Stryker Speaks

Yesterday I was talking to an old friend, one whom I havent seen in a number of years. Then later that day I heard from another person who hasent been in my life for quite some time, and it got me to thinking about my life. Remembering portions of it long sense forgotten, memories that slowly fade. I want to refresh these memories before they are lost for good.

0-10– I am not sure about others, but when I REALLY think about this part of my life I have a hard time remembering just about anything … there are flashes, but no really sollidconnecting stories. I find it difficult to separate actual memories from photographs I have seen. I have noticed that as I am concentrating on this I am remembering more. Well here goes, part 1 of my 3 part life:

• Riding my big wheel
• Skateboarding with Tim Koonz (creapyhigh school neighbor who hung around a little too long with the young kids in the neighborhood)
• 1987 when the Twins won the World Series for the 1st time.
• Heading out east with my family. I remember stopping at a rest area for breakfast one morning, my mother had bought these red ‘travel trays’ that had different compartments for different food items and they would stack together sealing the preprepared food inside.
• I remember one evening on the trip out east pretending to sleep in the back of the car, I was laying down with my brother and sister, looking out the window because we had just reached some city, I remember looking out the windows at all the lights of the city.
• One Vivid memory I have is walking on the beach at the Jersey Shore with my father, we used to get up and walk down there he would get a news paper and coffee andI would get a danish, red (red’s a fruit right?). Then we would walk on the beach, I remember the hotels that were right on the sand. The doughnut shop was yellow/orange, maybe Duncan doughnuts.
• I remember when my sister was Born. Aug 22nd 1981 I was 3 years old. I had a happy meal and my Grandmother was in town (I think) as well as my Aunt Peggy (although I could be wrong about this). I remember the brown carpet in our old TV room, and the hideous blue Formica counter tops in the kitchen, I remember the blue and gold patterned linoleum and I remember taking the phone in to my hand.
• In fourth grade I was in a school play. I fear my sister may have the proof of this some where. In any event, I remember the bathrobe that I wore, it was my fathers, I remember the touch of the terry cloth against my skin, and the smell of his cologne on the robe.
• I remember that in our school Christmas Program I was always on the last row of the risers, and although I dont remember why, I enjoyed standing as far back as I could so my heals would hang off the back. On more then one occasion I fell
• I remember in grade school when some company came in to “test” a new cereal. We were all brought down to the lunch room and given 10 bowls of cereal, and saltine crackers in between. I remember the cereal was strongly flavored with “Peach” flavoring and that it was awful!
• I remember in kindergarten we had our own little drawers, I remember that I used a red white and blue metallic jet fighter to mark mine, It was one of my favorite toys when I was little.

I am surprised at how many memories came back as I was writing this. More then I expected, and more then I care to write down. There are many more, but those are some of the more vivid memories, and before I drift off into speculation I will stop this list here.