A Story Worth Telling

“So don’t pass by that penny when you’re feeling blue. It may be a penny from heaven, that an angel’s passed to you.”

—Poet Charles Marshburn

Every new year, we traditionally extend proverbial wishes for good luck and prosperity. After some thought, I’ve decided the lowly penny might be the way to cover both bases.

After all, who didn’t grow up hearing, “Find a penny, pick it up. All day long you’ll have good luck?” To this day, I’m still guilty of the childhood practice of picking up a “heads up” penny for luck but turning over a “tails up” one-cent piece, leaving it for someone else to find good fortune.

Fortune in some perspective might be hard to measure in pennies today, but the copper tokens bearing the familiar profile of Honest Abe represent more than mere monetary value. In fact, the penny evokes priceless value in expressions that have coined philosophies of American life for generations.

My grandmother’s favorite was, “A penny saved is a penny earned.” As a young couple with a child in the 1920s, my father’s parents survived “The Great Depression” when most people were so poor, they “didn’t have two pennies to rub together.” That experience likely gave rise to financial advice she and her generation offered mine. Sayings like “Take care of the pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves,” were reminders that taking care of every penny was paramount to financial security.

That advice no doubt served my grandparent’s generation well. Neither graduated from high school, he worked the same job six days a week for 53 years and she managed the home front never owning a washing machine or working a day at an outside job. They paid cash for everything except the only house they ever owned, never wanting for anything and living a comfortable and happy life in the process. While I’m thankful there are better opportunities for today’s generations, their example speaks volumes about a healthy respect for the value of a penny.

“A penny for your thoughts,” is another bit of wisdom attributed to the meager one-cent piece. While my response to that query is usually, “advice is worth what you pay for it,” the offer establishes some modicum of value for knowledge.

Then there’s “bad pennies” that seem to turn up in life. Never was sure what a bad penny was exactly. To my father, all pennies were good pennies. He was a coin collector, and I spent hours helping him scrutinize every penny that passed through the family pockets searching for that elusive, unique or valuable piece of minted money which he proudly displayed in books of U.S. minted “big” pennies, “Indian Head” pennies and the “newer” Lincoln pennies.

Today, “rattling money” is little more than a nuisance in my pockets amid plastic money, folding money, or more often no money. But perhaps dad’s appreciation for a penny is why my gaze stopped on a “wheat” penny in my pocket pile one day a couple of years ago.

For those with birth certificates newer than mine, a wheat penny has Lincoln on the front and two stalks of wheat on the back framing the words, “One Cent” and “United States of America.” They were minted from 1909 to 1958. In 1959, the reverse side was replaced with a likeness of the Lincoln Memorial.

Finding a wheat penny in pocket change today is rare enough, but the odds of someone giving me one bearing the date 1919 in change at a Center, Texas, business that day might have been good enough to win the lottery. The coin, nearly 100 years old at the time, was minted when plenty of Indian Head pennies were still in pockets and cash registers. World War I had ended the year previous year when someone first pocketed the penny.

The same year, Congress approved the Grand Canyon as a national park; a flight from New York to Atlantic City established the first commercial airline service; and the 19th amendment to the constitution giving women the right to vote was newly ratified. My father’s parents were practically newlyweds having tied the knot in 1920.

So, what’s a 1919 “wheat” penny worth? Besides lots of memories and some sage advice about life and luck, about 70¢ according to numismatic value guides.

Depending on how you look at it, however, the luck of receiving an almost 100-year-old coin in change at a local business—that was priceless. Or, maybe it was “worth a pretty penny” in financial wisdom.

—Leon Aldridge

Aldridge columns are published in these Texas newspapers: The Center Light and Champion, the Mount Pleasant Tribune,  the Rosenberg Fort Bend Herald, the Taylor Press, and the Alpine Avalanche.

© Leon Aldridge and A Story Worth Telling 2019. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Leon Aldridge and A Story Worth Telling with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

“We spend January 1st walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives … not looking for flaws but for potential.”

— Ellen Goodman, American journalist, syndicated columnist, speaker, commentator and Pulitzer Prize winner

“I have a vision that this new year is going to be a perfect year,” a good friend offered over coffee this week. “I agree that 2020 looks like it has some potential,” I responded. Then, expecting bits of insight in the areas of economics, politics, and advancements in society, I added. “But tell me, on what are you basing your optimistic view?”

“This year is going to be 2020,” was my friend’s reply. “And that’s perfect vision, right?”

