Stories from the old days. Name a older relative you felt was smart and why.

[_Sheffjs_]

I guess I am in a posting mood. I know this is out there but forgive me, and this is long or wordy. Your homework:  Name someone you remember as a young-in that now you look back you feel was smart or impacted your youth.  Maybe this can switch gears from the world mess posts.   I grew up outside of Chicago and every summer my parents took us to Gatlinburg TN or to New Milford PA/Binghamton NY, sometimes both but we had relatives in PA/NY.  My mother’s oldest Sister my Aunt Olie and her husband Ed lived in a rented two story old brick house in Binghamton that was split and they had the upstairs part. They did this to own a trailer on Page Lake in New Milford PA. The times spent on that Lake were the best and now I look back on two people that did not have a lot of money but they were rich with life as far as I am concerned.  The years were about 1963- 76 that we visited and stayed there.  What I remember was a culture on the lake that was amazing.  The Lake is and was private and the motor limit was 40hp and the docks that had motor boats had home made boat lifts where you pull the boat in and under a tin roof cover, straps were under the boat and one would simply turn this huge wheel on the side and lift the boat out of the water when not in use.  The Lake was basically closed in the winter and I also remember some docks were on steel wagon looking wheels and the docks were wheeled up on land for the winters. Back to the culture, my Uncle Ed always had a big turd in his mouth, a White Owl to be specific, he would take us kids in the boat and we would putsz around stopping here and there for coffee and talk to the others who lived around the lake and I remember getting back well after dark. You know, that is real life and no other members in our family did anything like this, especially my father, shoot I had a V8 motor before he did! About 6 years ago Sherry and I visited the area and got together with a couple of remaining cousins I have and Sherry and I actually found a cottage to rent on that lake, it came with a row boat and a paddle boat. One day we jumped in the row boat and went around the lake and found my Aunts place, Olie and Ed long gone, close to 20 years but memories came flooding back in and dang it had lots, I mean lots of the old manual boat lifts that are still there and a huge amount of the same era boats!  I found out something that day that left me with stomach cramps from laughing so hard, my wife had never had the opportunity to row a boat and she asked to take a turn. She could not get the rhythm of how to row and water was splashing from not fully dropping the oars in the water or how to even make the boat move, she handed the task to me after a short time. Next day we took the paddle boat and I headed for the dam, yes there is a really small dam on the lake with a massive 5 foot drop and as kids we were pre scolded to stay clear of the dam that it will suck us in and we will drown. If not for my older sister I would have somehow gone over that sucker back then.  So now I am an adult with no one to tell me no, I head for it only to be stopped by the new boss!   I give up however more memories were made on page lake.   If I had a time machine I would never go forward.  And to the ones who are older than me, I am jealous if you lived in the 50s!  

[Simmy74]

Who: my grandpa

What: told me to wear gloves when sharpening lawnmower blades.

Why? (I ignored him and found out)
-Not because you may cut your hands on the new edges
-Not because a grinding wheel could eat your fingers
-Not because sparks might sting your skin
(All of these I thought I was careful enough to avoid)

BUT BECAUSE the blade will suddenly become so hot that it will burn your flesh.

Always trusted his advice after that and never questioned him.

[3fan4life]

That's easy.

My oldest brother was undoubtedly the smartest and wisest person that I have ever known.

He was 16 yrs my senior and yet in time we became the closest two of my mother's four sons.

Although his views of the world were tainted by his experiences in Viet Nam he possessed a wisdom that few people can aspire to.

He also had the ability to read about absolutely anything in a book and learn it.

He could "Self Teach" himself any topic that he wanted to learn.


He taught me many things that I have found useful application for on nearly a daily basis.

Along with several things that are guaranteed to ensure my survival should we ever encounter a Zombie Apocalypse.

He passed away nearly 3 years ago from complications due to Agent Orange exposure.

Not a day goes by that I don't miss him.

At times, I still find myself wishing that I could pick up the phone and talk to him.

It's tough sometimes NOT having that voice of experience when the problems of life crowd in upon you.

