Memba' These????

[Terre]

My grandmother was a programmer at Sandia National Labs in the 70s and would bring home old tapes that were green on one side and gold on the other to use for Christmas decorations.

 

[eclark1894]

When we use to break our skates, or lose the key, or whatever, we used to do this. We had this wicked hill too.
This was long before I ever even knew there were manufactured skateboards. For the longest time, I thought someone had stolen our idea and made money off of it.

 

[Terre]

Good use for those wheels.

 

[Bonnie2001]

....This was long before I ever even knew there were manufactured skateboards. For the longest time, I thought someone had stolen our idea and made money off of it.

I wouldn't be surprised if that's exactly what happened Earl.

 

[eclark1894]

I wouldn't be surprised if that's exactly what happened Earl.

Well, I was just being facetious, Bonnie. First of all, we didn't invent the idea. From what I've learned the first skateboards actually came out around 1963. I would have been around 5. I didn't even learn to skate until I was around 8 or 9. First pair of skates I ever owned were similar to these.

 

[robert952]

Well, I was just being facetious, Bonnie. First of all, we didn't invent the idea. From what I've learned the first skateboards actually came out around 1963. I would have been around 5. I didn't even learn to skate until I was around 8 or 9. First pair of skates I ever owned were similar to these.

QUOTE]
Ah... I think it was mid-60's when I took my sister's skates like the one's pictured above. ("She wasn't using them... she said I could have them, Mom".) and a 2 X 4 (Dad didn't any thing thinner in the scrap pile) and created my first (and last) skateboard. When you hit a rock or other minor road debris with those narrow steel wheels your skateboard stopped. You, on the other hand, didn't. Several painful lessons around Newton's first law of motion.

 

[eclark1894]

Yep, took that lesson several times.

 

[carmen indorato]

Well, I was just being facetious, Bonnie. First of all, we didn't invent the idea. From what I've learned the first skateboards actually came out around 1963. I would have been around 5. I didn't even learn to skate until I was around 8 or 9. First pair of skates I ever owned were similar to these.

Yep had these too. Wish I had kept them. Before I threw them away (I was out of college) I mounted them to a piece of plywood and used that to move heavy equipment around my studio. I got mocked so bad it em-bare-assed me into finally throwing them out.

 

[Desertsilver]

I always loved the sound of a rotary mower!

This thread reminds me of when i had my girls at a garage sale. they were so excited to find an old record player, one yelled "look mom, we found a pizza maker!"

Medieval torture device.

 

[carmen indorato]

I always loved the sound of a rotary mower!

This thread reminds me of when i had my girls at a garage sale. they were so excited to find an old record player, one yelled "look mom, we found a pizza maker!"

Laughed real hard reading this post. Kids are great for novelty discourse. I wish our idiots in Washington made me laugh as much!
And yes I loved rotary lawn mowers. My grandfather had one and in summers I went there to get watched when off from school and did his lawn for him. Boy did i outgrow that desire quick! But loved the smell of fresh cut grass to this day. but when you had a big yard by the time you finished you had to start over agan. Nostalgia is great but takes a back seat for expediency!

 

[Desertsilver]

Laughed real hard reading this post. Kids are great for novelty discourse. I wish our idiots in Washington made me laugh as much!
And yes I loved rotary lawn mowers. My grandfather had one and in summers I went there to get watched when off from school and did his lawn for him. Boy did i outgrow that desire quick! But loved the smell of fresh cut grass to this day. but when you had a big yard by the time you finished you had to start over agan. Nostalgia is great but takes a back seat for expediency!

So interesting that you brought up that magical smell of fresh cut grass. I loved that smell. Never smell it out here- not sure if it is because all we have is bermuda or if the rotary mowers just cut diffeently and brought out that scent

 

[Terre]

Sounds like the smell I'm used to with the bermuda is different from other kinds. I haven't been around a lawn with any other kind of grass since I was 4 so I thought they all smelled the same.
Which reminds me of a friend here. He doesn't like bermuda and wants to replace it with something else but I suspect what he wants to use wouldn't do well in the summer sun in this part of the country.