“Playing on the dates can be amusing,” I replied. “Do you remember 1961, the only year in our lifetime that reads correctly, no matter which way you turn it?” The blank stare on his face reminded me of something I often forget, that I was talking to someone who was not of “my” lifetime, but someone younger than me. That’s a group that is becoming an alarmingly larger segment of society these days. 

My grandchildren who will graduate from high school in 2020 are not old enough to remember the last new year with a date that created controversy and conversation. I spent several years envisioning the arrival of 2000 anticipating the excitement of welcoming a new year, a new decade, a new century, and the fun of writing a number on a check with lots of zeros. Many believed that 2000 was going to usher in havoc in the form of massive computer shutdowns and calendar confusion. Some even thought that it heralded the end of time.

However, 2000 came and went as just another year without much more fanfare than the coining of a new term to define the century, although the moniker Y2K that rang in the century now rings a little archaic itself. 

And, Father Time is about to deliver 2020, a year in which I rarely write a check anymore but use something not heard of in 2000—a debit card. I guess it affords me the opportunity to spend more time these days wondering, “where does the time go,” reflecting on both 1961 and 2000 in my rear-view mirror.

Reflecting on that rearward view and dreaming about what’s ahead in the way of fresh starts fuels a frantic rush of resolutions every year speculating, as Ellen Goodman said, as to where we need to be patching the cracks for next year. I’ve never been big on resolutions. It’s just too much work for things in which I have to invest a whole week working on before admitting what I knew at the outset—this ain’t gonna work any better than it did last year. 

But, many years of struggling with resolutions have enlightened me as to the best way for ringing in the new year. Again, Ellen Goodman’s wisdom rings loud and clear and her words resonated loudly with me as I’m crossing the last few days of the year and the decade off the calendar: “… we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives … not looking for flaws but for potential.”

 I hope this new decade that is amazingly already 20 years into the new century, holds the best of new beginnings, old memories, and plentiful potential for each of us. Happy new year and best wishes for a magical decade and beyond, regardless of your vision or which direction you turn the numbers.

—Leon Aldridge

Aldridge columns are published in these Texas newspapers: The Center Light and Champion, the Mount Pleasant Tribune,  the Rosenberg Fort Bend Herald, the Taylor Press, and the Alpine Avalanche.

© Leon Aldridge and A Story Worth Telling 2019. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Leon Aldridge and A Story Worth Telling with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

“You’re window shopping,
Just window shopping,
You’re only looking around.
You’re not buying, 
You’re just trying,
To find the best deal in town.”

—Hank Williams song lyrics

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

While Ol’ Hank was singing the blues about a less than sincere girlfriend, my mournful tune about this time of the year is one of those last-minute Christmas shopping blues.

In complete transparency, I’ll confess that I’ve always enjoyed window shopping festive Christmas displays. And, yes, I am also a confirmed last-minute Christmas shopper. Selections are smaller once the popular items are sold out, and last minute discounted prices are a frequent reward for procrastinating on purchases. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Long-time Mount Pleasant friend, Susan Prewitt, shared Christmas stories recently of how foggy store windows on cold winter days still remind her of childhood Christmas shopping, elaborate Christmas decorations and displays dazzling to young eyes. “I remember a couple of years in a row,” she said, “Cortez Boatner had a Santa’s workshop in the front window of the furniture store. The elves moved. Wow! We loved it.”

Downtown streets of decorated store windows, each one a winter wonderland for starry-eyed youngsters gazing at Santa’s scenery, are fewer today. Among the lawyer’s offices, financial institutions, antique shops, restaurants and for sale signs that have replaced traditional downtown businesses, a few survivors can still be found. Victims of discount stores and online shopping have been the department stores, toy stores, and general merchandise stores that planned all year for spectacular window displays reminding Christmas shoppers that Saint Nick’s arrival was near.

Store window displays were commonplace years ago when my father spent hours on them where he worked at Perry Brothers 5¢-10¢ store. One might be bicycles and wagons, another toys, and still another perhaps household items such as dishes and glassware. When Christmas rolled around, spray snow and Christmas decorations adorned the merchandise beckoning to window shoppers seeking gift ideas.

Susan’s recollections of Christmas windows were similar to those of many from our generation. Things like riding our bicycles or walking to town. Shopping with our parents in the downtown stores with permission to strike out on our own and meet mom at the drug store later for ice cream. Pressing our noses up against the cold, foggy glass of store windows to see the Christmas toys we had carefully included in our letters to Santa.

