Plenty more pix on the flickr page. Video to follow.....
Monday, January 12, 2009
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Thursday, January 1, 2009
My Early Days
I was born October the 25th in 1962. Here’s some memories from my earliest days.
We lived on Cheyenne Street in Detroit, our street dead ended into a park.
Mike was three years older than me and Tom was just a little less than two years older than me.
Our house was real cool, it had an upstairs. I would come down to the landing and spy when I was supposed to take a nap. I would also sneak down here when I was supposed to go to bed. I wanted to stay up and watch Night Gallery with Mom and Mike and Tom- They’d make Pizzarino’s that smelled great-I was real jealous and don’t doubt that I’d shed a tear or two.
We knew the Demochowski Family and The O’Day Family and lots of other’s on the block.
I had two little buddie’s that were my age. We’d go into my buddies basement and look at this cool thing that he had. It was an outhouse and when you opened the door a little boy would come out and pee on you.
Mrs. Demochowski would cut our hair in her kitchen. Mike didn’t like to get his cut, I liked to get a Butch, Tom was somewhere in the middle.
Mrs. O’Day had some big sons-they were older- some teens, some maybe even in their twenties. At least one had a motorcycle. I think later he crashed it and got hurt real bad.
The Malone’s lived across the street and we had a long running feud with them-they lived next door to the Demochowski’s. One of the Malone boy’s pushed a fence and it landed on Tom’s head and cracked open his skull- He had to wear a football helmet while it healed. Mrs. Malone was a nasty bitch- She would shout out to Tom-”Get on your own side of the street FOUR-EYES!” My mom would yell back at her-they really hated each other.
There was another mean guy-maybe his name was Mr. Smith- He’d curse you if you went on his lawn-He was old and scary
We had a kiddie’ pool in the backyard. I loved it when my mom would put the suds in.
I remember going the May Parade for the Virgin mary at Precious Blood, I think Mike might’ve been in that parade one year.
Mike took me for a ride on his bike. I was scared, but then starting to really like it. We went fast right out in the street. The I put my foot into the spokes
My parents told me I was going to get a SMOKY THE BEAR stuffed animal from a guy that was coming over to try to sell them insurance. He came over, but I didn’t get a thing from him- I was upset and so were my parents as they only let him come over to get me that Smoky The Bear.
Mary was the lady who owned a candy store. My Dad would do legal work for her. When we went to her store we’d get free candy. I’d get red candy coins and those papers that had the candy stuck to them in lots of little rows. Mary came over to our house once and gave me a nice hankerchief for Valentine’s Day.
There were a lot of kids in the neighborhood and we had a lot of fun. When we’d play hide and seek I’d always have to pee when I hid. There was a place to hide and pee in front of our house.
I used to climb on top of a fence near the back of our garage. I fell off one day and put a big knot on my forehead. My dad took me to see Fitz’. when he got home from work. Fitz’ was our pediatrician, he had a whole lot of hair growing out of his ears. I hadn’t cracked my skull open.
Sometime’s we’d go to The Red Devil for pizza, I want to go back there soon, I hear the pizza is still great. On our birthday we’d go to Stouffers over near Northland Mall, you’d get a great gift there on your birthday, as well as enjoy a fine kiddie cocktail.
I used to love Hot Diggity Dog across Eight Mile from the mall. I remember when it closed and have watched the sign as it has decomposed over the last 40 some years. I saw another HOT DIGGITY DOG A few years back in Chicago and want to get a dog there on my next visit to Chicago.
We had a dog named Sandy. She had to go away at some point. They told me she got sick because she ate rubberbands. I still don’t know what really happened to her.
I don’t remember anything from the riot except that Mike got to see the tanks coming down six mile.
After the riot, things changed. I took Tom’s tricycle down to the corner park and it got stolen- I think some other kids hung it from a swingset.
I remember the first day I went to kindergarten Mike walked me through the park and across six mile to King School. There was a bully who hung out at the entranceway to the park, his name, no lie, was BUTCH, I had to walk myself the second day and Butch was in the way to cut through the park. I can’t remember if he just let me go or not, but I do remember I was scared shitless.
We were looking for another house, but I remember there was a lot of trouble selling ours. When it finally sold and I heard the news I ran out onto the porch and starting shouting with joy “WE SOLD OUR HOUSE!!!” my parents told me to shut up and get back inside.
We moved in the summer of 1968. Our new house was real cool too.
