I recall in 1963 or so, we got a new RCA television, a color set. Then on a sunday night NBC said Bonanza, a huge tv hit was going to be broadkast in color. Wow, was that the night. A big color night with the big NBC peacock, it does seem so simple now, but then it was a really big deal.

Born in late '48. I lived on Makiki Street, Mt. Tantulus, and walked about a mile and a half to and from Hana Hauole school from 1st grade on. My route took me over the Makiki Stream bridge, where at age 4 I had spotted a small shark that some fisherman had thrown into the dry stream bed. I told an old neighbor, the neighbor called the authorities, and the news story that ended up in the Honolulu Advertiser taught me from an early age to take anything you read in the newspaper with a grain of salt. (Theories on how the shark could have possibly swum 8 miles upstream .. the stream was barely running, for crying out loud.)

In later years, my friend and I would buddy up with our long surfboards, one carrying the two noses, the other carrying the tails, treking those 8 miles down to Waikiki. We'd often get a lift down from some kind soul, and usually a ride home from our parents, but not always. Eventually, we joined the Outrigger Canoe Club and got surfboard lockers. Taking the bus or hitchhiking was easier from then on. When I was 15, my Dad gave me his old Borgward station wagon, and independence was mine.

A friend who had grown up in front of Maalaea on Maui before moving to Oahu told me tales about the great waves at Honolua Bay, so during Christmas vacation of our sophomore year, we loaded our boards and sleeping bags into the Borgie, got a 2-week roundtrip ticket for our car on Young Brothers interisland barge, and had the surf adventure of our young lives. Seven years later, I moved to Maui where I spent most of the next 30 years, eventually starting Guard Transmission (which pretty much required moving to the U.S. Mainland). Seems like a former life ..

'59, Boise

I wanted a Schwinn Stingray. It had to be a Schwinn. It was 58 or 59 bucks. My parents generously offered to pay half, so I saved and saved, (and occasionally gave into temptation seeing all that loot in the bottom of the can, so I had to keep saving.) I wore out the ad that I'd clipped out of the back of Boys' Life just staring at it and dreaming...

Fortunately, in those days, when something was advertised for 58 bucks, it stayed that price for a while.

I rode that bike everywhere. Leave home in the morning, come home at dinner time.

'57 born in SmelLA....shut up Speeder.

Rode the corners off that square rear wheel. Almost lost my gnuts more than a few times on that damn shifter mounted on the bar in front of the banana seat. Was choked out by some dickwad f-ball player at Oxy College......found a bat and pounded him.

Cops showed up and didn't believe a skinny XCountry runner would do such a thing......been dodging stuff since.

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I grew up in the county near San Marcos and know exactly the theater you mentioned. It ceased operating as a theater in the early-mid '80s from what I remember, then it went between being various bar/grille/clubs for years and I'm not sure what it is now since I got out of high school in the mid-'90s and moved away from the area years ago.

They took the corrugated tin siding from the front of all of the old buildings downtown around 20 years ago. It looks awesome now! I think the only building that is still what it's always been is Lamar's Barber Shop across the street from the courthouse.

Since I was born in the late '70s my tales of yore are nowhere near what these are, but things like schools with no security and an open campus at lunch sound like another world compared to now. Playing baseball in the street with a tennis ball and all of the exploring in the hills and vacant land in Hays and Comal County are what I think back fondly of. All that land is probably developed now I guess.

I never went to a single air conditioned school. I went to 11 different schools and not one had AC. Heck the schools in Hawaii did not have heat! That sounds funny to complain about but it does get to low 60s and 50s on occasion. Try to sit in a chair for an hour in a 58 degree room with no coat. The lowest temperature ever recorded in Honolulu is 52 degrees, marked on Jan. 20, 1969. I was there for that. Our house was not heated and it we did not have much for blankets. We finally loaded up in the car and drove around with the heater on high.

I was there when Hawaii became a state. It is one of my earliest memories. We lived there from 1959 to 1962 and 1967 to 1970.

No doubt the biggest culture shock was going from Radford High in Hawaii to Sidney Lanier High School in Montgomery, AL. At Radford as a 10th grader we had one hour and 5 minutes for lunch. We could go anywhere at all as long as we were back for the next class. We moved to Montgomery and for lunch the bell rang and no joke, the teacher lead us to the lunch room like first graders. I had to sit at a certain table. After I ate I figured I would go look around at the school. A teacher blocked the door. We were not allowed to leave the cafeteria and we had just 25 minutes.

The boys were allowed to smoke in the bathrooms on all three floors. If I did not get in there and finish peeing in short order I could not see the door through the thick smoke. Really! The girls could only smoke in the second floor bathroom. I betgged the principal for just one smoke free bathroom but he refused.

Not a problem whatsoever. LOL thats funny. Try working on a car in 28 degree weather.

You should see the Hawaiian's when it gets down to 70. Winter coats come out and folks walk around in a parka it is it in the 60s.