[AMC-list] Merry Christmas part 2

["Eddie Stakes" <eddiestakes@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Ironically I grew up next to Lew Williams Chevrolet dealership in Corpus Christi, actually Coca Cola was next door, barbed wire 
fence hung above our house at angle \. Lew Williams was a block away and they tried for years to get my dad, a Nash man, to work for 
them, even telling him he could walk to work. Never happened. Then Coca Cola leased the fenced in enclosed block next to us, and 
stuffed their Cheveys in there, we kids knew all the guard dogs, so no issues with them, would slide wooden Coca Cola cases under 10 
foot fence to hold it up, crawl under and the new Chevy's were ours, most had keys but we never started them, only fiddled with 
radios, dash AC or heater controls, shifters and mirrors pretending to uh, drive. I am usre whoever makeready guy got in car to move 
them one day got rude awakening with radios full blast, wipers and gadgets all going off at once when key turned!

Flash forward to 2012/almost. 2 block from me is Mac Haik storage full of new Chevys I pass by daily. Weird green Camaros, new Avoe 
looking things, Corvettes, Malibus you name it, probably over 300 cars inside same 10 foot barbed wire fenced in area.

http://archives.cclibraries.com/cdm/singleitem/collection/gpc/id/1965/rec/1

The Jetson's looking building in foreground is Lew Williams Chevrolet, a building later as a teen I would skateboard on top of much 
to guard's chagrin. The U shaped building immediately north across of it is Snapka's drive in, leanred to play pinball there, 3 
plays for a nickle in 1960s, great dripping greasy hamburgers. To the left on corner is HEB food store, where I was given a 
Christmas tree for free by a cashier Sally...on Christmas Eve as I had my eyes on some ratty Charlie Brown Christmas trees no one 
wanted to buy sitting on side of store...and had ridden my bike up there with trusty lab Bootsie in tow to see what was left as we 
were too poor to afford a $5 tree, after all, dad was making $156 a week (or so) at AMC dealership, which didn't go too far for 
family of 4 in 1960s.

If you follow the center point of roof of Lew Williams it points to intersection fo Port & Leopard streets. Keep following that 
line and there is a big freeway sign that goes over lanes of I-37. The cluster of trees directly to right of that is our house. The 
long white building which looks like it has another house on top is Coca Cola. I-37 was our front yard. A mile down you can see the 
big buildings at downtown Corpus, with the bay behind them.

All those cars on Lew Williams lot are new up towards Port which runs lef to right in photo, and Leopard, which runs east weat (and 
into downtown and parrallel with I-37). All the other cars were used or there for repair, the long buildings are repair shops 
including paint, body, alignment and so forth.

The big white building with smaller building on far right of photo across street from Lew Willams on Port drive side is a lumber 
company, next to it is Monita tortilla factory, and next to it a paint & body shop. Next to that going towards Leopard was a used 
car lot, not uncommon to find both Chevy & AMCs in there. And of course Snapka's Drive Inn on corner of Port & Leopard the U shaped 
building...you had to flash your lights to get service and girls come out. Across from Snapka's was Hasty Tasty restaurant, more of 
a sit down diner booth place than Snapka's which was more like sports bars type setting.

The Missouri Pacific train tracks are behind Snapka's and still operational in 2011, every time I heard train used to jump on bike, 
and Bootsie in tow go follow the train around behind Leopard street up to Lipan, but no further, watched them hook up train loads of 
boards, the Bekins moving storage place and more, and even got to ride on the train a few times with nice engineers.

I may add that my Catholic school in extreme upper right of photo next to parking garage (white checkerboard flat building is Wilson 
tower, just to right of that) but I used to sell crap loads of Worlds Finest chocolate bars to Lew Williams guys, also had run of 
the Coca Cola plant, could walk around with impunity, as also wasked many of the workers cars while they worked during summer, and 
the HEB people also bought my bars. Not to mention downtown All American Motors & Andy Anders Rambler where dad worked both places 
in 60s, so made some dineor for Corpus Christi Catherdral school.

In one of my youtube videos I stopped by old place where I grew up and actually found a Ford J Hot Wheels car buried in dirt while 
showing my boys where I lived next to freeway, quite a load of memories there.

Take care, thanks for the photos, no Jap Jag in future for me though, just 368th AMC have owned.

I may add that one Christmas brother Tommy got a nice new Huffy green three speed bike complete with banana seat and shifter on bar. 
There was a new red bike next to it, for me. We had a Christmas tree that year, a nice one and after mom, Tommy & me came back from 
Midnight Mass at Corpus Christi Catherdral where I was a altar boy for the mass (mass took 3 hours yikes!) and dad Homer picked us 
up in the Rambler wagon as he had been waiting patiently outside for abot a hour, staring at the bluff overlooking CC bay at the 
lights, he didn't go to church with us.

So a few weeks later while riding my new bike I hit a one way sign on Antelope street, the I-37 feeder which was out front yard. Red 
paint scratched off and under it was purple. This was my old bike dad had painted with rattle can, cleaned up bike and well, looked 
new. He used to fix up old bikes and rent, or sell them to sailors as we were less than mile from docks, and riding a bike easy way 
to get around downtown, uptown, back and forth to docks. Many of the sailors would drop bike off if they bought it, and he would 
give them back 1/2 of what they paid for it, usually $10-$20 max. So he was great with bicycles and others would drop off old bikes 
destined for dumpster and trash bins, knowing dad could salvage something off them or just plain refurbish them.

I wasn't too happy about my 'new' bike when Tommy got new $60 bike I got 39 cent rattle can spray job. Mom cried as moms do. Dad 
said 'he would make it up to me'. This spray job became a running Christmas joke for us thru years with one time me gift wrapping a 
Krylon can for dad...

Back to the ratty Christmas tree that I was given on Christmas eve. If you look thru some of the photos from Corpus Christi library 
in previous link:

http://archives.cclibraries.com/cdm/singleitem/collection/gpc/id/1965/rec/1

you will see the HEB on corner. I stopped at HEB in Houston today to pick up some last minute things.....taking son Noah with me, 46 
years from that fateful night of the free Christmas tree. I got home & talked to brother Tommy down in Corpus who is a little under 
weather, in and out of doctor's offices, down on luck, didn't even put up Christmas lights on his fence this year, and most of all, 
in 2011.....didn't have a Christmas tree. That bummed me out and brought back a slew of memories from 1965, and ironic that I had 
stopped at HEB today even. So we talked a little while & thanked God for the good people in our lives & the things we do have and 
what grateful for and family, friends, accomplishments and what not, even laughed about Christmases past. But the lack of a 
Christmas tree, even a Charilie Brown one, saddened me. Especially when I went to mail out stuff at post office this morning, looked 
at over 100 trees no one wanted at Big Trees place on Wycliffe @ I-10, a block down at Houston Garden Center even more, and Home 
Depot dozens more. Of course all these end up on Galveston after christmas to build up dunes, a good thing, but for a moment 
there....would have liked to ask for one like when a kid, and given it to Tommy, but also 250 miles away. So if any of you on 
facebook, maybe go wish him a Merry Christmas (look for Homer Stakes) or if you want to send simple email to him with same, 
h_stakes@xxxxxxxxx would brighten someone's day & like the 1965 HEB Christmas tree.....it's free!

Merry Christmas to everyone.....
Eddie Stakes
713.464.8825
eddiestakes@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
www.planethoustonamx.com

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