Christmas shopping downtown with mom was fun, pretending we didn’t know she agreed to let us strike out on our own for a short time so she could find our gifts and get them in the trunk of the car without being noticed.

Shopping done and Santa letters in the mail, it was time for things like watching the Charlie Brown Christmas Special on television while stretched out in the living room floor. Enjoying aromas wafting from the kitchen where mom was cooking for the company coming: aunts, uncles, cousins and friends who would be arriving in the next day or two. Pretending we didn’t see mom flavor her fruitcakes with the bottle she kept hidden in the top cabinet. Rolling up in blankets on the living room floor with all of the cousins, surrendering our beds to the adults. Waking up Christmas morning to find presents Santa had silently slipped under the Christmas tree while a dozen or more kids slumbered on the floor.

Here it is Christmas again, and I’m still window shopping. And like those before, it reminds me of Mom and how my leaning for last-minute shopping frustrated her. “Tomorrow is Christmas Eve,” she frequently fussed at me.

She never understood why I enjoyed shopping on Christmas Eve. Or why, like Ol’ Hank’s girlfriend, I was still window shopping for the best deal in town.”

Whether your shopping was completed long ago, or you are still window shopping at the last minute, Merry Christmas to you! May your Christmas be the best ever surrounded by family, friends and love! 

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

—Leon Aldridge

(Image credit: Scranton Christmas Windows and the Scranton Public Library)

Aldridge columns are published in these Texas newspapers: The Center Light and Champion, the Mount Pleasant Tribune,  the Rosenberg Fort Bend Herald, the Taylor Press, and the Alpine Avalanche.

© Leon Aldridge and A Story Worth Telling 2019. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Leon Aldridge and A Story Worth Telling with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

“Few things are more satisfying than seeing your children have teenagers of their own.” — Doug Larson, newspaper columnist and editor

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

As parents, our smiles are large when we sense our children finally catching on to bits of wisdom we’ve anguished over trying to teach them. That smile is even larger some years later when they call to share their anguish over trying to impart that identical piece of wisdom to their children.

My daughter Robin shares more of those days with me than does my son, Lee, but I suspect that is more of a mom thing than a dad thing. It’s also worth noting that Lee is the quiet one while my daughter, well, let’s just say that when it comes to a love for talking, she takes after her father.

Both of my children are much better parents than I was. And that’s not lamenting over any notions about my not a being good parent, but more in acknowledging that with every generation that comes along, more information and resources from previous generations are available on which parents can draw. For instance, did you know that parents are now using bulldozers, snowplows, and helicopters to raise their children? I had no clue, but evidently, it’s true. I read it on the interweb, so we know it has to be a fact, right?

This enlightenment came to me through a desire to understand some of the changing philosophies in child-rearing so I would be informed in generational discussions with my children who are now raising their children. I have to say, however, while I still have no concept of how bulldozer, snowplow, or helicopter parenting works, I felt much better when I stumbled onto the latest philosophy in child-rearing: lawnmower parenting. It’s defined as a parent who, “intervenes or ‘mows down’ any inconvenience that stands before their child.”

I knew what that meant because I was obviously raised by lawnmower parents. I was blessed with wonderful, loving parents who intervened to eliminate any inconvenience standing in the way of my chores and household duties every week for things like taking out the trash, keeping Mom’s flower beds weed free, and yes: mowing the lawn. Mom didn’t cut me much slack when it came to keeping her yard looking nice either, and she was the one reviewing my work every Saturday. Therefore, getting paid to do chores didn’t excite me a lot until the day it dawned on me that failing to complete them meant no allowance money.  

Dad and mom were also good to intervene in eliminating any inconvenience standing in the way of me expanding my work for pay programs by mowing yards for neighbors. My longest-running lawnmower job was for the Vanderpools who owned a drug store on Jefferson Street in Mount Pleasant just down from Perry Brothers 5¢-10¢ store that was located where Glynn’s Western Wear is today. Mowing their yard led to another after-school job cleaning the soda fountain and emptying trash.

That income stream was sufficient for me to enjoy a Saturday afternoon matinee at the Martin theater with popcorn. On a good week, I might even be found riding my bicycle home from town with a comic book or a model car.

Although I never knew it was called lawnmower parenting, it’s heartening to know that parenting skills still include teaching the value of jobs like mowing the lawn to earn money for movies and other activities.

