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Materene

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Everything posted by Materene

  1. Small world cause I also stayed there in Porter for a while, there was a trailer lot way back off the highway on that first back road that went back to the highway, you could buy a trailer and a good sized lot for 5 grand, lots of trees to cut but property was cheap then. Much later I lived in Conroe and drove that back way through porter to the 59, I drove all the way to River Oaks Chysler where I was working at the time. You remember that bad storm in 82 that dropped all the trees for 50 square miles, I got up that morning at 5 as usual because I had to leave early to get to work and the storm was just easing by Conroe and it actually missed us, but let me tell you one mile outta conroe it missed nothing, even the freeway signs on 59 were all down on the freeways, it looked like a combat zone there wasn't many trees that weren't damaged, they say it was a pack of tornadoes, I believe it. The fog was so bad I finally gave up and moved, just could see killing myself for nothing.
  2. I'm old I admit it but I really thought it was the Winchester at Chimney Rock & Westheimer and Fools Gold was actually in Spring Branch off old Hempstead Hwy over the RR tracks, I need a memory bump. Never made it to Moe and Joe's but I remember when they built it, I had to plan my clubbing so I could drive home before I passed out and that was a bit of a far drive for me. I tried making the old 59 club a few times to meet up with friends that lived out in New Caney and about, that was a terrible drive at 2:30am , on the way there a Wild Turkey was riding with me but on the way home it was dead and couldn't talk anymore! lol
  3. Seriously http://www.viddler.com/explore/sn00ze/videos/36/
  4. Absolutely, I left Houston in 82 and have only been home for short times, I don't like the change that has taken place and I'm still undecided as to where I want to be buried. My roots call for me to come home but all my close family is in a little Baptist Church cemetery in Big Cane La, I guess in the end it don't really matter. Nothing ever stays the same and change comes in every corner of the world. You guy's sure made some good music and I can tell you all of us sure enjoyed it, that was why all those clubs were so successful. Thanks for all the information it was very enlightening, Kelly from the looks of his photos still looks young and I know he'll be performing til he drops.
  5. I know all those spots, sure wish there was some photos of The Wells Fargo, I did go to the Desperadoes one time and after the place closed I was sitting there in my truck with my girl friend , some idiot came out and started shooting his pistol in the air! I don't think I ever went back. Do you remember a club on the North side that was old as dirt and you weren't allowed to wear a hat, I can't remember the name of that one because I was only there long enough for them to tell me to remove my hat, I left. My good friends went in anyway but it seemed a little odd to me, man if they could see the world today wearing a hat at a country western club seems pretty unimportant to me. I spoke with someone about that old 59 club and was told that after all the illegals started going there they just got tired of the fights and shut it down, after all those years.
  6. I remember there was a club that was called The Cellar!, in 1967 while stationed in Alvarado Texas we would go to the Cellar there in Fort Worth, this was the first one I'm sure the Houston one came much later. Since I never cared for that type of club I never went to the one in Houston. I never heard the name of this club Rembrandt's.
  7. I'm sad to see all of them go, but then I'm also happy to say I've been in every one of those. The Majestic was one of a kind and in the very early 50's I saw a lot of first run Westerns, they seemed to be the most popular at the time. I don't remember the name of the place but there was a restaurant with a buffet similar to FIRs , after the movie my Grandmother would always walk there with me hand in hand and have a late lunch before catching the bus home. Just can't replace memories like that.
  8. Must be getting oldtimers, living on the corner of Gears Road and Airline in 72 I can't remember seeing that cemetery until the later 70's when all the new work was under construction and I was thinking this was when it was built. In 72 there was still fenced cattle all down Airline all the way to 1960. Thanks for the information I learned something.
  9. You think he might have found it hard to drive wearing those spurs!
  10. I have almost everything Johnny Bush recorded, even through his bad years when his voice was really bad. I'll start moving them to kiwi6 and give you the links, you can listen or download them. Airline and the whole North side changed so much in a short 20 years it is unrecognizable to me, I worked there on 45 for years at McMahon Chevrolet, left the cars for a long time and started welding for a living. Then after I figured out how much damage I was doing to my eyes I gave that up! Now I'm living back in Louisiana where I still have living relatives. No one left there in Houston except for a few cousins and also there in Galveston. Still in the process of deciding where I want to be buried, kinda had my mind made up that I would want to be home there in the VA cemetery on Stubner Airline. Lived out there in 72 before it was even there! Well I'll get some Bush uploaded and let you know when I do.
