Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me

KU Spring 1947
KU Spring 1947

Was this the designated kissing spot? Out in plain view, for all the world to see? There must have been some mistletoe in the vicinity. Actually, this couple was getting “officially pinned.”

Time’s up! Couple number two, take your turn.

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Once the war was over, they started making up for lost time. The lifted left foot is always a nice touch.

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This next couple somehow missed the mark.  Practice makes perfect!

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Invitation To Repose

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We passed this house on Saturday, in an older part of a nearby town. And while I realize its closets are probably small, and the bathrooms lack garden tubs, and the pantry could not fit a twin bed like ours can, and the hardwood floors probably squeak–I sure do covet that double-tiered wraparound porch. It almost demands that one saunter out to it, master of all you survey. What a joy to be headmistress of all you survey!

Sitting out there, sipping lemonade, thumbing through Southern Living magazines, waving to my neighbors–sounds peaceful. I would turn my ear to the melody of the ice cream truck, and it would stop just shy of my property, and children would race to catch it. They would pay $4 for a fudge bomb, and that would put me on edge. Perhaps I would rise from my rocker and raise my shaking cane at the man and his avarice. I would curse him and his dairy products. He would ignore me because I am old, and old people are invisible.

Wait, this isn’t turning out how I had hoped it would.

 

 

Dimes Day, Not Doomsday

Cactus 1955
Cactus 1955

That’s an inviting look Lady Cashier is sharing with young Anson, no? The touch of her fingertips against his calloused palm is almost more than she can process.

And speaking of looks, check out the glare on Lady Flamenco in the Carmen Miranda knockoff.

Cactus 55
Cactus 55

Perhaps her date ditched her before the clock chimed midnight? I think that’s he on the toilet in the corner. Either way, she’s got John Turturro within grabbing distance, wearing touchably soft trousers, thirsty for punch. Time to make your move, Private Dancer. Game on.

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No, Virginia, There Were No Rules In 1978

Foolish college boys celebrating victory against OU (University of Oklahoma)
Foolish college boys celebrating victory against OU (University of Oklahoma)

During the 1977 University of Texas football season, the drinking age was 18, probably because boys that age were asked to die in Vietnam. But let’s wrap our heads around that. High school seniors graduating across the country TOMORROW would legally be able to go get LIT tonight. At a bar. Yes, selfie-taking teenagers. The ones who text and drive. The ones who were born in 1996, the year George Burns turned 100. You think they would make it to 100, car-surfing past the Incidentals Market like these dolts?

Alas, we forget how foolish we were in our salad days. This is what it felt like to be young, male, and jubilant in 1978.

Celebrating OU defeat
Celebrating OU defeat

Were there no seatbelt laws then? Because it appears they may have failed to Click It or Ticket. I can’t fathom why, but the drinking age was raised to 19 in 1979, and further raised to 21 in 1984. And there it shall stay. And there it SHOULD stay. Egads!

 

Austin In A Nutshell

The more things change, the more they stay the same (except now you’re not allowed to light a cigarette within twenty yards of Austin). This shot from 1978 was taken on The Drag, a strip on Guadalupe Street, across from the University of Texas. Cowboys vs. Dragrats? Some pictures just demand to be resurrected from the closed pages of ancient yearbooks.

The Drag, 1978
The Drag, 1978 (published in ’78 Cactus)

 

Blowing In The Wind

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In case you didn’t know, the Denton High School marching band is awesome. Their jersey shirts tell you so.

Hard work, perseverance, and dedication will take this band all the way to state. It doesn’t hurt that Alan can really blow. Bronco85016

Jill and Dana are just happy to have an excuse to skip family Uno night each Friday. Jill gets her rebellion on by donning the purple eye shadow that Mom says makes her look like a Runaround Sue, and Dana has splashed her entire being with Jean Nate in an effort to entice Alan. And after the game, it’s endless Capri Suns and Fritos with bean dip!

Bronco85015If Alan is oblivious as usual, maybe she can spark some interest from Josh. Who wouldn’t want to be around Josh, when his enthusiasm is so palpable?

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All Hail The Dork King

Hear ye, hear ye! All ye dweebs and jocks, preppies and new-wavers! All hail the dork king, astride his steed (which resembles a dragon, an homage to his Dungeons and Dragons skills).

1985 DHS
1985 DHS

I played my drum for Him, pa rum pum pum pum.

Bronco85021The crowd goes nuts! A damsel with a parasol tosses Brach’s candies as a sign of support for the new regime!

Bronco85022Competition to be his queen is fierce! Tammy gives him a wink while shamelessly putting her crafty crepe paper skills on display. bronco85023

Bonnie Tyler lyrics run through her head. She can hardly keep her wits about her.

Isn’t there a white knight upon a fiery steed?
Late at night I toss and turn and dream of what I need!

Not to be outdone, Travis plunges through her crepe paper mayhem, as though lassoed by her wiles. bronco85024

No need to hold out for a hero any longer, Tammy! I am here with my hairless chest and my peachfuzz ‘stache at your command!

Whom shall she choose?