.

Here, gathered in our beloved South Dakota, are a few members of our Williamson / Mattson Clan. Charles and Luella are to be blamed (be kind, they didn't know what they were doing). We're generally a happy bunch and somewhat intelligent (notwithstanding our tenuous grasp on reality). I'm also proud to say that most of us still have our teeth.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

A Summer Storm 1974. Missing the Good Ole Days in Rapid City

From the Fortress of Solitude
Pleasant Grove

Hello All,
I took this picture on a summer day in 1974 from the Williamson front yard at 2214 38th Street in Rapid City. I wanted to remember a good South Dakota summer deluge.

I've lived in Utah since 1980 and have yet to experience the kind of weather we expected on any given summer day in Rapid City. I mean look at the water pouring down from the red bluffs near the Dairy Queen on Canyon Lake Road, coming down Sunset Drive right into our front lawn. Look at the hail! Yes, that's hail not snow. Again, something you rarely see in Utah.

I miss the hail beating down on the roof so hard you had trouble hearing someone talking to you in the same room. I miss driving my old Rambler station wagon down Jackson Blvd during one of them and pulling rapidly into the old Bi Lo Self Serv station for shelter. I remember the smell of a good hail storm,. the electric air and the autumn chill that lingered until the sun broke through the clouds and reminded you it was still summer. I miss hearing the siren at Canyon Lake Elementary sounding the alert that a funnel cloud was sited.

Utah has quiet boring weather, which I've grown use to and appreciate; appreciate because I'm a home owner and therefore responsible for weather damage. But childhood memories of staring out the living room window at leaves being shredded off the branches of our front yard tree in a good hail storm never disappear.

Now, to my 7 brothers and sisters..... do you recognize dad's state car parked in the driveway? And can we ever forget that stupid mail box? The one that never stood right - always tipped one way or another, held on the poll with bent coat hangers or wire or whatever we could find when it would fall off.

None of us were what you would call 'handy'. We made do with wire, coat hangers, duct tape and lots of prayer and chewing gum.

We sure gave the neighbors plenty to talk about, didn't we? :)

Simply,
Victor

No comments:

Post a Comment