Looking Out the Windows of the Past - Time Out #331

Occasionally, during the almost 2 years of this dreadful pandemic, our heads have been full of many random thoughts.

Yes, I plead "guilty" to lots of daydreaming, since Covid-19 arrived on planet Earth during the late winter/early spring 2020.

Recently, my mind has covered a myriad of subjects, neatly packed away for years in the recesses of my head. This week I will discuss some of my early years, visiting my mother's (Grace C. Smith) family in southern Oklahoma. My mother was born near Lawton, so for many of my 1950's formative years, my father, Col. C.H. Breedlove, would drive our non-air conditioned family vehicles, southwest from Our Town, to the Lawton area. My maternal aunt and uncle, Carole and Paul C. Smith, lived in the Comanche County seat. Lawton, and my other maternal aunt and uncle, Thelma and Dale A. Smith, lived in the Cotton County seat, Walters. My maternal grandmother, Patti Smith, and her sister, my great aunt, Grace, lived together in the old family residence near downtown Lawton at 906 E Street. Sometime when my dad and I would visit, we would stay in the E Street residence, a very old structure, without any central heating or cooling. Since my mother had passed away when I was 3, most of our trips to see the Smith clan was just him and me, bonding together as close traveling buddies.

I cherished these frequent outings to visit our extended family. They were certainly fun times.

I spent hours upon hours roaming in and out of the old homestead, and remember picking and eating ripe fruit from the backyard pear trees. I also recall frequently walking a few blocks to the neighborhood mom/pop grocery store, and purchasing penny candies. Many afternoons, I enjoyed swinging on the front porch glider, pretending like it was a local amusement ride.

We would always drive downtown to visit my Uncle Paul, while he worked in his two businesses, a liquor store and an adjacent pawn shop, both located on C Street. Because I was underage, I could not spend time inside the liquor store, so most of the time, we would go behind the counter in the pawn shop and talk. It was fascinating for me to watch the Ft. Still army soldiers come through the front door, and usually want my uncle to accept a pawn (short-term loan) on the soldier's watch, ring, or some other possession they would bring in for Paul's inspection. The variety of items Paul offered for sale in his glass display cases was varied. I also enjoyed watching his customers come in looking at the myriad of items for sale (many previously pawned that were never retrieved by the original owners, thus, they became my uncle's property to resell), and intensely bargain the selling price with Uncle Paul.

Also, during our downtown Lawton visits, we would visit my father's long-time attorney friend, John Thomas, and retail clothing store owner friend, Ralph Zac. Both these men enjoyed my father's company immensely. I was constantly entertained as I heard story after story after story from all 3 men, each always trying to outdo the other's tall tale. In hindsight over the years, I have wondered just how many of those stories were actually true? We would also travel to the west side of town, and visit Cameron College where my father had once served as its dean of men. and a few years later, president of the school. Sometimes, we would drive north to visit Ft. Sill; swim in the huge base pool, shop at the post exchange, or drive up Mt. Scott in the Wichita Mountains.

Traveling the short distance southeast to Walters to see my older uncle's family, was like traveling to a different era in time. Uncle Dale was also self-employed, operating a Panhandle Oil Company service station, near the downtown area, early in my youth. Later, he owned a butane and propane business on the east side of town. In this venture, he sold his products to the public from his store, and he also had trucks providing delivery to his rural customers in Cotton and surrounding counties. This country lifestyle was in sharp contrast with the city lifestyle of my Lawton uncle. We frequently stayed overnight in Walters, too, and my Aunt Thelma's cooking was wonderful. Her daughter (my cousin), Patti Ann, provided a playmate for me that I enjoyed. I should also mention, Dale had more property west of town, where he raised cattle. This was interesting to me, but not as interesting as his single-engine airplane he kept on the same property. Since he was a glider pilot in WWII, he had a fondness for aviation. He gave my father and me rides in his airplane. I vividly remember him having to buzz the pasture from a low flying altitude in order to frighten his cattle, so he could safely land his airplane in his pasture. His Lawton younger brother was a former officer in the navy, and served aboard a Pacific Ocean ship during WWII, too.

Alas, my daydream memories of many years ago are over. My young boy eyes captured images then that are absolutely priceless to me today. Thank you for taking your time to relive them with me.