  11. I think I spent more time in Wells Fargo, later in the mid 70's I started going to a few other good places like the Winchester and also The Yellow Rose, heck even went out to the Breezeway a few times. Kelly Schoppa I think was the best all round stage singer and entertainer his music was just different. Randy played the Wells Fargo a lot in 74 and 75 and I hate to hear his health isn't good. Well Dance Town was around for so many years who hasn't been there at least once, I liked the 59 club because of the BYOB but that long drive home was a killer. It's sad all the great night life is gone but that's life, new people and new places and new taste. Never cared too much for Roy Head's music just didn't do it for me. My best lifetime friend loved all Roy Heads recordings, give me the western swing. If you want a good link to great country radio try this one. There is a lot of non music after hours and during football season because this is Seymore Texas and a very family oriented radio station, but if you tune in during the day you will hear nothing but stuff we once listened to. http://www.radioksey.com/ Glad you took the time to sign up, with this many topics you are likely to find one you can relate to. I wish I could find some pictures of the old downtown Mike Persia dealership before all that property was demolished and the new Houston built on top of. I worked there for a while and there just don't seem to be any information on it.
  12. There were a lot of rail lines in the city prior to the 70's, it was around then the rail road started a massive under taking of taking up most lines that were no longer used. Texas was a major agriculture hot spot with cotton being the most well known crop and every small Texas Town had a spur that actually had a rail depot. Now all those lines were taken up and re used or stored. I predict one of these years you will see them going down again due to fuel cost. The rail road was the most used shipping alternative to bring goods to Houston, not to mention rail travel was used more than any other source. We had a beautiful Rail Station at one time. That line on I-10 was a pain when you hit it just right and sat there for ever, same with the 290 track which was much more used than today.
  13. The census from 2009 says there are 2.25 million souls in Houston, how many cars per household is unknown but I don't think Red Lights are the answer at this stage. I was in New York City in 1966 and no one there owned a car, there wasn't any place to park one!. Even if you lived in a place like Queens or Brooklyn there still was no place to park a car. Subways were always the answer for anyone living in New York or the suburbs. Not feasible here of course, I think the ground is too wet, more important the money isn't there and if they started construction of an underground network everyone on this board would already be dead by the time it was finished. Seems to me one of these days licensing of vehicles will take an extreme turn around and there will be severe restrictions on how many a household can have. Sound far fetched? The new freeway system is already out dated, and why did they elect to leave it at one elevation, why not triple tier so traffic passing through Houston can get on the top tier and just go completely through without any stopping. One day you will see the toll roads opened to all traffic which it should have been from the very beginning. Tax me to build it then charge me to use it. For the future I see a Horse for everyone in my crystal ball, buy some open land so you can grow and sell hay, that may be the in thing 20 years down the road, no pun intended.
  14. Whoa there man, no where have I said I hated the 50's or even now, you are mis-quoting me. I was simply saying what the Heights was like in the 50's and how diverse it was and still is. Also I never said I was jealous of home owners living on the Blvd, fact of the matter is I was stating what the Blvd was in the early 1950's. The Heights is still heavily mixed with different income level owners, in my era living in the Heights you were rich if you had two TV's or an air conditioner. My views weren't meant to be used as a political speech by anyone. Issues won't change there because of a Wal-Mart nearby, there are too many people not interested in the same perception's you have. It's wonderful people like yourself are doing the renovations there's no resentment from me, I don't even live in the state any longer and certainly have no horse to ride in this or any other issue. Houston is my home and will always be my home, it's called home of record, this is where I was born and spent most of my life. Now I live in the Country and do my on thing, the nearest Wal Mart is 18 miles to one, 34 miles to another and about 40 miles to the Baton Rouge stores. Off hand I can't think of anyone I am Jealous of , except maybe that person that won the recent 350 Million PowerBall! Really I hope all of you good folks come to an agreement to serve all of your needs. I've been around the world a few times and really Evil things other than Wal-Mart are lurking.
  15. Not knowing if you were pulling my leg I took a stroll thru Hockley and behold ! there indeed is a black hole in the town of Hockley. It is located at that Stop light , I copied a picture entering it, then turned 180 and this what you see.
  16. Today I wouldn't know how to get there. After I came home 2005 I was looking for my Father in-Laws old shop on 290, he was an Electrical contractor in the 70's and the shop was there on 290 close to Bingle Road. I was shocked coming in from Austin to find the new freeway, even more shocked to see I can no longer drive down 290 to Hempstead!. One note AJ Foyts Ranch is there in Hockley, never knew that. Too many changes for me.
  17. You got it, I haven't been there since 77 so much has changed , I can remember standing across Airline and there was a big ditch !! that's where everyone usually parked on Airline. I would have sworn that was the Jack in the Box right there on West Road. The Singer was Randy Corner of course, he also played the Wells Fargo often before he built that place. It still has an imprint on the concrete at street level but it is completely gone now.
