Wow, where to start. Worked there three seasons, '84-'86. Some of the memories will (and already have, really) last a lifetime.
Cindy and the Tower MapCart. Blistering hot days in the Texas sun, standing on black asphalt pavement and wearing a navy blue uniform. Getting a glass of ice water to pour down my back and into my shoes in a vain effort to keep cool. Still having fun despite the heat.
Nicknames under our nametags. Oh, "Harley", where are you? Do you even
remember how you got the nickname? I do. Do you still have the T-shirt? I heard
a song the other day that has always reminded me of you, even though it came
out after
we'd last talked. I'd love to hear from you, it's been a long time.
Jim, Bryce and the rest of the Photo crew. Pranks and practical jokes in
the Kritter shack. "Quintessentially befuddled". The afternoon we all went
to TGIFriday's and ran up a huge bar tab - and then all went back to work (hey,
at least we were in a great mood!).
The Romulus/Remus Security Toga party in '85. My first two-day hangover, that
was.
The trips to Mid-America and Georgia...woohoo!
Sitting in the backroom of my shop doing inventory in '85 - and hearing about the Delta crash at D/FW airport.
My dear friend Roy in Cash Control. The endless rounds of Skeeball palace, robbing
quarters. The night I tipped over a cart after robbing Skeeball, and sent hundreds
of quarters flying all over the boardwalk by the Airplane ride. We never did
recover them all - but I'm sure we made sharp-eyed kids happy for weeks afterwards!
The night I got robbed on my way to Cash Control. :(
Endless folding and refolding of T-shirts...
And...if any of this brings back memories for you, click over to the SFOT
former employees forum!Six Flags
The bawdy ode to boot-polishing. "Marlene Dietrich". M&M's for the Senior Chief. The weekend movie marathon, complete with wine and cheese (and "Smith and Wesson, asshole"). Endless viewings of "The Holy Grail" ("Now go away, or I shall taunt you a second time."). The trip to New Orleans for Mardi Gras (that has its own section). The trip to the PO club just before GMT. PO Lanham and the "AFTA dinner mints" (and the deadpan public recitation of Dr. Seuss's "Oh, The Places You'll Go"). Chief Neva and "an-tannas". The IWT trainers. "What happens at ****'s house...NOTHING!!" (Name hidden to protect the poor innocent). My car's unfortunate parking spot at the "Cascade" Motel. The ham/MARS radio station, Chief Rhodes, Terry Zihlman, and the W4BS group (I think I still owe somebody a Frosty).
A look at my 'home' for almost a year - guys and gals in the Navy now, you've no idea how good you have it! Of course, we had it better than our predecessors did ourselves...there were only six to a room in this barracks, and it wasn't 'open-bay'. Note the shine on the floor too...have I ever been that neat a 'housekeeper' since then? Nope!
And Hangar One - the old airship hangar. If you've never been up close to it, there's no way you can appreciate just how huge this thing is. Here's two pics - one from across the base, and one showing hot-air balloon rides inside the hangar. Those are full-size balloons, by the way...that's just how big the hangar is.
And the trips we took...oh,
the fun times we had! Southern California: The "WOW" trip. Glen Campbell (heehee, I can't pass up a CD/tape display to save my life). Carl's Jr. and the Happy Star buttons ("Hey, toss me the cheese"). The near head-on collision close to Gilroy. An elderly gent trying to make time with me at the retirement home where Paula's dad lived ("Hey, did you know you have a bug on your shoulder?" "Uh, yeah, that's a tattoo of a scorpion, thanks").
Parking in a rich man's driveway in Bel Air. Almost drowning while body-surfing.
The unbelievably calm sea on the way back up PCH.
The trips to Monterey/Laguna/Carmel. "She-Ra". "What, do those guys think they're Navy Seals or something?" "Well...yes,
actually one of them is a Navy Seal, bonehead!" Doing the Monastery crawl (not me, wasn't dive-certified then myself). The 'full moon' over the highway - at noon. "Roughing it" at the Laguna Seca campground because we were forced to eat Fettucine Alfredo with no wine ("oh, the horror of it all").
