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Janalu Jeanes (Parchman)

David,

Speaking of flying over handlebars, I've done a similar thing, only on my bicycle.

I was riding it, one time, in fourth grade or fifth grade, down our alley toward the baseball fields at the west side of Heights Elem.  I got down to the dusty fields on a summer day or maybe it was spring break, and no one was around anywhere.  I decided to go flying across those fields, as fast as I could, thinking I could go all the way to Belt Line Rd., with no problem.  As I was chugging along, I could see something dark-colored on the ground in the distance, a little past that back drive-up area where the dairy trucks would make deliveries.  I guess I just thought is was some newly shoveled black soil, so it didn't really register much to me as I continued hauling you-know-what.  I got to that newly blackened area quickly, and as I approached I saw that an asphalt black-top had been added to our playground, thinking, "Oh, that's nice,".......and right when I got to within a couple of feet of it, I realized too late that it stood up from the ground by about three or four inches.  I hit that asphalt  with my front tire so hard, that I went flying over the handlebars and landed on the asphalt, like a sack of wet sand.  I, too, was bruised-up pretty nicely, had the breath knocked out of me, and had scraped-up knees. 

I walked my bike back home and laid on my bed for a couple of hours, with a headache.  Those were days when helmets were unheard of for bicyclists.

As for your mishap, you have to wonder why a car would be parked on that Newberry bridge!  Maybe that driver ran out of gas and just walked away.  What a dummy!  He should have left hazzard lights on!

Glad to hear that Marshall is doing well and enjoying New Mexico!  He was always a cheerful, amusing fella!

I remember him telling us not long ago, about how he would sit on the second floor of his apartment building, (in Brazil) playing the piano loudly and with gusto, with the windows of the apt. wide open.  He was playing some Gershwin songs or something like that, when he heard passers-by down below the window, applauding his renditions with glee!  Ha!  What a character!

Lowell Tuttle

I remember Luke Wulfjen, but I don't remember him living on Lockwood.  We only moved to Thompson from Newberry in 1967...when I had broken my leg and was in a hip high cast for 3 months courtesy of HS offseason football wrestling...But, I have a story about Lockwood.   Bob Cedarberg and I went fishiing a bit arround Cottonwood Creek and off Thompson behind the Swords' house and The Walkers'.   We found a small pond type spot just up from the dam on Swords' lake and I was fishing it by myself one day.   I guess we were about 11 or 12.  I used bacon and we caught perch, bluegill...and this one day I caught a 20 inch monster catfish.   I couldn't bring it it because the mud up the sides of the pond were to slippery for me to get in and untangle it, so I rode my bike back over to 727 Newberry, or rather to Cedarberg's house to enlist his help.   We both went back over to Lockwood, and he helped me land the big fish.  It was still on the line.

We took the fish home, photo'd and showed it off, and then realized it was gonna die, so we got a wagon and put the bucket of water in it with the fish and hauled off back to the house in front of the pond on Lockewood.

Anyway, the police were there.   The family had called and reported we  (I?) had stolen their pet fish.  We put it back in the pond...My mom came and somehow I got out of it...Mom was pissed those people thought that was their pet fish.

And, remember the huge pool behind those houses on Lockwood?  We were envious.  Supposedly there were five or so families who had gotten together and put in that large pool, with chain link fence around it.   I wonder how that partnership worked out?

Lowell Tuttle

Before that last post, I had to research Walker's name as I had forgotten...so, I glanced at a February 1968 Eagle Talon trying to find it.   His name wasn't in the basketball article I read about, but I remembered it while I was surfing...

Anyway, one article in that Talon mentioned Mike Leigh winning a debate competition.  I was reflecting on how well he spoke, if you remember.   I wonder how he did later in life and if he used that talent.

Sandra Spieker (Ringo)

Lance,

Did you know that is is against the law to use your phone while voting, much less take pictures of your votes? 

Jan Alexander

Abbott might kick you out of the state, ship you to Chicago and drop you off after midnight on the cold and snowy streets , Lance-Chop..

AND look at those, propositions !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    funny...  starting with Prop 1. NUTS... mad world.  

Janalu Jeanes (Parchman)

Lance, 

I'm glad you voted.

Why did you vote for DeSantis?

Have you decided against Trump for November?

If you don't vote for Trump in November, your vote, or non-vote toward a person who won't be effectual, will be as good as helping Biden.  I'm sure you know that, but I'd like to hear your response.

I can't imagine giving any credit to Biden, after all the damage he has foisted upon us in the last three and a half years.  Much of his damage will be permanent damage, especially insofar as China's advances have been toward infiltrating all aspects of our country, i.e., TikTok, removing trade sanctions, etc.  You know they intend to conquer us and force us to bow to them, evil communists that they are.

We MUST elect a leader who has no indebtedness (funny money connections) to China in any way, unlike what we have now. (as if this is a startling statement to Americans everywhere)

David Cordell

Janalu,

I voted for DeSantis also. He was on the ballot, and he is/was my favored candidate. I resent that the party nominee is seemingly selecte before Texans have a chance to vole.