Admittedly, I have yet to delve into the concept of bulldozer parenting or helicopter parenting. They sound dangerous to me. Maybe my kids can help me with those. They have teenagers.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

—Leon Aldridge

Aldridge columns are published in these Texas newspapers: The Center Light and Champion, the Mount Pleasant Tribune,  the Rosenberg Fort Bend Herald, the Taylor Press, and the Alpine Avalanche.

© Leon Aldridge and A Story Worth Telling 2019. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Leon Aldridge and A Story Worth Telling with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

“I had to fight off three nuns and a preacher, but I got the last ‘Peace on Earth’ wall hanging.” – Humorist Ken Sheldon on shopping

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

There were no reports of any Black Friday shopping injuries on the sick list at church Sunday, so I’m assuming that at least locally, last Friday’s annual insane shopping free-for-all was a success.

Only once in my life a few years ago did I submit to the temptation of Black Friday shopping. It was a near religious experience when I was reformed and repented that very day.

My temptation was lust for a new television, a problem I had been dealing with for a couple of years. I never rush into major purchases, sometimes not even small ones. However, I had deemed it time to replace my big tube set in favor a flat screen since I was the only unconverted tube television watcher I knew.

When Wal-Mart in Center promoted their Black Friday specials that year, there it was like a revelation at my price. The only stumbling block was the time: it was going on sale at 4:00 a.m. I’m an early riser so I have no aversions to getting up before the chickens do. One thing I am not, though, is an avid shopper. Don’t do random browsing for things I don’t need or don’t intend to buy. I adhere to the “hit and run” shopping style. I have a list, I hit only those items, pay for them and run.

In a temporary lapse of good judgement, however, that was the year I surrendered to temptation. The alarm sounded at 2 a.m. interrupting dreamy visions of a new television in my living room. A 3:00 a.m. arrival would put me first in line without a problem. Or so I thought.

Problems quickly reared their ugly head as the store came into sight. It was breathtaking: the parking lot was already full and cars were still streaming in from every side like the faithful flocking to a tent revival where no one less than Billy Graham himself might have been evangelizing.

Walking a mini-marathon to reach the door wasn’t the hard part, that was mixing with the multitudes crowding into the building where it was already elbow-to-elbow and every person for themselves. Trying to part the sea of humanity, I started searching for the line leading to the televisions.

“What are you doing here? I thought you had better sense,“ a familiar voice behind me laughed. I turned to greet Ed Roberts, retired Center police officer, longtime friend and fellow motorcycle rider who was working security. “I’m asking myself that same question about now,” I replied. 

Lines of people snaked throughout the store. I found the TV line and followed it, certain that paradise was just around the corner. Wrong: it ran through the produce, around by the milk, up by the bagged chips and over near the baby diapers where a guy who appeared to be the end was standing quietly. “The TV line,” I asked? “I sure hope so,” he grumbled.

Returning to the front of the line, I quizzed a blue-vested employee how many of the tempting televisions he had to sell. “Twenty-five,” he shot back.

Walking the line back to the end, I counted more than 100 faithful souls thirsting for their reward. Still walking, I smiled as I passed Ed on the way out. “Did you find what you came for,” he quizzed. “Sure did,” I replied. “I found salvation from ever being dumb enough to try this again. I’ve seen the light and I’m going home.”

Before soul number 26 learned his or her fate for all of shopping eternity, I was back home and back in bed, secure in my redemption from ever being tempted by Black Friday again.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

—Leon Aldridge

Aldridge columns are published in these Texas newspapers: The Center Light and Champion, the Mount Pleasant Tribune,  the Rosenberg Fort Bend Herald, the Taylor Press, and the Alpine Avalanche.

© Leon Aldridge and A Story Worth Telling 2019. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Leon Aldridge and A Story Worth Telling with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

“I’m thankful for serendipitous moments in my life, where things could’ve gone the other way.” —Rick Springfield, Australian musician and actor

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

“Rode in a police car?”

That question appearing this week on one of those “Have you ever…” true confessions Facebook games triggered memories of my one up-close and personal experience with the back seat of police car. The simple sentence also caused some cringes with its infractions of grammatical law, but I don’t suppose that carries with it any tickets or trips downtown.

It was only appropriate that the memories would have come up during Thanksgiving week while chatting with a friend about what else? Small things for which we are thankful.

My sad saga started with a hasty exit from New Orleans some years ago after a long weekend in the Crescent City. Certain that I had covered everything needed for a clean getaway, I rolled out of the hotel parking garage and onto the interstate. The error of my ways had yet to dawn on me even as I turned north onto I-49. I didn’t know the jig was up until I saw the lights come on—the lights on the fuel gauge letting me know that I was almost out of gas in the middle of nowhere on a sparsely populated stretch of interstate in south Louisiana with dark approaching.