The time I fell asleep in the truck and woke up not knowing where I was -
and woke to glowing lightsticks of various colors hanging over my head (freaked
me out for a few seconds). The Monterey Bay aquarium (also awesome), where
I managed to attract more wildlife...
And of course, trips into San Francisco itself. Fisherman's Wharf and the clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl...and the seagull walking around with one of those bowls over his face.
Pier 39 and the
jugglers. Ripley's museum and Ghirardelli chocolate. Lombard street and the
Coit tower. Golden Gate park, and my comment on the smell of eucalyptus trees
("Smells like cat pee"). And my last day in San Fran...the best of all. Right in the middle of Fleet Week(end). Walking thru Chinatown, eating fortune cookies, and putting 'in bed' at the end of all the fortunes - "Your generous nature will attract you many friends...(in bed)".
Wishing that I could just once, see a parade with a Chinese Dragon - and
then finding out that it was Taiwanese Independence day, and having my wish
granted a few hours later (in fact, there were several Dragons in the parade).
Paula with her 'bear butt'...
...and Joe's
'moment' with the guy at the cable car terminal. Watching the Blue Angels
near the Golden Gate Bridge. The Asian Navy guys ("Hey, your lens cap is still on").
I have no idea what the deal with my hand position is in this picture (was
I talking and making a point about something when it was taken?), but the
look on my face says it all...it was one of the most all-around perfect days
I've ever had in my life.
Okay, so this is a bit out of order - but hey, I can do what I want to, right? This was my first (and only) Mardi Gras in the Big Easy. We of course did the obligatory things...a hurricane at Pat O'Brien's, a visit to Preservation Hall, and the Cathedral at Jackson Square. But, we did a few other things as well, like the aquarium (awesome).
This was also the birth of a tradition - that you don't let Paula out of your sight in a restaurant for one second, or it will magically become your birthday! My then-boyfriend Roy had a 'birthday' during lunch at Ralph and Kacoo's - and I had one at Brennan's during breakfast. Nevermind that Roy's b-day was in April and mine in October, LOL. Mine was the funnier of the two - because our waiter forgot about my 'birthday' until after the dessert course (bananas Foster, yum!) had already been served. So, instead of a 'sweet', they brought me...
Mr. French-Bread-Head was just too cute. He had an orange-slice mouth, two lime wedges for ears, a strawberry nose, and olives for eyes. Unfortunately, he got eaten shortly after the picture was taken, *grin*.
When we came out of Brennan's,
there was an awesome street performer just across from the restaurant. This
guy was simply amazing. He was playing "Stairway to Heaven" on brandy snifters
of varying sizes, filled with varying amounts of water. He was making the
glasses 'sing' by running his fingers around the edges (most people have
seen this as a party trick) - but he was 'playing' more than one glass at
a time (as many as five or six at one time, actually). Every so often, he'd
dip his finger into a glass to keep it wet, without missing a beat - and
the effect was stunning. The pure tones produced by the crystal glasses sounded
like a fine organ. Some people have told me later that they've seen this
guy on Letterman or Leno - I would not be the least bit surprised, he's quite
talented. His tip glass was full, with tens and twenties to be seen alongside
the fives and ones.
We also made a nice 'find' (for me, anyway) on this trip...the visiting Navy ship was the one my brother had been stationed on when he was in the Navy over ten years prior - the USS Guam. We took the tour and had fun sitting in the skipper's chair. We got into the New Orleans scene pretty easily - and we left New Orleans that day as a pair of 'painted ladies'...
"And what, exactly, can I do for you??"
He couldn't get it broken up so that he could eat it, but he wasn't about to give up on it either...
New Orleans, Mardi Gras '92
Mr. French-Bread-Head!!!