A promotional film about Ra-cha-cha, Noo Yawk... made by Rochester Gas and Electric in 1963. Fascinating!
A couple of things... I lived in Ra-cha-cha for four wonderful years... 1995 - 1999... and loved almost every minute of it. Why almost? The winters, Gentle Reader, the winters. You'll note there's not a single winter scene in the 27 minute length of the film and there are several good reasons for that... all of 'em having to do with SNOW. Like this:
The second thing? 1963 was the year I (a) graduated from high school and (b) enlisted in the air force. America really WAS like it's portrayed in the film at that time and I'm serious when I say that.
A couple of things... I lived in Ra-cha-cha for four wonderful years... 1995 - 1999... and loved almost every minute of it. Why almost? The winters, Gentle Reader, the winters. You'll note there's not a single winter scene in the 27 minute length of the film and there are several good reasons for that... all of 'em having to do with SNOW. Like this:
The second thing? 1963 was the year I (a) graduated from high school and (b) enlisted in the air force. America really WAS like it's portrayed in the film at that time and I'm serious when I say that.
I often ask people "Do you know where your water comes from?" or, "do you know where your sewage goes to?" and most people just shrug. The next place I move to, is going to have water diversity. I refuse to live in a place that rations water. I'm not ready for that yet. Anyway, snow 10 feet high, means water :-) I have a water barrel on my gutter at the acreage barn, and I'm surprised at how full it gets. I can easily water all the plants and flowers with a drip system. I think people who water plants and vegetables with city water should be in Guantanamo...
ReplyDeleteMy water comes from the Ogallala aquifer, which is rapidly being depleted, which is, in turn, scary as Hell. An interesting fact about P-Ville is we have no storm sewer system; the run-off from what little rain we get runs in the streets to a big-ass arroyo SW of town and eventually to the Pecos River. Little or none of our rainfall recharges the aquifer due to the nature of our soil (hint: chase that link). Sewage... both residential and industrial... goes to a waste water treatment plant where it is purified and then pumped to an irrigation distribution point. Water is a topic that is never very far from our minds here on THPoNM.
DeleteYes, they are predicting another dust bowl, as history is being repeated in Kansas. They are pumping out the aquifer to grow ethanol corn. Fucking corn in Kansas! That should be a felony. The only thing they should grow around the aquifer is buffalo and grass. Anything that needs minimal water.
DeleteYeah, 25 million years worth of aquifer being sucked dry in a few years to grow corn for ethanol (get less gas mileage and raise food prices as insult to injury to boot) as well as artificially watering Pecan trees not native to the region in Ariz/n. Mex that should be left where they grow naturally in the South East--just so the north can have pecan pie year 'round.
ReplyDeleteVery cool, Buck. It’s amazing what has changed but more impressive is what hasn’t. I could write pages about this but don’t want to bore you or your readers.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the winters, Buck, this year’s was one on the worst since 1979. Two weeks ago today we got a blizzard that dumped over 16”. Matter of fact it’s still not over - in the teens this morning.
I was born and raised in Rochester and I‘ll probably die here, it’s a great town. (Minus the oppressive taxes).
tim
I was wonderin' what you'd think of this. I liked it a lot and, like you, found much in the film that was familiar to me. I really do NOT miss the winter at all, Small-Tee, and I'll take your word for it that this year's was pretty bad. MY winter has been pretty moderate... but then again, there's a lot to be said for Spring after a hard winter. Methinks you prolly appreciate it more than I do.
DeleteBTW, I was born in 1963.
ReplyDeletetim
You young whipper-snapper, you! ;-)
DeleteYes, it really WAS "another" America back then, wasn't it, Buck? I was a year ahead of you, graduating HS in '62. Would you believe East St. Louis, Ill, was 90% white in 1960 (As was LA) and voted an "All-American City" that year for good government, schools, and public works? Now? One of the hell-holes of the Earth on a par with Detroit, Camden, NJ, South-Central LA or the worst of the projects in Chicago, New Orleans--or Sec. 8 scatter-sites like in Memphis..
ReplyDeleteI worked with a guy who was a retired cop from St. Louis. He said he was a beat cop, and walked from telephone to telephone to check in. No radios then. When he was a rookie they had to go investigate a missing woman. Well, she wasn't missing, she was dead for a week, but staring at the door, which made it creepy. She must have weighed 400 pounds, and was on the third floor. Being a rookie, he was "bottom man". That means, as they carried her down the stairs, he was on the bottom. He said it was gross, as all her body fluids were draining all over him, as they didn't have body bags back then. Hmm, time for lunch, adios.
Delete@Virgil: I remember El-Eh quite fondly from my high school days. There really weren't very many places one couldn't... or shouldn't... go and you can't say that today.
Delete@Bottom: Gee... thanks for that! I'll now go off and look for the brain-bleach.