 

[robert952]

Sounds like the smell I'm used to with the bermuda is different from other kinds. I haven't been around a lawn with any other kind of grass since I was 4 so I thought they all smelled the same.
Which reminds me of a friend here. He doesn't like bermuda and wants to replace it with something else but I suspect what he wants to use wouldn't do well in the summer sun in this part of the country.

I prefer a bermuda as it can go longer between mowing without looking too shabby. It does go dormant in the winter (looks dead, turns brown) even here in North Carolina. But then when Mar comes around, Spring is here - it turns green and the cycle life continues! Bermuda I have doesn't like shade... so where a couple of trees have matured (30 plus years), no grass under their canopy. Oh well, less to mow.

 

[eclark1894]

I made the mistake of trying to cut some Kentucky Bluegrass with a push mower once. All I think I did was to annoy it.

 

[carmen indorato]

Sounds like the smell I'm used to with the bermuda is different from other kinds. I haven't been around a lawn with any other kind of grass since I was 4 so I thought they all smelled the same.
Which reminds me of a friend here. He doesn't like bermuda and wants to replace it with something else but I suspect what he wants to use wouldn't do well in the summer sun in this part of the country.

I remember a few years ago I read that Arizona was prohibiting residents from planting the Kentucy blie grass from back east in their yards there because of the incredible need for more water use it required to live. It was said, if I remeber correctly, to just plant instead green colored stones or local scrub grass. Where do you folks live and what is Bermuda?

 

[eclark1894]

I live in North Carolina. In this instance, Bermuda is a type of grass people plant in their yards.

 

[Terre]

I'm in New Mexico and, yes, Bermuda is a type of grass. The only one I see around here where people actually want lawns. Native grasses are bunch types rather than ground cover.
ETA: While Kentucky Blue can be legally planted in NM it is strongly suggested that it only be used in the cooler parts of the state. Mostly the on borders. I think mostly Northern and Western as East Central where I am is NOT one of the cooler parts.

 

[Desertsilver]

Here in the Phoenix area, Bermuda is the summer grass of choice- it laughs at the heat. Many people overseed it with Winter Ryegrass ( literally plant the rye seed on top of a scalped Bermuda lawn ) to have a lush green lawn all winter.

I personally would rather see lawns out here only where people are actually playing sports on them, or dog parks and such. The amount of fertilizer, pesticide and water dumped on the average homeowners lawn is sickening. Meanwhile our native birds, bees, bats, butterflies and insects are suffering. And a native garden, planned well- is not only beautiful, but healthy and smells wonderful... But the HOA' s around here love non native grass, and Roundup. Many will not even allow beautiful and well maintained natives like brittlebush, creosote and globe mallows to be planted. I used to be a manager for a garden shop- but due to the above- it was just too depressing-

 

[Desertsilver]

@ Terre, Have your friend call your local Agricultural Extension office. They will be able to go over what grasses do well in your area and usually have tons of info on exactly how and when to plant and water.

 

[Hornet3d]

Here in the Phoenix area, Bermuda is the summer grass of choice- it laughs at the heat. Many people overseed it with Winter Ryegrass ( literally plant the rye seed on top of a scalped Bermuda lawn ) to have a lush green lawn all winter.

I personally would rather see lawns out here only where people are actually playing sports on them, or dog parks and such. The amount of fertilizer, pesticide and water dumped on the average homeowners lawn is sickening. Meanwhile our native birds, bees, bats, butterflies and insects are suffering. And a native garden, planned well- is not only beautiful, but healthy and smells wonderful... But the HOA' s around here love non native grass, and Roundup. Many will not even allow beautiful and well maintained natives like brittlebush, creosote and globe mallows to be planted. I used to be a manager for a garden shop- but due to the above- it was just too depressing-

I am not into lawns and I have a similar concerns to yours so the end result was I dug up out lawn many moons ago in both back and front gardens. Luckily we do not have children so no need for a play area. Instead of lawn our garden is planted with various plants that are easy to maintain but encourage bees and butterflies while a pond helps support other wildlife. Not only do I not have the chore of cutting the lawn it is great to see the wildlife that comes into the garden. With the use of heathers and plants with different flowering seasons there is colour in the garden for most months in the year and the selection also means there is a lot of green all year around.