Monthly Archives: August 2012

Old-Timey Tuesday: McDonald’s Playplace

Posted on August 28, 2012 | Leave a comment

The McDonald’s on Roswell Road near Wieuca, Atlanta, November 1984

My previous post of a photo from this day got such a great response that I felt like I should round out the set of tiny, tubby Kathleen in a full Mickey Mouse sweatsuit (with contrast piping — so hip) making amusing faces. Anyone who has known me for any amount of time knows that the face I’m making in the second photo means I am concentrating VERY HARD on the task at hand — staying upright. Pretty much everyone in my family has a similar version of that face. Variations on a theme (of sticking out one’s tongue to increase focus).

I love the old-school McDonald’s playgrounds. I don’t remember the Grimace cage being quite so scary as it is on this site that documents Playlands of yore, but I do remember quite a few of these playset pieces from back in the day. I’ve definitely recently seen a faded old Chief Big Mac chillin’ in a yard near the Braves stadium — I should go check it out and take pictures.

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Posted in Atlanta, family, kitsch, Old-Timey Tuesday, style

Old-Timey Tuesday: Shootin’ the Hooch

Posted on August 21, 2012 | Leave a comment

Atlanta, Georgia, July 2002

Floating down the Chattahoochee River, also known as “shooting the ‘Hooch,” is a beloved summer pastime here in Atlanta. Basically, you round up some buddies, rent a massive raft, take a cooler full of beer along and drift down the river for a couple hours. (Canoes are an acceptable alternative for smaller outings.) On sunny, not-too-hot weekends the river is slammed with ‘Hooch shooters, kayakers and even some fishermen (who surely must land the occasional three-eyed fish).

This was taken the summer after my freshman year of college — ten years ago now — which was one of those rare summers when many, if not most, people from high school were back home for the break. Here we are attempting to deflate the raft at the end of our journey. (I’m in the middle back with the old-man fishing hat on.) Ah, to be a summering college student again…

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Posted in Atlanta, friends who blog, nostalgia, Old-Timey Tuesday, things southern

Old-Timey Tuesdnesday: Snapshots from Maine

Posted on August 15, 2012 | 1 Comment

Castine, Maine, July 2007; Cape Elizabeth, Maine, August 2012

Well folks, what can I say? It’s been a crazy few weeks, with back-to-back long weekends in South Carolina and Maine and a massive deadline at work. But I’m back! (And better than ever? Hmm…)

Since I managed to miss last week old-timey post, here’s a bonus set from a few days later in July 2007 (on our way to South Carolina from Maine):

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Posted in family, kitsch, lowbrow, nostalgia, Old-Timey Tuesday, travel