A2 Monday, July 5, 2021 — DAILY REPUBLIC
Memories of family members triggered in different ways
W
hen family after he died, I was members pass on, surprised to find a toy what remains robot he got for Christare memories. mas when we were kids I remember years that was almost ago going to Lake as good as new. Berryessa with a bunch of friends from church My dad and having a great time 1. The Black Rim playing in the water, Tony Wade Gang. Back in the ’70s eating and hanging out. The last laugh at the Fairfield Church A few of us played of Christ, me and my dominoes at one of the picnic brothers would be in our Vista tables and all of a sudden it hit Cruiser station wagon waiting me that the three people who I for our parents to stop yakkin’ played bones with in the past – my brother Ken, my mom and with folks and take us to Smorga Bob’s already. Our dad my dad – were all dead. would be yukkin’ it up with a Memories can be triggered by many different things – some bunch of gentlemen that included John Gibson, Willie not so obvious. Taylor, Don Clark and others. One day we noticed that they all My brother Ken were wearing similar glasses. 1. What’s black and white We started calling them – never and read (and orange) all over? to their faces – the Black Rim My brother Ken had a black belt Gang. Well, I have now joined in annoyance. One of the things the gang. If I want to be he pioneered was waiting until reminded of my dad, I just don you were deeply invested in my specs and look reading the newspaper – back into the mirror. when you opened it up and it 2. Cold Shoes. The act of was as big as a clipper ship’s opening the refrigerator door sail – and he would come up and staring at the contents for a behind you and chuck an orange while when hungry – we’ve all at the middle of the paper. You done it, admit it – can sometimes bring back a memory of would not believe the startling my pops. He was running late ruckus – and for work one day and couldn’t anger – that caused. find his shoes. When he got 2. The lil’ ol’ lady from flustered he didn’t cuss, much Pasadena’s 8-track player. In less as a deacon in the church the mid 2000s, I bought a take the name of the Lord in vintage portable 8-track player vain. Instead he would say, from Ed’s Record Rack in “Jiminy Crickets!” Only he Suisun City. It was absolutely actually wouldn’t even say that. pristine and works perfectly. It He would say, “Shiminy not only had the box, it had the Christmas!” It always made me Styrofoam insert, the instructions, and my brothers want to laugh, the carrying strap – everything! but we knew if he'd uttered his It’s like it belonged to the fabled substitute swear word, it was li’l ol’ lady from Pasadena who not chuckling time. Anyway, he only drove her car to was looking behind pillows on church on Sundays. the couch and all around the It reminds me of Ken, not house and suddenly opened the only in the obvious way that he fridge and said his catchphrase. had a similar portable 8-track My mom said that his shoes player, but because he also kept probably weren’t in there and things nice for a long time. we almost exploded trying to When I cleaned out his house hold in our laughter.
Courtesy photo
Black Rim Gang member Tony Wade wearing the vintage 1987 Whitesnake T-shirt given to him by his sister-in-law Co that reminds him of his late mother. 3. Steamin’. My dad used to love to go to the steam room at the Travis Air Force Base gym and hold forth. This was before the ubiquitous use of cellphones and headphones when people actually talked to each other. Well, I enjoy going to the Dover Avenue In-Shape gym and pretending I am in an Instant Pot now and it always reminds me of my dad. But unlike him, I am one of the beheadphoned folk and do not hold forth.
My mom 1. Scattergories, NFL Kickoffs and the World’s Greatest Rock and Roll Band. What do a board game, NFL kickoffs, The Rolling Stones and Katie Lou Tanner Wade have in common? Let me explain. My mom was not a fan of the rock music I loved. I remember once I was listening to The Police song, “Can’t Stand Losing You,” the chorus of which repeats the title (I can’t, I can’t stand losing) over and over and she
bright spot
Corrections & CLARIFICATIONS policy The Benicia Fourth of July Picnic in the Park, hosted by Benicia Main Street, was canceled this year. There were no events scheduled in Benicia for the Fourth of July. An article published Friday stated otherwise. In addition, City Park is not located at 90 First St. The park, along with the Fire Department, is bounded by First Street, Military West, Second Street and West K Street. We regret the errors. n n n It is the Daily Republic’s policy to correct errors in reporting. If you notice an error, please call the Daily Republic at 425-4646 during business hours weekdays and ask to speak to the editor in charge of the section where the error occurred.
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burst into my room and said, “Who are these people that can’t stand Lucy? I thought everybody loved Lucy!” One song she did like though was “Start Me Up” by The Rolling Stones. It’s often used by NFL games right before the kickoff. I loved to hear her singing along to it. So yes, The Rolling Stones remind me of my mom. The game Scattergories is where you have about a minute to write down unique answers to different categories all beginning with the same letter. Once we played and one of the categories was, “Stones/Gems” and the letter was W. I wrote down "Watts" for Charlie Watts, the Stones’ drummer. They all denied me that one point and I'm still bitter over it. 2. A vintage Whitesnake t-shirt. My sister-in-law, Co, over the years has shipped me all kinds of awesome gifts including a Bob Ross sticker book and this electronic game called Scrabble Flash that I
love. Not too long ago she sent me a vintage 1987 Whitesnake T-shirt with lead singer David Coverdale on the front. Now there is no way she could have known that that old rock shirt would remind me of my mom, but it did. Their huge hit, “Here I Go Again,” was another tune that I liked back in the day that my mom did as well. So when Tawny Kitaen, who had been married to Coverdale and famously danced on top of cars in the “Here I Go Again" video,” died recently, it (kind of awkwardly) reminded me of my mom. Now, if I was in the In-Shape steam room listening to Whitesnake on my headphones, I could get a family remembrance twofer. I could pull off the hat trick if I could somehow use my 8-track player in there. Reach Fairfield humor columnist and accidental local historian Tony Wade at toekneeweighed@gmail.com.
