We knew we wanted that dried, crystal flaked chocolate but not nearly as much as the FLAV'R straws that were sold in vanilla, strawberry or chocolate. Brought to you by Wheaties or maybe Ovaltine. CISCO would then ride off into the sunset with PANCHO to another adventure. The bad guys would fall in the dirt and be surrounded by townsfolk who hailed the conquering hero. CiSCO shot many bad guys but never drew blood. The CISCO KID and his trusted side-kick PANCHO (all the heroes had side-kicks). We learned cowboys never ran out of bullets from the TV shows we watched. Not too different from our cowboy games in the front yard. Joe would infiltrate the enemy lines, taking out a dozen "reds" with his rifle and bayonet. Our comic books were often about super heroes saving the day against villains. It was certainly an established tradition of the pecking order of families in our neighborhood. Why we considered punching games in those days may be an inherent trait of humans needing to dominate other humans. The game included any form of gas so burps were fair game for a smack too. Possibly for the assault on his "old factory senses". Somehow, at least with my brother, being first to yell did not seem to matter. If you yelled out "Van slugs", before they could yell out "slugs" you would be exempt from a punch in the arm. Not too dissimilar to the game of passing audible gas next to your friend or brother. I'm not sure how that game got started but I suspect it was an older brother or taller friend who needed an excuse to gain a chance for a "free" wallop on the arm of the loser. If it was a LUCKY STRIKE (LSMFT) (Lucky Strike Means Fine Tobacco) the first one to stomp on the pack would be allowed to punch the other. When spied, crumpled or just plain flat in the dirt and rocks, we would count them, hoping to have counted the higher number before we reached the store. oh how I disliked that.īy far the most important part of our walking travels were the empty cigarette packs on the side of the road. Mom sometimes asked us to bring back a HEATH bar. My brother liked SUGAR DADDY candy because it lasted longer and came on a stick that kept your fingers clean. We liked the LOOK bar with the dark chocolate over sticky white taffy. We went there for the licorice, candy and balsa wood airplanes you could wind up a rubber band to fly. The store had the usual milk, bread and eggs. It was very European (I think now but was actually clueless then). Shopkeepers likely lived above their shops in those days. The Salmon Creek grocery was nestled into the corner of a row of businesses with tenements above. You certainly cannot get a ride that way. We also had to walk WITH the traffic rather than the suggested AGAINST the traffic for safety reasons. I did not know you had to walk backwards while extending your arm. I tried thumbing a ride alone but must not have had the technique quite right. Thumbing was dangerous even then and we knew it was better to travel together rather than alone. A man gave us a lift no more than 1/2 mile up Ambaum Blvd before we asked him to drop us off. Not because we needed one but because we wanted one. From the age of 11 to 15, living near Salmon Creek, I often walked with my brother to the small grocery store about a mile from our house.
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