I'll vote for Trump, while holding my nose, in November. It really annoys me that he insists on childish nicknames like Gavin Newscum. I mean, it's funny if you can resurrect your fifth grade self.

Of course, I admit to retaining a bit of my youthful self. The other day someone was talking about a medication intended for prophylactic use, and I felt like giggling. 

Now that I think of it, I once dated a girl who referred to a condom/prophylactic as a polyliptic. I had fun with that word.

Janalu Jeanes (Parchman)

David,

I understand.  It makes sense.  I may do the same, since DeSantis has not been taken off the ballot.

I agree that Trump's immaturity with using stupid names for people is SO aggravating.  His behavior is his downfall, always.  I don't understand why he persists with acting as he does, after being told endlessly that it hurts him; his image.  I guess he thinks it's funny and entertaining to some folks.

On another note, my Mother was asking me to read aloud a pamphlet, one time, in a room of mixed company, which I was doing easily enough, until I came upon the word, "prophylactic."  I stopped reading at that point, hesitating.  I was befuddled as to what to say, so I just sat there, still looking down at the page.  Mom then started saying, "Well, go on.....why did you stop...."  over and over, she continued.......so I just handed her the pamphlet.  She glanced at it, then was also a little 'tongue-tied,'  ......so I said, "Well, Mom!  Go ahead and read it!!"  She looked my way with a peculiar look on her face .....whereupon, she said, "Oh well, never mind.......This isn't important right now!"   I snickered and was satisfied.....

Mothers!  Sometimes you just want to say, "Hey, Mom!  CHILL!"  ( My own daughter would sometimes tell me to "Chill, Mom!  Please!"  As long as she said, "Please," I usually did stop and desist.)

The pamphlet was about what items to pack when traveling abroad in a foreign country.

David Cordell

Happy Texas Independence Day!

Lawrence (Lance) Cantor

Mike Marks

Lowell and others who lived near Cottonwood Creek. Do many of you remember in the early '60s when they drained Cottonwood Creek from about Heights Park down to the dam at Newberry? When the creek nearly ran out, there were tons of fish people were picking up with towels, buckets, and everything. When the creek dried out, they bought the big machinery in to dredge the entire segment. They dug down to bedrock. They filled the creek back up when the dam was closed. I lived on Thompson Drive and had a canoe and a rowboat.  Many of us spent a lot of time swimming, fishing, and going up and down that Creek. We also had some hedge apple wars throwing at each other. It's a wonder we didn't kill each other. Those were some great memories.

Sandra Spieker (Ringo)

Mike Marks

Yes, I remember when they drained the pond and creek on Thompson and I also remember when a storm took out the bridge and the dam.  I have a picture of it somewhere!  I tried to find it this morning and came up empty.  The picture is of my sister standing on what is left of the bridge.  I remember that storm was quite something and Newberry drive was like a river.  If I ever find the photo I will post it. 

Sandra Spieker (Ringo)

Mike Marks!

I found the photo!  This is, I believe, looking toward Westshore Drive from Newberry.  My sister is standing on what is left of the bridge on Newberry Drive.  The storm washed away most of the drainage pipes and part of the bridge too.  Probably 1962-63. 

Ron Knight

Thanks for the memories Mike and Sandra. It was 1963 or 64 I thought. I lived on Newberry then. Mike, I remember rowing with you on the creek. I remember we reached in the creek to the bottom and get a handful of mud and throw mudballs at each other. I remember the bridge was closed for quite a while while they rebuilt it.

Russ Stovall

Mike, Sandra, & Ron 

I didn't live off of the creek, but lived just north of if up Floyd a few blocks.  Spent a many hours in that creek at different spots.  I do remember seeing the bridge out like that.  Mike I remember the canoe and row boat.  Joe Longino and don't remember who else and I build a raft to float down the creek.  We didn't get very far.   The part of the creek that ran along West Shore Dr. just south of Arapaho we built a ramp to ride and jump into the deeper part of the creek on our bicycles.  Some great times for sure.  Yes Mike it is a wonder we didn't do more damage to ourselves.

David Cordell

Yes, Sandra, I am certain your photo was taken along side Newberry from the Thompson side of the creek, looking northwest toward West Shore, near where Marshall, Virginia and Phyllis, Jimmy Sanders, Tammy and Debbie Michaels, and I lived. (The roof of the Sanders house can be seen just over the top of the righ-most car in the photo.) I remember stupidly wading on the bridge when the water got high before the dam failed. 

In fourth grade I found a fairly large and headless (and obviously dead) water moccasin at a spot near the bottom, left-most corner in your photo. (Well, not actually IN your photo. At a spot near the creek which was shown in your photograph .... Never mind.  Anyway, you know what I mean.) I thought it would be cool to take the snake to show-and-tell at Heights Elementary, so I put it in a box and took it to school. It turned out that school personnel were less enthusiastic, especially when the smell became unbearable (from the dead snake, not from me.) The school custodian (Mr. Miller?) drove my snake and me to my house, where I laid him to rest in the garbage -- the snake, not Mr. Miller. (Sorry. I forgot about pronouns. I think the snake went by she/her, not he/him. Mr. Miller went by he/him. At least I'm pretty sure he did.) 

