blanket, towels and shirts for sun protection. We didn’t have any sunscreen back then except for my mother who’d make us cover up before we got too burned. My mother was fastidious about keeping the sand off the blanket. She’d let us sit down as long as our feet were stretched out across the sand. During the day she was known to move everything off the blanket a few times so she could shake the sand off it because that blanket was where my mother perched the whole day except maybe for a walk on the beach in the afternoon with my sisters who wanted to look for shells, and on really hot days when she’d sometimes tip her toes into the ocean, but that was always as far in as she dared. We were the water bugs.
My dad worked a long week and often didn’t make it home for dinner. On summer Saturday mornings, he did errands and household chores like mowing the lawn, but the rest of the weekend he spent with us. Even though I never saw the movies end, I loved going to the drive-in and nothing was better than Sunday at the beach.
Explore posts in the same categories: MusingsTags: Drive-inTheater, movie, Picnic basket, sand, shells, Sunday, tartan jug
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July 8, 2012 at 11:10 am
Nice post. Did you get that quote from somewhere, or is it yours/your dad’s? Only ask as I put negatively-framed quotes on my website and might use it if that’s alright ๐
July 8, 2012 at 11:22 am
Max,
I always put the source of the quote as a comment under the picture. All of them come from someone else, and you’re always welcome to use them.
Welcome to Coffee!
July 8, 2012 at 12:00 pm
Thanks Katry (for the post, permission AND welcome)
July 8, 2012 at 12:01 pm
Max,
Happy to have you!
July 8, 2012 at 12:32 pm
Our day finally got rather pleasant. It started warm and foggy, around noon I heard thunder but it never came close. Then the wind came and the temperature fell so now it’s rather nice. Nova and Sune is playing in the kitchen, She’s rather tough towards him but he isn’t afraid of telling her ton stop ๐ She always looks surprised when he does ๐
I can’t remember any sun block either but I did get malignant melanoma as older. They took it so early that I never was in any danger but now I’m not allowed to stay for too long in the sun. I don’t mind, I love sunshine as long as I can stay in the shadows ๐
I did finally find that movie but in the UK! It would be so expensive that I’ll skip buying it. To bad I had lots of fun watching some of it on YouTube ๐
Have a great day!
Christer.
July 8, 2012 at 2:13 pm
Christer,
It’s good Sune keeps Nova in line!
I’m glad you finally have good weather while we’re still stuck in the heat. Luckily, my mother kept us from getting too burnt, and so far we’ve been lucky and not had any issues with melanoma.
Do you have a 1 or 2 zone DVR? If you have a 2 zone, I can pick up a copy for you cheaply.
July 8, 2012 at 2:38 pm
I have honestly no idea what zone I have, how can I check that?
July 8, 2012 at 3:19 pm
Christer,
Ask Google.
July 8, 2012 at 1:03 pm
Hi Kat,
We used to go to the drive-in with my parents on Friday nights. We went to Kitty’s in North Reading for dinner first (pizza and orangeade for us, pizza and beer for the parents). The drive-in was near by. There was a playground up front under the big screen where my brothers and I spent a lot of time. When the movie started, we came back to the car. I don’t remember my dad leaving before the end of anything. I also don’t remember any of the films we saw. The only film I remember seeing in a drive-in was Star Wars (the first one) and that was the last time I was in a drive-in.
Sunny, warm and not humid up here. Rocky and I went out early to walk by the lake. There was a lovely breeze there. Rocky got to play with 5 or 6 dogs at various points along the way. He was happy and now he is sleeping on the couch in front of the fan.
Enjoy the day!
July 8, 2012 at 2:17 pm
Hi Caryn,
We were also Kitty’s fan. It was the one place my parents could take us out to eat which didn’t break the bank. My sisters used to go to that drive-in in North Reading, the Starlite. We used to go to the one right off 128 in Burlington as my grandfather had a pass we always used.It was an E.M.Lowes theater. Dennis and Yarmouth both used to have drive-ins but the only one left now is way down in Wellfleet. I used to love the Dennis one though it was in the woods, and you needed to spray bug repellant to survive.
Still warm here. Gracie went out in the shade on the deck then came back inside. She’s liking the AC.
You also have a wonderful day!!
July 8, 2012 at 2:05 pm
Hi Kat from Sao Paulo. When I stepped off the plane I knew I was not in Texas any more. The sky was cloudy the ground wet from a recent rain shower and the temperature was 13 C or 55 F. The weather in Texas caused havoc yesterday evening delaying my flight to Houston preventing my connection to the flight to Brazil. United put me on a non stop flight from Dallas on American which also left two and a half hours late. Time to spare, go by air.
Although the beach is nice to look at and the surf has a soothing effect, I prefer swimming pools. Clean clear water without tar balls or jelly fish. Also, the sand may be fun to play in when you are below the age of ten, but I would rather be sitting pool side reading in a chaise loung sipping a cold beverage and avoid the mess from the sand.
July 8, 2012 at 2:19 pm
Bob,
How fun you’re writing from Sao Paulo! 55ห is just perfect for a winter’s day!! It’s always smart to book all your flights on one airline so they are responsible for getting you there if there are any delays. I’m on Delta to NY then to Africa.
I’m not a swimming pool fan, but I love lakes. The beach is fine for sitting and reading and looking at the water, but I like the clean water of a lake. As for a cool drink-good almost anywhere!
July 8, 2012 at 2:44 pm
Actually I was booked on United all the way, however if I missed the connection in Houston, I would have to wait until tonight in a hotel there for the next flight to Sao Paulo. That flight would have gotten me here just in time to work. ๐
July 8, 2012 at 3:18 pm
Bob,
As it was United’s fault, they were responsible for getting you on the soonest flight. Good thing there was one!
July 8, 2012 at 2:54 pm
Oops! We let one slip by: Saturday was Ringo’s 72nd birthday (72??????? yikes)
http://news.yahoo.com/ringo-starr-turns-72-nashville-peace-love-232714029.html
So to tie the movie theme with this event:
July 8, 2012 at 3:16 pm
im6,
How did that happen? I take the blame as I haven’t checked in a while.
This is a great video!!
July 8, 2012 at 4:00 pm
I got lost too. It’s a bad feeling with thoughts of never seeing your family again. Eventually my sister found me. The funniest story about drive ins was when my sister in the middle got her learners license and begged my Mother to go with her to a drive in movie. I think it was one of the first James Bond flicks and lasted past midnight. Mom had already dosed off but not for long. Jo Jo decided to let her sleep and forgot to take the speaker off the window driver’s side. CRASH! Well, my Mother woke up then and all hell was paid the next morning when Dad saw the car.
July 8, 2012 at 10:56 pm
Z& Me,
I was frantic That’s about all I remember. There I was in my robe and slippers wandering up and down.
My father always controlled the speaker so we didn’t have to worry about forgetting it. I, however, had a friend or two with a speaker as a souvenir. They forgot it and then just took it home.