homepage Forums Air Combat & Civil Aviation Battle of Britain + Battle of Britain II Here's what happened (Continued)

Folks,

I woke and looked out the curtains this frosty morn. A few lines from that well known Christmas poem came instantly to mind. Below me the earth was all white once again. This time it was not snow but rather frost that covered the lawn and road beyond. We had a cold night. To be such a big storm the snow came and went quite fast. It was gone before I could unroll my snowman blue print. I never threw a single snowball. OK, I wasn't hit by one either.

Our sky is mostly sunny today and the temp at 11:30 is a warmer 36 ° F. / 2° C.

T'is the season best of all for memories me thinks. Odd how certain aromas can bring on a flood of memories. This morning from my steamy and enhanced bowl of oatmeal wafted the distinct aroma of hot, fresh pooped theater popcorn. I have never noticed that before. Maybe it was the raw honey or one of the other ingredients. It might have been the oatmeal itself?

Anyway thoughts of the old Center Theater in my hometown came readily to mind. That was once the "A" theater and finest in the area. IMHO if it were still in operation it still would be. Those multiplexes have loads of screens but totally lack the ambiance of movie palaces like the old Center Theater of the 40's through the 60's. These only had one screen but who needed more back then? I could only watch one date and one movie at a time.

The architecture of the Center Theater in the days when westerns were all the rage was distinctly south western. The walls were draped and between these gilded faux balconies surrounded the audience on either side. You could imagine lovely Spanish señoritas gazing down and flirting with their fans in the shadows of those balconies. Above you really twinkled a myriad of stars which shown down from a dark blue sky.

The carpet was rich and thick and the seats comfortable. I spent many happy hours there as I grew up. Back then, kids could safely ride their bikes or walk from their homes to the theater on Saturdays. There were always special shows for kids on Saturday mornings.

I sat there over my bowl inhaling the salty sweet aroma of yesteryear. Thoughts of exciting movies, lovely dates, some of whose names I can barely recall. Other's names and more came rushing nostalgically to my searching mind. All brief romances that had added spice to growing up a healthy boy in the south. I remembered seeing movies there with my dad on the very special days when he was home from his ship. All that and more form preparing a simple bowl of oatmeal. I got my monies worth from my breakfast this morning.

A photo of the Center Theater is attached. Click on it for a larger view. Note the first movie made in 3D is showing according to the Marque. I'd guess that places the photo in the 1950's.

I never saw that film. The first 3D film I saw was "The Wax Museum". The next was a western. I cannot remember the title. I do remember that when an Indian stuck a burning brand right in my face I dropped my popcorn and my date tried to run away. I calmed her down but my own heart was racing too.