Posted tagged ‘drive-in’

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“When I was a child, our summer days were spent swimming; chlorine in my hair was like perfume to me.”

June 13, 2017

The house is still closed, and the AC is cranking. A few steps outside are a few steps too many. It is already 83˚, a bit cooler than yesterday but that’s a small consolation when it is this hot.

If I were a kid again, today would be sprinkler weather. I remember best the old metal sprinkler with arms which turned in a circle, My father used it for years. We’d put it on the side lawn which gave us some running and jumping room, and we’d make sure the water pressure was never too high so we could easily jump over. I also remember how cold the water was. It took our breaths away. The grass all around the sprinkler got drenched and tamped down, and it sometimes made us slide. My father was never happy on sprinkler day because of his lawn.

My sisters, more than I, used to eat their lunches on the backyard steps. It was a picnic of sorts. I can still see them wearing their bathing suits each one sitting on her own step, each one munching a sandwich.

Summer to me is so many things. It is Saturday night at the drive-in all of us dressed in our pajamas. We’d bring robes and slippers in case we had to make a bathroom run. At intermission, the playground near the refreshment stand was always filled with pajama-clad kids playing and yelling after being stuck in the car for a whole movie. When I was really young, I fell asleep during the second movie, the one for the adults. When I was older, I stayed awake the whole time though I never did see the end of any movie. My dad wanted out before the traffic jam of cars trying to exit on the one road. I think we were the first to leave.

Summer is casual. That started when I was a kid. We had no specific bedtimes. When the streetlights came on, we could still play outside. Breakfast and lunch were seldom planned, cereal in the morning and a sandwich at lunch. We ate when we were hungry. My mother always made supper, but it was seldom as hearty as winter dinners. A grab and go was the ideal supper because we wanted to get back outside.

Summer is just starting. Let the fun begin!

 

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“There is plenty of time to treat yourself to something good to eat our refreshment center.”

July 13, 2014

The premier of movie night was wonderful, almost perfect. We had appetizers then dinner then War of the Worlds, the one made in 1953. The movie was fun to watch. The heroine was a typical 1950’s science fiction female. She screamed a lot with her hand to her open mouth wide with horror, buried her head in the hero’s shirt and promptly fell in love with him. The only crimp in the evening was how cold it got. There we were on July 12th wearing long pants, sweatshirts and one of my guests even added socks to her ensemble. Two were bundled in blankets. Wearing pajamas was optional but one was clad in warm and cozy night clothes, including slippers. I wore a sweatshirt but in honor of summer stayed in bare feet. I love these movie nights, and every time I have one I think how cool it is to be outside on your deck watching a movie.

My town used to have a very small, secluded drive-in off the beaten path. It was surrounded by woods. Bugs, especially mosquitos, were plentiful. We’d daub bug spray on us in the car or burn mosquito coils around us when we’d sit outside on lawn chairs. High mounds of dirt for some unknown reason separated each row of parking spots. The car went up and down and up and down until we’d finally settle on a spot. Our drive-in snacks included crackers and cheese, a dip or two, chips and a bottle of wine or a thermos of already made drinks, summer drinks with lots of ice. It was a favorite spot of ours on a Saturday night. Being in the car was almost like being in your own house to watch a movie. You could eat noisy snacks and you could talk any time you wanted. I was really bummed when that drive-in closed. Where it used to be is a field now, and I am sometimes tempted to get out of my car to see if any remnants of the drive-in remain hidden in the tall grass. It would be a sort of archeological dig of places from my past.

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“Not all those who wander are lost.”

June 26, 2014

Today is the day: USA versus Germany. The game starts at noon, my time. Extended lunches are the order of the day. Lots of sickness going around as well. I think it is the 24 hour flu.

It was raining when I woke up early this morning. Gracie went out, did what she needed to then ran right back inside. The paper wasn’t here yet. I was reading my e-mail when I heard the thump of the paper hitting the driveway. Just then the heavens opened, and it poured. The rain seemed to be coming straight down in torrents. Gracie and I watched from the front door. Rain mesmerizes both of us.

Summer and screen doors go together. When I was young, doors didn’t shut slowly. They slammed. Every time one of us went out, the door slammed behind us. My mother always yelled, “Don’t slam the door.” If I had known the word delusional back then, I would have used it to describe her and the other mothers because all over the neighborhood you could hear mothers yelling and doors slamming.

