The Fun of Throwbacks is in the Memories!

by Skip Cohen

To get the most out of your own Throwback Thursday adventures, you need to appreciate the stories behind each old photograph you find. While the pictures themselves can be fun, for me, it's the memories they bring back.

I'm 5 or 6 years old in each of the above.

• The first in the trifecta is at Cleveland Hopkins Airport, which was a big deal back then. We lived at least two hours away, and Dad was working hard to build his business. There wasn't a lot of money to spend on vacations. So, a day trip or a weekend to the west side of Cleveland was a mini-vacation destination. We'd watch the planes from what was then called the observation deck. Whether it was just for the day or a night at a motel with a pool, it was a big deal. And if you really want to turn back the clock, the airport had only ONE concourse!
• The middle photograph is at Walban Apartments in Painesville, Ohio. My Dad had started a new business, and my mother loved my outfit that day. The hat, the jacket, and the creased pants were all her version of sending "Skippy" out stylin'. Just a year later they'd buy their first house - a three bedroom ranch in a neighborhood loaded with kids. And yes, we were told, "Go out and play - be home before dark!"
• The third picture was taken at Mrs. Shlee's daycare. My mother was working with my Dad to get the new business going, and she'd drop me off at Mrs. Shlee's home. There were typically 5-6 other kids there as well. What I remember most about this shot is that I was scared to death of dogs. She had what I remember as being a big lab, and at recess, I refused to get down off the swing set until "Lady" was brought back inside, and managed to wet my pants before finally getting down!
• The outfits I'm wearing leaves me wishing I could talk to my mother about how I was dressed at the time. What was she thinking? And the style: 2-inch cuffs were in, along with leather shoes and often paired with an Elmer Fudd hat!
• Last but not least is thinking about the process of taking pictures. We'd shoot a roll of film, often left in the camera for several weeks or even months. The film would get dropped off at Gray Drug, and 1-2 weeks later, we'd pick up our prints. I remember the incredible anticipation of watching my Dad open the envelope. Nobody got to look at them until he'd done the initial screening!

And there you have it - the pure fun of a look in the rearview mirror and a moment of connecting with the past. In all honesty, I miss the simplicity of life as it was back then. For example, nothing was open on Sundays - not even a gas station. That meant family time every week, and my mother would often suggest, "Let's go visiting!" And gas was under thirty cents a gallon - it wasn't a big deal to go for a ride with no initial destination in mind. So, often at random, we'd drop in on friends, and most of the time, we the visit was purely spontaneous - try doing that to your friends today!

​Happy Throwback Thursday!

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