  18. Only older people like myself would remember this, but let's see if anyone on this board at some time when they were young wore Boots and a Hat. This is the corner of West Road and Airline. The Green circle is the main property that was once owned and initially developed from an empty lot, by a very famous Houston Native Country Music Star. That other small circled building was a Jack in the Box back then. Note: after looking at this photo three times I had to go back and redo it because the Fiesta Property is not the same, however this photo is at a preset height on Google Earth and at Street Level the original Property has been demolished and removed, so Google Earth is usually two years behind at certain heights. That circled building was the only property there in 76, there was no development behind it!!
  19. I was around 8 and remember Utah Carl very well, also remember he would say "Ah pick it Herbie". Some place in the back of my mind I remember a commercial with Milk Drop Mo, just can't remember if it was on his show.
  20. Just out of curiosity when did the Heights actually start this obsession with restoring old homes, and the Heights is a very big area that does not have big beautiful homes on every street. Still a mixed ethnic and working class that share these boundaries, or do people investing in these better homes want to separate themselves from the rest of the Heights. The Blvd looks wonderful with the wide streets but I got to tell you it was not like that in the 50's, nothing at all even near that. We had narrow separated traffic of the esplanade with two lanes, old cracked lumpy sidewalks that were never repaired. The new construction had long ceased in the 50's and empty lots were everywhere. In my mind there is only one picture of a historical Heights and that was the main Blvd with the rail, there wasn't that many homes on the Blvd, only the well to do lived there, it was the outskirts of the Heights that grew and became what you now see. Building codes were never strictly enforced until 40 or 45 years ago, this was the way it was. I have a hard time coming to grips with such a small group of people defining what your property should look like or what color the paint is or what ever. What's wrong with the old way, if you wanted to move up and could afford that then that's what you done. Most people wanted to move to Spring Branch 50 years ago, that was the up and coming area to be in. GAWD look at it now!
  21. Glad you like the ramblings, there are a lot of photos on my blog page, also put a little music on another entry. I'll try and get around to scanning a few black and whites this coming weekend. There are several good shots from the front of 1629 Oxford, one where my Mother and Brother and two Sisters and myself are having one of those great Hempstead Watermelons on the front lawn. In the early fifties everyone drove to Hempstead to buy watermelon, no one bought them from the stores. You could just manage to get three into the trunk of a 1955 Ford, and they were 50 cents a piece Also a Christmas picture with other family members parking out front. You know if you look at the Reagan High School now and notice where the track is located, that is not where it was in the past, yes it was on 14th running parallel with the school, it was covered with that little red peat rock, very unique. I made many a round on that track with my Schwinn , this picture is exactly the same color I got in 1958, my sister got a green girls model.
  22. Denmark is leading the way in Turbine Powered Electricity Generation, they now have about 40 to 45 percent of their total electrical generation made from Turbines. South of El Paso about a hundred miles there are thousands of these generators erected along I10. When I drove to Nevada in 94 there were none, in 2005 I came back to Houston and was amazed when I saw these things at just early daylight in a light rain, they all had red beacons on top and the first thing that came to mind was Martians This is Copenhagen Harbor, I animated it myself, kinda makes ya want to take a swim don't it...
  23. In the future someone, not us!, will see a lot of buildings with Fan generated electricity. Things just may be so bad in available energy there won't be any choice but to use what you brought, and who knows in the future people may have to drastically cut back their use of electricity and the entire face of every city will not be lit as we now see it. Candle making may make a big come back, unless someone invents electricity.
  24. I also spent a lot of time at Meyers Speedway, Freddy Friar, Ronnie Chumley, Joe Plowman, Bobby LaBonte, more than I can remember. Vita Fresh Orange Juice located on Heights Blvd and owned by Gordon Van Lieu sponsored 3 cars, the Clothes Shop also had one or two cars. AJ Foyt always sponsored a winning car there as well. My days go all the way back to Playland Park and even the North Houston Dirt Track way out there on Air Port Authority property now. The subdivisions that built around Meyers were their demise, too many complainers, just like in every aspect of our life, they knew when the bought homes there it was noisy on Saturdays. Some call it progress but if you knew what moved into the neighborhood back then your view would be different. The last time I was even near Meyers was on a Trail Ride coming back towards Town, the opposite street corner to Meyers had a large shopping center there. I remember the heated battles of Richard Petty and Bobby Allison who always would be there on the 4th of July special race. Joe Plowman was in his mid 50's in 1970 and he was living in Galveston, his car was a 71 Ford Mach 1, Holman and Moody colors of Red and White, strange I can't remember the number, I'm thinking 21, but then I'm old. Do you remember H.B Baily, he was well known local who always ran Daytona with a non sponsored Firebird, he owned a salvage yard next door to Davidson Electrical contractor, and he was a Pontiac fanatic. I did a lot of drag racing with Gregg Davidson who became a Pontiac fan because of being a neighbor to H.B.
  25. Is that old cast iron foundry still out there in Richmond?
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