As I was coming to grips with the foils of my folly, a glimmer of hope appeared in the form of an “exit ahead” sign. That glimmer faded, however, when the car sputtered, missed a couple more times and gave a final heave-ho into silence sending us coasting toward the shoulder.

Lady luck was on my shoulder when the big “mobile phone” I had in the pre cell-phone days found a signal. She prevailed when dialing 911 connected me with a friendly voice asking, “What is your emergency?”

“I’m out of gas in the middle of nowhere on I-49.” I’m betting that response did not fall within the realms of a bonified emergency, but when you’re sitting in a fuel-starved car on an isolated stretch of interstate with the sun setting, all bets are off. Sharing with the friendly voice the location of that exit ahead sign I had just seen, the sign that momentarily offered hope a situation like this would not happen, got me assurance that help was on the way.

Sure enough, a sheriff’s unit soon sailed over the top of the hill traveling at a rate of speed sufficient to lay the long “whip” antennas on the back over approaching an almost horizontal position. Headlights dipped and brake lights came on just before the cruiser disappeared into a gully between the north and south-bound lanes. As fast as it had disappeared, it popped up into the northbound lanes and pulled up behind my car. “Need some gas,” the deputy asked with a smile. “Yes sir,” I replied. “Got a gas can,” he asked. “No sir,” I replied with an appreciative smile. “Truthfully, our having the opportunity to meet like this wasn’t in my original plans.”

“No problem, we’re used to that,” he laughed. He invited me to sit in the back seat for a trip into town during which he once again subjected the antennas to that horizontal position. Peering through the heavy mesh isolating the front seat from the “no way out” back seat that lacked window or door handles, one quick glimpse of the speedometer bouncing well north of 100 was enough information for me. I drew a deep breath, sat back and thought, “So this is what it looks like when being addressed as perpetrator.”

Sailing off at the exit plus a left turn under the interstate found us at a convenience store. “Hey, Doris,” the deputy called out as we entered, “You got an old can of some kind we can put some gas in? And how ‘bout some of that yesterday’s coffee?” Doris pointed to the back with a scowl, no doubt her thoughts regarding his coffee reviews. Makeshift gas can in hand and hi-test coffee in Styrofoam cups, we were back on I-49 south taking one more shot at that Louisiana land speed record.

My car fueled up and running again, I thanked the deputy profusely and tendered a donation to the parish sheriff’s office which he politely declined. He also dropped all charges associated with ignoring the gas gauge and wished me a safe trip home.

Hoping to ensure a safe trip myself, I saved the hi-octane, day-old, south Louisiana coffee for fuel just in case I ran out again. Only one time to say that I “rode in a police car,” grammatically correct not, is one small thing for which I am truly thankful.

We know the big things for which we are thankful every day, but I hope everyone enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday this week, and that we all found a few small things on our “To Be Thankful For …” list.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

—Leon Aldridge

Aldridge columns are published in these Texas newspapers: The Center Light and Champion, the Mount Pleasant Tribune,  the Rosenberg Fort Bend Herald, the Taylor Press, and the Alpine Avalanche.

© Leon Aldridge and A Story Worth Telling 2019. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Leon Aldridge and A Story Worth Telling with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

“A new generation is about to be blown away by the extraordinary presence of Dean
Martin.” —Alki David, Hologram USA C.E.O. on the introduction of a hologram show of Dean Martin in Las Vegas

– – – – – – – – – –  –

A myriad of muses inspire writers to easily produce a column some weeks, while others require random rummaging through notes and reminders to jump start a creative thought. It was during that latter process this week when an aging picture postcard popped up again causing me to pause one more time and think about why I’ve saved it.

The original Thunderbird Hotel in Las Vegas pictured on the card opened in 1948, became the Silverbird in 1976 and the El Rancho in 1982 before closing in 1992. It sat empty and decaying for another eight years before it was imploded into history October 3, 2000 at just after 2:30 a.m.

That image depicting the Thunderbird as it appeared 52 years ago reminded me of my first night in Las Vegas, a city vastly different from the one that lured more than 42 million visitors to the playground in the desert in 2018.