Wayne Gary

David,

You art of line with AP on your pronouns.  You should use they/them even when talking about a singular person.  I keep seeing it in the Dallas News. Jo Blow (a male) has a warrent for they/them arrest.

Several weeks ago Cottonwood Creek was in the news when a car wash dumped car wash detergent into the creek.

Lowell Tuttle

Cottonwood Creek adventures...So many.

In 67 we moved from Newberry down to Thompson along the creek.   For some reason, our back yard fence was as far as our property went.   The neighbors on the West Shore Drive side owned the property on both sides of the creek.  There was a gate at the end of our yard, there still is.   On the creek there was a concrete covered earthen dam....and a pond going back up towards Newberry...It filled up several properties with a nice lake area.   We fished off the pond even though it wasn't ours.   I don't know who owned the creek...I just know the West Shore folks owned the area below our fence.

A raging storm. 1980's? went through destroying that dam and the pond and the nice pond properties on West Shore no longer had one.   Our house was/is up on a cliff...and as the water wound around as a little 1 foot wide creek from Newberry all the way to Belt Line unless there was a large storm and it became a raging current, eroding all the higher side properties' cliff areas and flooding the lower side properties.  

Anyway, the City of Richardson set up this deal in the 80's 90's to build rock retaining walls contained in a steel netting type retention method used elsewhere.   It's about 10 feet high behind our house, the Newsom's house, and I guess the Nelson's (Melinda) old house.

The City paid a great deal, but made the property owners pay 10,000  ??? each.   They allowed them to pay 5,000 now and 5000 later...My dad paid the 5000.   It then took the City years to finish the project and they never came to take or get the other 5000.   

It may have been more than 5000, I can't remember...The retention has worked perfect...Must have been a UT engineer.

The area below both dams was strewn with washed out concrete chunks and slabs from prior water retention systems...

We played down there a lot.   Found my first Playboy Centerfold down there at about 11 or 12...

BB gun wars was our mud battles...

We never got our eyes shot out, but I did get hit a few times...back, toes...leg...bb's sting.

Sandra Spieker (Ringo)

All,

I can date the photo of the Cottonwood Creek Bridge to 1961-62.  The reason is who is in the photo.  My sister graduated from RHS in 1962.  A month later she moved to Holland.  That was one of the last photos of her taken while she still lived in Texas.  The next time she was in the US I was 21 years old.  I am pretty sure it is late winter or very early spring by the leafless trees in the photo.  So my guess is it is February-March of 1962 (possibly January).  I think I took the photo with my then new camera, a Brownie Starmite.  I took that same camera to Holland when I visited her and the rest of my mother's family the summer of 1962 just prior to my starting 7th grade in the fall.  My parents sold the house on Newberry Drive while my mother and I were in Holland that summer.  We moved in early September to Greenway Drive in Richardson.

Lowell Tuttle

San, of course, we started 7th grade in 1963.   11 22 63 was 7th grade.

Sandra Spieker (Ringo)

Lowell,

Youi are correct.  My bad.  OK.  She graduated in 1962.  I am pretty sure she moved out in 1962.  Must have been a year later that we visited her in the summer of 1963.   That does date the photo 1962.  I must be losing it. 

Edited to add this:

This is really bugging me.  I think I will dig out the old joint passport my mother and I had when we traveled to Holland the first time.  That would date the trip.  I thought I had it all straight in my mind this morning and you really boggled my mind Lowell!  Sheesh.  I know I am getting old now for sure.

Lowell Tuttle

As you told me the other day, it is common for seniors to have floaters...

I guess it is common to have mind floaters.

Sandra Spieker (Ringo)

So I went digging to find the passport and instead found these two photos with some dates:

First is the Cottonwood Creek Dam and this one had a date on the back, June 1961.  I am seen feeding the ducks.  Nice memory!

Next picture is of what a am pretty sure is the creek in September of 1956. 

I also found numerous photos of my first trip to Holland which was the summer of 1963, just before 7th grade.  We traveled in July.

Sandra Spieker (Ringo)

The second photo reminded me of how I used to get chigger bites near that creek.  Lots of them, and using Chigger-rid, which did nothing to help.

David Cordell

Is it possible that the dam under the bridge on Newberry went out as a result of Hurricane Carla? That was in fifh grade -- September 1961. I have a clear memory of my father driving me to school one morning during Carla. We were on Newberry near the Hubers' house and I had never seen it rain so hard.

Martha lived in Bay City, 25 miles from the coast, and the eye of Carla went right over her house. Her brother-in-law, who was 38 years older than Martha, was bureau chief for the Associated Press, and their reporting team operated out of Martha's house.