Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Day Is Done

Here's another photograph that's found a bit off the beaten track. Search off of Canco Road and you'll find them. Sort of at parade rest, these trailers look to be done for the day, so to speak. I always anticipated spring. Why? Many reasons, but most of all, TaDa! new sneakers, of course! My brother and I got a new pair of PF Flyers or Red Ball Jets each spring. I had the entire summer to run them into the ground, and I usually did. Toes making an encore right out the sides! Heard of a '3 dog night'? Well some Julys and Augusts were '2 pair summers'. When the old feet were really pushing the limits'... of the fabric and Mom's patience with her growing tykes that is. I never wore socks and this created another problem that Mom recognized fast. Because I was constantly on the go: soaking my feet in swamp water on our quest for frogs, sliding into the dusty, dirt at home plate or riding my bike for hours on end it seemed, I suffered terribly from that dreaded 'summer boyhood disease': smelly sneakers. I had it so bad I had to put my sneakers on the open window sill at night to allow the cooling breezes to remedy the situation. When the gang slept out in our tents, as we often did, my shoes remained outside. They were rancid! To tell you the truth, I don't know if any of the other guys were afflicted with this disease, but I was and it wasn't that humorous. I'm better at handling this problem now. When the day is done, my work shoes remain in the garage or off to the side of the deck. Experience is the great teacher!
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22 comments:

  1. brattcatJuly 13, 2011 at 8:17 AM

    oh, birdman, i LOVE this post. it makes me want to run and leap and land back in the long delicious days of childhood summers. Thank you for taking us back there!!!!!

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  2. KaoriJuly 13, 2011 at 8:37 AM

    I think smelly sneakers is a given for young adventurous boys ;D

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  3. LynetteJuly 13, 2011 at 8:41 AM

    You know this is brilliant. And I was so glad to have learned about tightly stuffing my sons' leather soccer shoes with wadded newspaper so that they would dry and not become moldy. I cannot remember their every day shoes smelling from their active play, but I was so worried about those leather ones getting moldy from wet, muddy soccer play.

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  4. SharonJuly 13, 2011 at 9:01 AM

    What a great memory this is! Smelly, but great!

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  5. PerthDailyPhotoJuly 13, 2011 at 9:05 AM

    It's a common problem with sons, smelly sneakers, come to think of it , daughters too!! Fabulous post Birdman..

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  6. magiceyeJuly 13, 2011 at 9:24 AM

    :) lovely post!!

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  7. Sharon CreechJuly 13, 2011 at 9:29 AM

    When my daughter suggested that my granddaughter stuff newspapers into her sneakers to get rid of the stink, my granddaughter said, "So do I keep the newspapers in there when I wear them?"

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  8. Sharon CreechJuly 13, 2011 at 9:30 AM

    P. S. I'm still puzzling over how those trailers led you to remembering sneakers . . .

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  9. BirdmanJuly 13, 2011 at 10:25 AM

    I was even thinking that too SC. My brain just hop-scotches all over the place once it gets rolling.

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  10. Doug HickokJuly 13, 2011 at 10:32 AM

    Ha, yes, smelly sneakers. I remember that all too well. Those days of summer, playing seemingly non-stop, and the abuse my shoes took :^)

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  11. EG CameraGirlJuly 13, 2011 at 10:37 AM

    You learned a very important lesson about smelly feet in your childhood. :))

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  12. ReenaJuly 13, 2011 at 11:03 AM

    Oh, I remember the days of my son's smelly sneakers ... Yuck! I was always fighting for them to put their shoes on instead of running around outside in their socks!
    Great post!

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  13. Irredento UrbanitaJuly 13, 2011 at 11:04 AM

    A story behind a story.

    Regards

    Valery

    Barcelona Daily Photo

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  14. Montreal Photo DailyJuly 13, 2011 at 12:27 PM

    We'll take the good and the bad.
    Have a happy Wednesday, Birdman!

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  15. cieldequimperJuly 13, 2011 at 1:36 PM

    I love this and yesterday's post. Ah... where are my OLD sneakers?

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  16. RedPatJuly 13, 2011 at 2:06 PM

    It's amazing how summer lasted so long in those days! Another great tale.

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  17. VPJuly 13, 2011 at 2:22 PM

    This is another situation that was not very different here!

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  18. ElenkaJuly 13, 2011 at 9:06 PM

    Yeah, his sneaks reside outside in the summer. However, if it starts to rain, in my little mind, I, myself, would bring them inside....somewhere.....
    But, no, outside they stay, rain or shine. I don't know. I wear sandals.

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  19. Genie -- Paris and BeyondJuly 13, 2011 at 9:12 PM

    Bird, this is another priceless story, and I think that there is still a child inside of you (very close to the surface). Who else could write a post about "smelly sneakers" and show a photo of semi-trailers???

    Bises,
    Genie

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  20. Folkways Note BookJuly 13, 2011 at 9:12 PM

    Well, I thought most boys had smelly feet. but so what -- all kids should walk in swamps and play a tough game of baseball. --- barbara

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  21. JackJuly 13, 2011 at 9:38 PM

    And all this time I thought I must have been a mutant, with the only smelly feet in small town Massachusetts. You could have spared me a lot of guilt and therapy if you had told me that all boys' sneakers smell.

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  22. RandyJuly 13, 2011 at 11:18 PM

    I remember my PF Flyers!

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