Hoofbeats in the Theater

My Dad once told me the story of the time “Tex” Ritter came riding down the aisle of the local movie theater on his horse before the showing of one of his singing cowboy films.  I was a little skeptical.  I mean, that’s quite a stunt for the little beachfront theater in Bay Saint Louis,…

Life on Byron Street: Christmastime – 1960’s Style

Santa and me at D.H.Holmes in Delmont Village in 1967 Every Christmas season our little noses were pressed against the store windows of Delmont Village Shopping Center which was located just a couple of blocks from Byron Street.  We closely inspected every detail of the colorful, animated window displays. The mechanical elves slowly repeated their…

Life on Byron Street: The Fruit Stand

Right across a gravel drive from my father’s hardware and garden store on Plank Road between Byron and Evangeline streets sat Tony’s Fruit Stand.  This was very convenient for a kid like me.  I used to walk over there and plop my dime down on their counter and ask for “10 cents worth of grapes.” …

Life on Byron Street: A Tale of Two Stores

Me with my Pa-pa in front of his toy store (1962) Besides my house and yard, which were great places to play, I spent most of my time at the two stores of my father and my “Pa-pa.”  The close proximity of the stores to my house and the possibilities they afforded children with vivid…

Life on Byron Street

Life was good on Byron Street.  My father could walk to work every morning from our house to his store located on the corner at Plank Road. My grandmother lived down the street behind my Pa-pa’s store, which was connected to my father’s store.  The local fruit stand was next to them. I could walk…

“The Choo-Choo Train House” (1911-2005)

The Choo-choo Train House 1980s Box fans, window fan, ceiling fan, tuna-fish sandwiches, train horns, sand, donuts in the morning, the beach, seining, hot summer days, cold-water showers, afternoon naps, no TV, no telephone, sand, stacks of Reader’s Digest books, dart board, cards, sand, late-evening thunderstorms, crabbing, fishing, and oh, I almost forgot to mention…sand….

The Courtship of Ick and Jez

She called him Ick…short for Ichabod Crane because he was so skinny.  He called her Jez…short for Jezebel, the evil queen from the Bible, because, well — he would have to answer that. Stamps, pen and paper, funny quips, warm fuzzies, and the occasional light jab all came together in over 400 letters written from…

“Jackie” the Riveter

As the train approached the station and came to a stop, Jackie and Sug stepped out onto the depot ramp in the legendary “Cow Town” — Fort Worth, Texas!  They were excited about the adventure of being on their own in the big city, which was quite a change from the rural life they were…