JUST AS A SIDE REMARK, IF YOU WANT AN MPEG
OR A MP3 AUDIO CLIP OF THE YOU-TUBE BELOW, JUST E-MAIL ME.

THERE IS A GOOD REASON FOR A PAGE JUST ON THIS TOPIC.
IT'S FUNNY, HOW SOME THINGS YOU SAW AS A CHILD BECOME THE
TRIGGER "ICON" FOR LOTS OF WARM-FUZZY MEMORIES :)

SEE, I WAS BORN IN 1959 WHICH MEANS BY THE TIME THE 60'S WERE
ABOUT ENDING, CURRENT TRENDS WERE STILL BASED AROUND
MUCH OF THE 50'S IDEAS OF ADULT RECREATION.

BARS WERE MOSTLY "LOUNGES"
AND TOOK A WHOLE OTHER APPROACH TOWARDS
THEIR FURNISHINGS AND HOW THE WHOLE THING
WAS SET UP FOR CUSTOMERS.

EMPHASIS WAS ON L-O-U-N-G-I-N-G
SO THEY WERE AS COMFY AS YOUR OWN
LIVING ROOM OR REC-ROOMS AT HOME.

*MORE ON THAT IN OTHER AREAS, AND LATER
IN THESE PAGES, CONCERNING MY DAD, WHO
DETAILED OUR WHOLE (LARGE) BASEMENT AS
A PRIVATE BAR AND LOUNGE.

BUT THE REASON THIS IMAGE AND THIS BEAR AND JINGLE
IS SUCH A "WARM FUZZIE" MEMORY FOR ME, COMES FROM A
LITTLE BOY (ME) FOLLOWING HIS DAD AROUND,
AND THAT DEAR MAN, TRYING TO ACCOMIDATE
ME, NO MATTER WHERE HE WAS.

MY GREAT-GRANDPA LEO, MY GRANDPA EARL, AND MY DAD (WILLIAM),
WERE ALL MEMBERS OF THE "KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS".
AND TO HAVE 3 LIVING GENERATIONS ALL
MEMBERS AT THE SAME TIME
IS PRETTY UNIQUE!

AS SUCH, MEMBERS VOLUNTEER THEIR TIME FOR DUTIES, ONE OF WHICH,
IS BARTENDING AT THE PRIVATE CLUB BAR FOR
THE KNIGHTS HALL.

IT WAS PRIVATE AND YOU COULD NOT COME IN, BUT FOR BEING A "KNIGHT"
IT WAS DONE UP LOUNGE STYLE WITH BIG PADDED CHAIRS
AT THE TABLES AND THOSE BIG-ASSED BAR STOOLS THAT, ALSO,
HAD LARGE PADDED BACKS TO THEM - AND
THE BIG TV IN THE CORNER, ALWAYS ON.

SO, DAD WAS ALWAYS KIND AND NEVER MINDED LITTLE ME
TAGGING AFTER HIM TO THE HALL AND KEPT ME
IN FREE NIBBLE SNACKS AND GLASSES OF SODA,
WHILE I TOOK IN THE ROOM - SEEING THESE GUYS ALL
LOUNGING BACK AND TALKING OR JOKING QUIETLY,
AND EVERYONE WAS ALWAYS NICE TO ME.

IT MADE ME FEEL SO GROWN UP FOR MY AGE, AND,
THAT MY DAD DIDN'T MIND AND WELCOMED ME HEARTILY
EVEN THOUGH HE WAS BUSY - YOU CAN'T VALUE THAT ENOUGH!

AND ALL THE BAR SIGNS AND NEON BAR LIGHTS, AND THE
LIGHT IN THE SIGNS THAT MAKE IT LOOK LIKE A REAL
WATERFALL IN THE SIGN, AND THE T.V. - RUNNING THIS AD.

THAT PLACE, AND IN THE COMPANY OF MY FATHER, MADE FOR IT'S
OWN LITTLE WONDERLAND EACH TIME I STOPPED DOWN
TO VISIT HIM - AND HE NEVER (!) ACTED LIKE I WAS
A BOTHER, EVEN WHEN HE WAS BUSY.


THANKS DAD, YOU ARE GREAT AND I LOVE YOU,
AND MAYBE SOMEDAY I'LL SHOW YOU THIS PAGE SO YOU KNOW
HOW SUCH A LITTLE THING TO YOU, WAS SUCH,
A BIG THING TO ME.