The Thunderbird and I were the same age Memorial Day weekend of 1967 when Mount Pleasant High School friend and classmate of 1966, Ronnie Lilly and I spent the night there enroute from East Texas to California. While the Thunderbird was one of the nicest places in town in the 1960s, it was still concrete block walls, 500 rooms (enlarged from 200 in 1964), and doors opening to the outside motel style. The cocktail lounge décor was murals of cowboys, chuck wagons, and cactus. The combination dining and showroom had a small stage and the hotel’s pool was billed as the largest in Nevada holding 360,000 gallons of water.

Also in 1964, a new facade was added stretching 700 feet making it the largest sign on the strip, more than three times as long as another iconic 60s Vegas hotel, the Stardust.

And, that was the Thunderbird where Ronnie and I stayed in a Las Vegas where travelers could park near the front door, walk in, get a room for the night without a reservation, and get change back from a $20 bill. Also included was a bellman who showed you to your room and took your luggage in from your car. Unfortunately, the bellman’s name that night is lost to time and aging brain cells, but the memory remains of him telling us he had family in Mount Pleasant and visited often in East Texas.

The sight of the enormous sign was the second most breathtaking sight for two 19-year-olds kids from East Texas. The first was the sight of Las Vegas lighting up the desert night as we topped the mountains driving in across the desert from Kingman, Arizona, in Ronnie’s ’57 Chevrolet. Many years and many trips later, the sight of the Vegas lights when flying in after dark is still mesmerizing.

The Thunderbird’s showroom mesmerized visitors over the years with a number of stars performing there, a few being Rosemary Clooney, the Mills Brothers, Judy Garland, Mel Torme, and Dean Martin who helped instill the Thunderbird in my memory.

Seeking to make memories for our one-night stay, we found the showroom that opened onto the hotel’s lobby via an open door allowing anyone walking by to stop and look inside. That’s where we saw the actor, singer and comedian known as “The King of Cool” for his charisma and self-assurance on the stage.

Feeling somewhat self-assured ourselves, we strolled through the doors to a spot along the back wall we thought to be a good place to hide, unnoticed in the darkness. And that worked for about 15 minutes until a large, broad-shouldered guy wearing a dark suit asked to see our IDs. Game over—we left willingly and quietly.

I’ve returned to the “Oasis in the Desert” many times over the years, some for pleasure and many more for business. Years spent in marketing positions meant more trips than I care to remember working trade shows, something for which Las Vegas is a popular spot

In subsequent visits and at a legal age, I’ve added memories of other legendary entertainers of the era including Jerry Lewis and Sammy Davis, Jr. Although short-lived and a long time ago, I still count seeing Dean Martin at the Thunderbird during my first trip to Las Vegas as a favorite memory.

Looking one more time at the postcard purchased for a dime in the Thunderbird gift shop decades ago, I’m thinking that a hologram likeness of any of the infamous Rat Pack members without having to sneak in, well, it just wouldn’t be the same memory.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

—Leon Aldridge

Aldridge columns are published in these Texas newspapers: The Center Light and Champion, the Mount Pleasant Tribune,  the Rosenberg Fort Bend Herald, the Taylor Press, and the Alpine Avalanche.

© Leon Aldridge and A Story Worth Telling 2019. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Leon Aldridge and A Story Worth Telling with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward.” —Steve Jobs, (1955 – 2011) Former CEO and co-founder of Apple Inc.

– – – – – – – – – –

Apple’s mastermind of the Mac was right on both accounts. While his point was looking forward to plotting one’s future, I contend it’s fun looking back connecting the dots between events in our past.

It was especially fun last Sunday as I watched a 78-year-old steam locomotive roll through the small East Texas berg of Hallsville headed for its next stop in Marshall. Steam spewing from enormous pistons to the rhythm of their “chug-chug” power thrusts and the massive locomotive’s haunting horn heralding its presence delighted crowds lining both sides of the track for miles. 

For me, it brought back memories of my grandfather who worked for the railroad from the age of 13 to his retirement at age 66. Many are my memories of evenings sitting with him on his front porch across the street from tracks that ran through Pittsburg, Texas. A check of his pocket watch with each passing train prompted comments regarding the “on-time” status just as if he were still on the job. Every kid loves a train and the kid in me Sunday remembered those times when steam locomotives still shared tracks with the “new generation” of diesel-electric locomotives.

It was in the 1960s—’67 to be exact that I spent the summer in Southern California with mom’s younger brother and his family while acquiring skills with a paint gun working in the automotive body shop Uncle Bill managed. My mentor, Ralph Kyger, was nothing short of an artist at applying paint to anything from a VW to a Rolls Royce and matching colors simply by sight. He also possessed a colorful personality, a mixture of prankster and comedian one minute, and a perfectionist the next who didn’t mince words about the quality of work he delivered and likewise expected from me. 

