Growing Up In Simpler Times

While I was out Christmas shopping yesterday, I thought about what my father must have gone through when I was young. He died before I was married and had children and realized what an unbelievable job he did buying a house and raising four boys. Neglecting to thank him remains the biggest regret of my life. I was the oldest of the four boys growing up in Natick. My mother was sick most of the time, and my father had a very interesting but demanding job at the Navy Yard in Charlestown. He was a boilermaker in the days when most U.S. Navy ships were powered by steam. He and some other guys who lived nearby car pooled into Boston every day. It was a tough commute even back then and it made for some long days.

However, at Christmas we always had enough gifts under the tree. Of course things were much different then, no computers, no video games, no electronic gadgets, no cell phones, very little TV, etc. All we really needed was sporting goods because we played outside all year. Yes, kids actually played outside even in the winter. If it snowed we just shoveled off Billy Deans' driveway and played basketball from morning 'till night. His mom didn't even complain when we broke a window occasionally. When the pond froze over we skated and played hockey until one of the parents came to get us. Our equipment was usually held together with tape but we didn't care.

This is a great, exciting time to live, but things can get a little crazy at times so I enjoy thinking back to the simpler times. I'll be writing a lot more about growing up in Natick, joining the Navy, Vietnam, etc.

Thought For The Day

If the point is sharp, and the arrow is swift,
it can pierce through the dust no matter how thick.
- Bob Dylan -

Shawshank Deja Vu

At the Union County Jail in New Jersey, two inmates, Jose Espinosa and Otis Blunt, escaped by chipping away at the wall in their cell and covering up their work with pictures of Playboy centerfolds. When the hole was large enough, they crawled out, jumped over the wall, and they were gone. They also made dummies out of pillows to put in their beds so the guards would think they were still sleeping. Just to taunt the guards, they left notes wishing them a Merry Christmas.

I wonder if they saw the movie, "The Shawshank Redemption", while they were in jail.

Thought For The Day

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled,
and that has made all the difference.
- Robert Frost -

The Leader Of The Band

One of my favorite singers, Dan Fogelberg, passed away Sunday at his home in Maine. This is a tribute to him:


I thank you for the music and your stories of the road.
I thank you for the freedom when it came my time to go.
I thank you for the kindness and the times when you got tough,
And, papa, I don't think I said 'I love you' near enough.

The leader of the band is tired and his eyes are growing old,
but his blood runs through my instrument and his song is in my soul.
My life has been a poor attempt to imitate the man.
I'm just a living legacy to the leader of the band.

- "Leader Of The Band" by Dan Fogelberg -

Thought For The Day

It's what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts.
- John Wooden -

Schaefer Stadium

Watching the crews clean off the seats in the nice, modern, Gillette Stadium in preparation for today's game against the Jets, reminds me of the first game I ever went to in Foxboro.

After many years of watching the Patriots play at BC, BU, Harvard Stadium, and even Fenway Park, they opened Schaefer Stadium, named after a beer company. Finally, on August 15, 1971, the Patriots played the hated New York Giants before over 60,000 fans. Nobody knew what to expect, and the traffic was a nightmare. We barely made it to the stadium in time for the kickoff but we had good seats. We had purchased season tickets the year before when they were still playing at Harvard Stadium. Our seats were on the 10 yard line at Harvard, but at the much larger Schaefer Stadium we were on the 40 yard line, Section 321, right in front of Reggie Smith, the right fielder for the Red Sox. Three of us had purchased two season tickets each, so we had a crew of six.

By halftime things began to go downhill. The concessions stands were beginning to run out of food, and even worse, running out of beer. Fans were buying as many beers as they could carry, and before long things were out of control. Just when we thought it couldn't get any worse, the rest rooms malfunctioned and backed up. It was total chaos, but the fun had just begun. The State Police were completely unprepared for the traffic on Route 1 near the stadium, so it was gridlock. We got home at 2 AM from an 8 PM game. Oh yeah, the Patriots won 20-14.