The good old days

[Dian Britt Whitaker]

On my lunch break at work and reading all the blogs about the old neighbor hood and wishing my grandkids knew what that felt like, those days are long gone. Anyone lived close to the cemetary in the alley and the lady in white walked at nite (sure she did). We slept on the front porch many a nite me and some of the other kids on our street( State  & Clark st). I've been to KS, FL, CA, OH, MI, NY,OK, and East Texas, but you know where I would love to go right now ????  CLARK STREET.  HAVE A BLESSED DAY BULLDOGS

[Claudette Hopkins]

My next question was going to be about 'Good lucks', you've already answered . . .

[Deborah Young Love]

Good lucks was the "hot spot."  Especially after the football games.  I would sometimes order a regular hamburger without onions, because that's all I could afford and not the "basket.". But if I wanted a cheeseburger, I would ask Bo, or Mickey Conway or one of my other big brothers to give me a nickel so I could order the cheeseburger. I remember Linda Gaye Richards, would always order a cheeseburger and she could really make it look like it was so good when she bit into it....yummy!  But the "footlong" was the best and the cheapest.  That was my favorite!  And the link sandwiches or the basket was the "bums."  Good Luck's had the best link baskets in TOWN!  But not anymore...the link baskets are not the same...well Deb....that's nothing new. lol

My how time has changed, but the memories remain the same and I thank the Lord for "all" of my wonderful memories, because my memories help to build, who I am today.

Who has some chalk, so we can draw on the sidewalk and play hop scotch...remember?  And does anyone has a "transfer" slip that I can have, to use to get on the 31 Moore Street Bus that goes to my house...hahaha  Remember the Trolley line bus that went downtown that had electric lines attached to the top of the bus? We would catch that bus across the street from Good Luck's on the corner. And as each one of our class mates would get off downtown and switch over to their home bus line, we would always say:  "See you tomorrow."

[Claudette Hopkins]

I had moved to South Dallas before becoming a teenager, so I missed the hanging out after games. But I do remember the street light rule, how was that lost with todays children. And how did we go from the respect of a party line to children's must have a cell phones?

[Dian Britt Whitaker]

ooo no the party lines, they got me in soo much trouble. PaPa dads was the BBQ place and under the bridge. My mom lived in the projects and I lived on clark with my grandmother and brother and cousin. When the streets lights came on you better be at home or on your way.  Remember Good Lucks and those burgers and the troble you got in haning there after the games. Love North Dallas

[Claudette Hopkins]

Thanks Deb for reminding me of the party-lines, boy o boy! And the emergency calls and sometimes listening in on someone's call (oops) I think our back door was 513 and the front was 2016 or something like that.

[Deborah Young Love]

Diane, Diane...YES WE DID! Have two addresses.  One on the front door...mine was 3618 Alonzo Place...and one on the back door....# 75...where we all played outside.  We weren't allowed to enter the front door, because that was the door, that people whom we didn't know would frequent.  Like the postman, salesmens, people looking for the wrong address, etc.  But the back door constantly swung back and forth, when we entered and left.  We would sneak sometimes and sit on the front porch when our parents would live. But, if we got caught..well...you know the consequences. lol

But yes, the nice cool nights, sleeping at the back door with the door unlocked and watching the stars and the bright street lights and listening to the traffic...I love listening to the traffic, it lets me know that life is real and alive.  My husband loves quietness, he would love for us to live in the country...but not I...no not I...I love the noise from the universe, or the "day to day" noise of people shuffling and sounds of car honks, and people yelling...like..."Deb, Mary, Jean, and Nita...come in the house...it is 10:00 p.m."...remember ???huh???

Then we would run from underneath the "big light" and run into the house. Does anyone remember sitting on the stairs.  I have always wanted a house that had a two story...just so that I could sit on the stair and talk on the phone.  But no! Not a "party line" phone..hahahah.  "Excuse me...but can I use the phone now?" hahaha

Or getting a "busy signal" on the phone line...and sometimes calling the "operator" and telling her that you have an "emergency call...would she break in on the call"...hahaha (Mine don't leave me now...I'm on a roll.)

What about when you walked underneath the bridge on the way to the State Theater.  Remember that place?  That's where the jink heads...alcoholics... would litter and loiter and drink and "pee"...excuse my language..but that's what you smelled when you walked underneath the bridge, which was Central Expressway. Remember?

And it was dark underneath the bridge too...oooooooow...scary too!

And Griggs park was the largest piece of land that I had ever seen...in the eyes of a child. You could see from miles and miles. And to see all of the kids playing and swimming...fun, fun, fun.  And free fun too!  Well must leave room for other to comment...but thanks Di for the Memories!

[Claudette Hopkins]

Papa Dad's, I think thats it

[Dian Britt Whitaker]

I forgot about the Library, and Griggs park is where I learned to swim, also. Well tried I was so scared of the water they told my grandmother they were going to have to stop my lessons. And what was the name of the BBQ place on Hall that was so goood?

[Claudette Hopkins]

How wonderful to read this. Reading that someone other than myself has GREAT memories of the Roseland Homes projects. When I was born, my family lived on Colby, but they quickly moved (for more space) to Villars St before I had any memories of Colby. We spent many a summer night sleeping in the front yard, and it was amazing to have two addresses, front door and back door. I never got to travel far from that location alone. There was the Saturday trip to the State theater with my older brothers and before my family left the projects, I was allowed to go to theDunbar Branch Library (alone).  That seemed lik such a long walk . . .

[Galen Ollison]

Dian, I know for a fact from many talks with many of us from the wonderland called North Dallas that lots of us share your enduring love for the sweet, memorable days and places of our growing up lives. Sleeping on the front porch at times seems a memory almost all of us have in common.

My grandparents lived on Clark St., the 2nd house from what's now Woodall Rogers behind St. Peter Academy. My brother and I lived with them as pre-schoolers sometimes when my Mother was hospitalized for periods of up to 6 months, and every loving memory of those times was and is precious. Memories like playing in the red sand at Griggs Park across the street a few feet from their front door, sitting on the front porch at night watching Central Expressway traffic, with the tall freeway lights looking like Hollywood spotlights, watching Grandpa catch and kill a chicken for dinner, warm flannel pajamas and warm milk before bed on cold nights, and claiming girl friends from schoolgirls walking by daily stand out clearly in my memory.

The Dunbar Branch Library on Thomas near the Dallas Express offices ... free hour swimming at Griggs Park ... watching night time summer baseball there and later playing on the diamond with Mr. Freddie Gillis' neighborhood ball team from the Roseland Homes project where I lived.

I've had many strong and lively dreams over the years of being back at 3517 Lafayette, so real I just KNEW I was there in real life --- til I woke up and found ... it was all a precious dream.

I thank God for today ... and I equally thank Him for the rich, wonderful, magical times you've given us another opportunity to revisit, Dian! God bless us all!