Summer rain never kept us inside the house. Getting wet was no big deal. My mother didn’t care. She was just happy to be rid of us. We’d walk in the woods where the trees were so filled with leaves we never got too wet. Other times we’d ride our bikes, but riding bikes on a rainy day meant taking care as sand along the side of the road was slippery and would sometimes cause us to skid and fall. Other times we’d skid on purpose to leave tire tracks behind us. The longest tracks won.

I got lost twice as a kid. The first time I didn’t realize I was lost. I just thought I was exploring with my brother. My family had just moved into a new house, and my brother and I decided to check out the neighborhood. We went through the field below our house, kept walking into the woods and came out on a street just beyond where the woods ended. We kept walking. We found a stream behind some houses and stayed a while to float leaves. When we walked back to the main street, a police car stopped, asked our names then had us get in and they took us home. Our parents had gotten scared and called the police.  We didn’t know where we were or where our house was, but we didn’t care. It was the adventure which was fun. I was five and my brother was four.

The second time I got lost was at the drive-in. I was in my pajamas and robe. When I needed to go to the bathroom, I went alone. I assured my parents I’d be fine. I found the bathroom but couldn’t find the car. I roamed up and down the aisles and finally went to the refreshment stand. They called over the car speakers for the parents of Kathleen Ryan to come, and my father did. I was about six or seven.

I have the most amazing sense of direction. I never get lost even when I’ve somewhere I haven’t been before. I just somehow find my way. I don’t go to the drive-in any more.

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“If You Should Accidentally Tear A Speaker Off…”

July 9, 2010

Looking out the window you’d think what a lovely day. The sun is shining and the sky is blue with only a few clouds, but all that’s horribly deceiving. I sat outside with my ice coffee and my papers, did very little and still sweated. I wouldn’t have been surprised to hear,”I’m melting. I’m melting,” from a nearby house. It’s that muggy. It’s one of those feel grungy sort of days when two or three showers mightn’t be enough.

Tomorrow night is the dry run for my Movies on the Deck, just a couple of friends who won’t mind if there are glitches. I want to make sure I can easily set-up and work the projector and the popcorn machine. With the sightings of great whites, I thought Jaws would be the perfect opener. I’m really looking forward to having movies outside in the cool of a summer evening. I’ve told my friends pajamas would be just fine should they prefer a retro look.

The town drive-in is long gone. All that’s left are overgrown rows where the cars used to drive looking for the perfect spot. It was a small drive-in so deep in the woods that the mosquitoes carried off small children. Sometimes the screams were from the movie, sometimes from small children. We always set in the back so we could use two spaces, one for the car and one for us. We’d set out chairs, a picnic basket and a cooler and surround ourselves with lit mosquito coils. We brought wine and cheese, crackers and fine pastries. We’d put the audio box on the car window facing us so we could hear the movie’s dialogue. We’d sit and chat and critique the movie while sumptuously dining on the goodies from our picnic basket. There were never many cars. It was always my favorite drive-in.

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“The summer morn is bright and fresh, the birds are darting by As if they loved to breast the breeze that sweeps the cool clear sky.”

July 2, 2010

The morning is again perfect, bright, sunny and cool. Last night was chilly, and I fell asleep snuggled under the spread. It was delightful. I can hardly wait to get out and enjoy the day.

Standing on the deck yelling, “Hello, anybody?”  for about a half hour finally got the attention of my neighbor who was nice enough to come over and save me. Earlier, I had carried the heavy watering can outside to the deck to refill the fountain and the bird bath and to water the plants. When I was finished and wanted to go back inside the house, I found the screen door had somehow locked behind me. I’m guessing the watering can I was carrying must have hit the handle and the lock. I was stuck outside on the deck, a pleasant enough place but one bereft of a bathroom. I knew I couldn’t  scale the fence or go through the dog door  and, other than my teeth, I had no way to rip the screen to get at the handle so there I was, a pathetic sight, yelling, “Hello! Hello!” and waving my arms at cars. At least nobody waved back at me. That would have been the worst. For now on, I’m bringing the phone.

When I was around nine, I got lost at the drive-in. As was the custom back then, I was dressed in my robe and pajamas. During the movie, I needed to go to the bathroom, and my dad said he’d walk with me, but I assured him I was fine. I got to the bathroom, finished and walked right back to the car only to find it gone. My first thought was they had left me, but that was the raving of a forlorn soul dressed in pajamas and lost among the rows and rows of cars. I stood there a minute or two then started wandering up and down looking for the car. I never found it. Finally, I went to the refreshment stand and told someone I was lost. They interrupted the movie to announce on the speakers, “Would the parents of Kathleen Ryan please come to the refreshment stand.” When my father came, I felt relieved and safe. This morning, I felt silly.

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