[shortleg]

  I had a Grand mother that took collage classes till the day she died.
She took everything from history[most she lived through] to accounting.
  Her thinking was like most of us here, use it or loose it .
    Was always the one I found it the easiest to talk to
 She seemed to have the answer to everything I asked and somethings
I did not want to hear.

[Jess from VA]

My favorite cousin Steve lived in WVa with most of my relatives, and my family would drive down to visit from MI once or twice a year.  He was 5 years older than me and a senior in HS ('66) and capt of the football team (middle linebacker) and catcher (and big power hitter) on the baseball team, and his girlfriend was the beautiful capt of the cheerleaders (they later married and had three kids, who now also have kids).  

He was a big tough guy with a jalopy, and had his own deer rifle and hunted with my Grandad and Uncle.  He could dive like a fearless champion from the hi dive at the city pool.  I idolized him (as the older brother I never had) and he was very friendly with me even though a younger kid (his mom was my mom's older sister).  

He had been working on a basket case 1200 Vtwin Hog for a long time, saving up for parts and doing the work himself, and I would help holding the flashlight or handing him tools.  His girlfriend had given him an old seat for it and the day came that he got it running.  Everyone was exited and several friends and neighbors had come over to watch him ride it the first time.

They had one of those houses where the basement was a 2-car garage and workshop around back, and the drive was a steep incline to ground level, and the whole big yard was fenced in with a 6" solid wood fence.  He fired it up jumping on the kickstarter and put it in gear, and really nailed the throttle showing off, and the throttle stuck wide open in first.  He flew up out of the garage, got the front wheel airborne at the top, flew across the yard, and drove right through the 6' fence with wood shattering and flying, and dumped and stalled the bike.  We all ran up there after him thinking he would be seriously hurt, but he was just scraped up and laughing.  We pushed it back down into the shop to work some more on the carb and throttle cable.

That was one of the most exciting things I had ever seen in my life, and I knew right then that I'd have to get my own motorcycle as soon as got my license and could afford one.  Five years later at 17, I got my 650 BSA Lightning.  I didn't drive through any fences, but showing off at the end of a HS school day, I laid it down in the school bus oil slick with 5 full busses of kids watching (and cheering).

Steve divorced the cheerleader many years ago, and remarried a woman 25 years younger than him a while back, and was a new father (again) in his late 60s.  He's still one of the most fun guys I know.  And now drives a school bus.  

My brother started having an annual reunion at his 17 acres south of Ann Arbor every fall, with this part of the family (three generations).  My mom is the last of her family living, and great aunt and last surviving matriarch to the whole crowd.  I rode the Valk up, and Steve and his boys came on Hogs.  They trailer up a few ATVs and mini dirt bikes for the kids.

[Jess Tolbirt]

mine would have to be my Dad, nuff said..he drove race cars

[KUGO]

I'll share just one of the best pieces of advice my father ever gave to me:
"If you ever start a fight, I'll come after you with a baseball bat.  And if you ever run away from a fight, I'll come after you with a baseball bat."

There's more to that story, but as an aside, I ended up teaching martial arts for over thirty years.  Good advice.  I certainly miss that man.

Enjoyed reading the above stories.  The fishing lake story especially brought back memories of my summers in the '50s-'60s at my grandfather's cottages on Blackhawk Lake in Iowa.  When I look back at the sheer diversity of experiences that I got to have, thanks to my parents and other family members purposely providing them, I realize that most people weren't as blessed as I was.  I'm glad I'm more able to fully appreciate it now.

[Ramie]

Mine would be a man we called Uncle Scotty.  Scotty wasn't my uncle he was a friend of my father. 

When my father was younger he met Scotty who was working fixing truck for Al Capone in Chicago and Scotty gave my father some work helping him work on the delivery trucks and they became fast friends.

When my father moved to Minnesota Scotty used to come and visit and tell us stories.  I once asked him why he worked for Al Capone and he told me, "There is no shame in doing what ever it takes to survive and put food on the table."

Scotty died in a car accident coming to visit us.