We lived on Cheyenne Street in Detroit, our street dead ended into a park.
Mike was three years older than me and Tom was just a little less than two years older than me.
Our house was real cool, it had an upstairs. I would come down to the landing and spy when I was supposed to take a nap. I would also sneak down here when I was supposed to go to bed. I wanted to stay up and watch Night Gallery with Mom and Mike and Tom- They’d make Pizzarino’s that smelled great-I was real jealous and don’t doubt that I’d shed a tear or two.
We knew the Demochowski Family and The O’Day Family and lots of other’s on the block.
I had two little buddie’s that were my age. We’d go into my buddies basement and look at this cool thing that he had. It was an outhouse and when you opened the door a little boy would come out and pee on you.
Mrs. Demochowski would cut our hair in her kitchen. Mike didn’t like to get his cut, I liked to get a Butch, Tom was somewhere in the middle.
Mrs. O’Day had some big sons-they were older- some teens, some maybe even in their twenties. At least one had a motorcycle. I think later he crashed it and got hurt real bad.
The Malone’s lived across the street and we had a long running feud with them-they lived next door to the Demochowski’s. One of the Malone boy’s pushed a fence and it landed on Tom’s head and cracked open his skull- He had to wear a football helmet while it healed. Mrs. Malone was a nasty bitch- She would shout out to Tom-”Get on your own side of the street FOUR-EYES!” My mom would yell back at her-they really hated each other.
There was another mean guy-maybe his name was Mr. Smith- He’d curse you if you went on his lawn-He was old and scary
We had a kiddie’ pool in the backyard. I loved it when my mom would put the suds in.
I remember going the May Parade for the Virgin mary at Precious Blood, I think Mike might’ve been in that parade one year.
Mike took me for a ride on his bike. I was scared, but then starting to really like it. We went fast right out in the street. The I put my foot into the spokes
My parents told me I was going to get a SMOKY THE BEAR stuffed animal from a guy that was coming over to try to sell them insurance. He came over, but I didn’t get a thing from him- I was upset and so were my parents as they only let him come over to get me that Smoky The Bear.
Mary was the lady who owned a candy store. My Dad would do legal work for her. When we went to her store we’d get free candy. I’d get red candy coins and those papers that had the candy stuck to them in lots of little rows. Mary came over to our house once and gave me a nice hankerchief for Valentine’s Day.
There were a lot of kids in the neighborhood and we had a lot of fun. When we’d play hide and seek I’d always have to pee when I hid. There was a place to hide and pee in front of our house.
I used to climb on top of a fence near the back of our garage. I fell off one day and put a big knot on my forehead. My dad took me to see Fitz’. when he got home from work. Fitz’ was our pediatrician, he had a whole lot of hair growing out of his ears. I hadn’t cracked my skull open.
Sometime’s we’d go to The Red Devil for pizza, I want to go back there soon, I hear the pizza is still great. On our birthday we’d go to Stouffers over near Northland Mall, you’d get a great gift there on your birthday, as well as enjoy a fine kiddie cocktail.
I used to love Hot Diggity Dog across Eight Mile from the mall. I remember when it closed and have watched the sign as it has decomposed over the last 40 some years. I saw another HOT DIGGITY DOG A few years back in Chicago and want to get a dog there on my next visit to Chicago.
We had a dog named Sandy. She had to go away at some point. They told me she got sick because she ate rubberbands. I still don’t know what really happened to her.
I don’t remember anything from the riot except that Mike got to see the tanks coming down six mile.
After the riot, things changed. I took Tom’s tricycle down to the corner park and it got stolen- I think some other kids hung it from a swingset.
I remember the first day I went to kindergarten Mike walked me through the park and across six mile to King School. There was a bully who hung out at the entranceway to the park, his name, no lie, was BUTCH, I had to walk myself the second day and Butch was in the way to cut through the park. I can’t remember if he just let me go or not, but I do remember I was scared shitless.
We were looking for another house, but I remember there was a lot of trouble selling ours. When it finally sold and I heard the news I ran out onto the porch and starting shouting with joy “WE SOLD OUR HOUSE!!!” my parents told me to shut up and get back inside.
We moved in the summer of 1968. Our new house was real cool too.
Getting Ready
I'm heading back to The Big Apple after leaving in 2001. This blog will be somewhat of a diary of my journey.... I leave on Monday the 4th of January - today is New Years Day and I need to start getting ready.....
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