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Thursday, March 13, 2008

The Boy In the Picture


The young man in the picture at the top of my site this month was 25 years old. He was at either Lake Louise or Moraine Lake, both in Alberta. Traveling in the 1977 Datsun 200SX....for which he paid $3,995. It was a great little car. The sucker was loaded down with a cooler full of food, sleeping bags, a tent, lawn chairs, a backpack full of clothes and -- you'll never believe it -- a pistol under the front seat. It was my to-be father in law's. He wouldn't let his daughter nor I go anywhere without it. So, we hauled it back and forth across the Canadian border not even knowing about handgun laws in Canada. For god's sake...I'm a criminal...in a Datsun! We stayed in a giant campground at Lake Louise right by the Bow River and the Trans Canada Railway. We visited the Columbia Ice Fields too (the headwaters of the Columbia River which I now live only one mile from!). The water in these lakes and rivers is some of the coldest on earth. And gray colored with sediment from the mountains. I have no idea where the Indiana muscle-shirt came from or why I would be wearing it. I imagine that it did two things for me: (1) Made me think I had muscles to show off and (2) Made me think I was at least partially straight by having "Indiana" across the front of it. It did neither. And the shorts? Who the hell knows. They were made out of that lightweight parachute material with a velcro tab to keep them together and a little rope thingy-ma-jig around the waistband. Nope, nobody knew. This was three years before I actually married her. I didn't have it figured out then anymore than I did later, quite frankly. And that haircut? Who knows. But I do know it had a sassy little pony tail in the back.


24 comments:

Jim said...

I just sat here and stammered... p-p-ponytale? p-p-parahcute material? n-n-nineteen-seventy-seven?

That's all I can get out so far.

Lemuel said...

I keep forgetting that you were once like me - but you were wise enough to smarten up in time. And I'm not just talking about fashion sense here! :-D

Anonymous said...

A pony tail and velcro shorts? Damn you were styling man!

TJ said...

Ah youth, it is a time for living, loving and learning. it sounds like you did all three.

Laurie said...

You're just as cute in that pic
as you are in all the others.

How's the thumb doing? I just cut
my finger this morning. Nothing big
and it didn't bleed. Thank goodness

dit said...

what a great time and story. You look adorable. How is your thumb/finger doing?

Trailhead said...

As a native Hoosier, I can tell you that Indiana University won the NCAA tournament in 1987 -- roughly about the time of that photo, I guess? Perhaps it was that event that made the muscle shirt available to a young studly Idahoan.

Billy said...

You are brave my friend, very brave. I would not dare post a picture from 'that period' of my life... ;-)

bardelf said...

A gun! Wow. You've had a very colourful past for sure, Lewis.

I once had a BB gun, but that's just not the same.

Unknown said...

You get hotter as you get older. Much hotter. :)

Anonymous said...

I just noticed how it looks like one pant has a zig-zag pattern. How did they look under "black light?" :-)

Are you happy to see me or is that a gun in your shorts?

RAD said...

What a handsome devil-I would of tried to get you to fool around with me while ours girlfriends was busy...

Anonymous said...

What Joey said. :)

bridgeout said...

Ah! The 80's! When I show my kids pics they are astounded at how much hair I had and the clothes I wore! :-D Love the pic!

Ur-spo said...

you look handsome at every time of life. lucky fellow!
i look at my photos from that era and see 'nerd'.

Keith said...

The boy in the picture is adorable, and that's all.

Anonymous said...

That is incredibly sweet, Lewis! Nice memories. Except for the gun and the ponytail. Those are a little dodgy... ;-) Not sure about the wife either... And the parachute material... And the velcro...
;-(

Topher said...

Ahhh, lovely story. You've lived an interesting life...Ditto to what Joey said :D

tornwordo said...

nope nobody knew, lololol.

Timmy said...

I'm sure that if were stopped and they searched the car and found a gun you would have been able to dazzle them with that smile.

BTW...are your legs still as sexy as they are in that pic?

WAT said...

You know how much I adore this photo don't you?

ADORABLE! ADORABLE! LEMME JUST COME OVER AND PULL ON THOSE CHEEKS!

And tha ones on your face too! ;)

AW! So lean, like me.

travelling, but not in love said...

Hey Lewis, I like this picture but it seems you got cuter as you got older.

And as for taking hand guns into Canada, does this mean I can't bring mine with me to Montreal next week?

Damn, how else am I supposed to get me some talent back to the hotel room, ha ha.

r. said...

Awh too cute Lewis!! But I didn't know that you were married once! Well I'm glad that was over and done with! heh! Enjoy your Sunday!!!

Sh@ney said...

I think we would have been a match made in heaven back in those days...And I am not playing show and tell....lol