“You would enjoy meeting his son, Leroy Kyger,” my cousin Danny offered at a family reunion last July when conversations about that summer in California more than 50 years ago turned to Ralph. “He races motorcycles in the desert,” said Danny, “He has a restored Datsun pickup that has won tons of awards, and he’s a big fan of the old steam locomotives. I think you two would enjoy knowing each other.” 

Through the modern miracles of social media, that meeting with the Las Vegas, Nevada, resident was soon accomplished. Leroy admitted to being a huge fan of the Big Boy locomotives for 25-plus years, and a supporter of the efforts to restore Big Boy No. 4014 that passed through East Texas Sunday.

According to Union Pacific’s website, 25 “Big Boy” steam locomotives were built for Union Pacific, the first being delivered in 1941. At 1.2 million pounds and just 12-feet shy of twice the length of a modern-day locomotive, they are the biggest locomotives in the world. Eight survive. Seven are non-operational displays in various cities around the country, and No. 4014 is the world’s only operating example. 

No. 4014 was retired in December 1961 after traveling 1,031,205 miles during 20 years of service. Union Pacific reacquired 4014 from a California museum in 2013 and restored it in Cheyenne, Wyoming, before returning it to service in May 2019. Its inaugural tour was to Ogden, Utah, for Union Pacific’s 150th-anniversary ceremony where the Big Boy and historic steam locomotive “Living Legend” No. 844 met nose-to-nose, recreating the iconic image of the May 10, 1869 meeting when the last spike was driven at Promontory Summit completing America’s first transcontinental railroad.

Completing my Sunday afternoon tour, I hurried from Hallsville to Marshall before No. 4014 got there to capture images of the historic locomotive’s chugging and steaming arrival at the depot. This final 2019 tour for No. 4014 started in September and will have taken the historic locomotive through 12 states when it returns to Wyoming.

My Sunday tour connected this set of dots looking back over memories of family, friends, and trains through most of my life. It also left me looking forward to the next set of dots.

—Leon Aldridge

(All photos by Leon Aldridge)

Aldridge columns are published in these Texas newspapers: The Center Light and Champion, the Mount Pleasant Tribune,  the Rosenberg Fort Bend Herald, the Taylor Press, and the Alpine Avalanche.

© Leon Aldridge and A Story Worth Telling 2019. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Leon Aldridge and A Story Worth Telling with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

“The worst use of time in a person’s life is when he waits for the traffic lights changing from red into green!” ― Vikrant Parsai, English teacher and author

 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

The most recent addition to the sign and “automotive stuff” collection surrounding “Miss Vicky” (a ’55 Ford Crown Victoria) out in the garage is a traffic light replica.

It looks just like a real traffic light, but its smaller scale fits nicely with the assortment already adorning the walls. Its smaller price tag also fits my budget nicely. Real ones sell for more than Miss Vicky did back when she was just a used car. And, it even changes from green to yellow, and to red, just like the real ones commonly ignored and abused by drivers today.

The first electric traffic signal light in the nation was installed at the corner of 105th and Euclid in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1914 according to an online article from Hemmings Motor News. “As near as can be determined,” The article reports, “… the noteworthy anniversary of traffic signal lights used at intersections was duly celebrated with the majority of American motorists continuing their recent tradition regarding traffic lights—ignoring them.”

The traffic light was just one of many topics teased by “Tonight” show host Jay Leno’s street interviews. Always good for a laugh, responses were also as mom used to say, “more painfully truthful than humorous,” typically revealing intelligence levels far below minimum requirements for life skills beyond more than just driving.

“What does the yellow light on a traffic signal mean,” evoked dumbfounded stares, “I don’t know,” and suggestions of “hurry up” or “speed up to beat the red light.” About the only answer not heard was the one any officer of the law will provide along with a ticket: traffic laws, common sense, and respect for others dictate a yellow light is a warning that the light is about to turn red, and drivers are to stop if they can safely do so.

That last part calls to mind a personal experience about what can happen if the yellow light changes to red as you pass under it while debating whether “safely to do so” was the best decision.

Christmas was nigh several years ago and Yuletide tensions were high at home. To ease those tensions, I decided one Sunday afternoon would be perfect to get away to the neighboring big city alone to find those last-minute gifts not yet secured.

Passing through one of the small communities south of Shreveport where each has its own traffic light, I saw the yellow and with a millisecond’s debate and decided, “too late to stop, I can make it.”

