Saturday, July 9, 2011

A Bit of Silliness

In the course of watching TV this past week a few items of interest came up.

From Jeff Dunham's stand-up act came the question, "What color do smurfs turn when you're choking them?"

From the Walton's. Railroads. Do you remember when the sound of a railroad whistle in the distance offered the romance of life on the road. People dreamed of getting on a train and traveling to exotic places like NYC or Chicago. Road trips had a whole different meaning back then. Traveling on an Interstate doesn't give you the same romantic adventure vibe, does it? Of course we don't have Route 66 anymore either. The old highway system with all its small town diners, hotels, and motels were almost as good as the railroad dreams.

And then there's cars. Why don't cars have cool names like they used to? Remember the Mustang, the Road Runner, and the Cobra? Lord, I miss those cool names. Think about, when someone asks you what your driving which sounds better?

"Oh, I'm driving an XKX 666, but I really admire your ZZZ 333." or "A 'Cuda, man. But I'm really digging your Charger."

8 comments:

Charles Gramlich said...

I well remember the romance of trains. I even had a dream as a kid about running away from home and hopping a freight.

sandra seamans said...

Yes, Charles, I always thought it would be great fun to travel across the country by train, but I didn't care for the idea of actually hopping a freight :)

Fred Zackel said...

About Smurfs. There are billions of them ... but only one is female ... and Grandpa is ...

Hmmm. Once ina blue moon they ...

sandra seamans said...

They are a confusing lot, aren't they, Fred? Have you ever noticed that in cartoons and fairytales that there's only one girl and seven guys?

G. B. Miller said...

US 6 can give you a little bit of the same feel as traveling 66...that is, if you like traveling from coast to coast.

sandra seamans said...

I've traveled 6 here in PA out to the little Grand Canyon and it does give you that same feel, G. We also have Route 11. I remember as a kid traveling this road from Jersey to PA, all the small towns, hotels, mom and pop stores, and diners. Some of it still exists, but is pretty rundown since the Interstate took all their business. Sad to see it now, but I can create a lot of good settings for stories by mixing a bit of the past with what's there now.

pattinase (abbott) said...

All of the romance has gone out of our lives.

sandra seamans said...

It feels that way, doesn't it, Patti? People seem more worried about having things than actually living their lives or looking for the adventure that's just over the next hill.