My second wrong assumption in less than 60 seconds was when I prematurely celebrated too quickly for seeing no flashing lights behind me. After checking my license and insurance card, the officer asked if I was headed back to Center and inquired as to my purpose for visiting Shreveport. I explained how the high level of Christmas anxiety at home prompted my thoughts that it was a good day for me to do some shopping.

“So,” the officer said, “You left your wife at home to go Christmas shopping alone?”

Not sure where he was going with that question, I stammered for an answer. Before I could formulate one, he returned my license and insurance card saying, “The next time you run away from home for some peace and quiet, stop by here and get me to go with you. Merry Christmas and drive safely.”

The worst use of time in a person’s life might be waiting for the traffic lights to change, however, moving on when the light changes regardless of what color it changes to can be much worse…unless you are stopped by an officer with Christmas spirit and a sense of humor.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

—Leon Aldridge

Aldridge columns are published in these Texas newspapers: The Center Light and Champion, the Mount Pleasant Tribune,  the Rosenberg Fort Bend Herald, the Taylor Press, and the Alpine Avalanche.

© Leon Aldridge and A Story Worth Telling 2019. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Leon Aldridge and A Story Worth Telling with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

 “There are two motives for reading a book: one, that you enjoy it; the other, that you can boast about it.” —Bertrand Russell, author of The Conquest of Happiness.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Granted, there’s pleasure in reading a book as well as sharing in conversations with others about them. But I stumbled onto a third motive some years ago. Reading books, especially old used books, can yield hidden treasures beyond the enjoyment of reading.

In addition to the joy of reading, I find pleasure in reorganizing my library every few years. Collecting books spans most of my life and my collection includes volumes on American music, cars, aviation, Texas, Bible history, photography, writing and textbooks that got me through college. And that’s just a start.

When daughter Robin was about 12, she was struggling with a box of books during a move when she stopped to ask, “Dad, have you ever thought about collecting butterflies or stamps?”

The thought came to me last week that it’s about time for another reorganization. It’s a process where every book accumulated individually, in boxes, donated, via mail order, chain bookstores, used bookstores, and flea markets is touched, handled, and examined, evaluated and systematically classified on the shelves.

Before hitting the shelves, some are read when purchased, some added to the collection as reference books, and some filed there with the thought that I will get around to them later, like after I retire. Most of those are still waiting to be read because I decided along the way that I really don’t know if I will ever retire or not. That’s also when I began letting go of some in garage sales and donating them to the library. Others, I’ll always keep for sentimental reasons. Perhaps they were a gift, or I enjoyed reading them enough that they made my personal favorite list to read again—after I’ve read the others I have not yet read.

It’s through this semi-every now and then reorganization process that I’ve discovered the hidden treasures and the profitability of old books. And I’m not talking about the information, wisdom, or philosophy contained in the words.

Old books I’ve had, some for years before reading them, have yielded documents, letters, and even money. Like the 1949 issue of a book on feature writing that was in a box of books at an estate sale. They gave the appearance of having been hastily unloaded off a bookshelf, dumped n a box and priced at $10 for the sale. I decided to gamble on them. A few days later while flipping through the pages of the feature story writing book, the old book featured a $100 bill stashed in its pages. I’ve always wondered what the story was about how the money got stuck in a journalism book and forgotten. Couldn’t have been a journalist who put it there and forgot about it, they seldom see hundred-dollar bills.

Another treasure discovered among the pages of an old book came with the purchase of an old Ford parts manual at a car swap meet near Fort Worth. I looked at the first few pages, decided it was worth the $5 asking price and bought it. Once back in East Texas, I was pursuing the pages of parts when I discovered the best part of all tucked in the back, a letter written by President Lyndon Johnson to a member of Congress thanking them for  supporting a piece of legislation. It was written on White House stationery, dated in 1965, and bore his trademark artistic signature. A gallery in Dallas declared it to be genuine and offered to buy it for $250. I declined and had it framed with the cover of an old issue of Life magazine with LBJ on the cover.

Having learned the value of old books, it’s with eager anticipation that I’m about to start the next treasure hunt…just as soon as I finish the latest book I’m reading on investments.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

—Leon Aldridge

Aldridge columns are published in these Texas newspapers: The Center Light and Champion, the Mount Pleasant Tribune,  the Rosenberg Fort Bend Herald, the Taylor Press, and the Alpine Avalanche.

© Leon Aldridge and A Story Worth Telling 2019. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Leon Aldridge and A Story Worth Telling with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.