Of interest in this photo Pastrami Dan's original little restaurant (at least the building) across from Tropics Drive In. And the Ford dealer they had a parrot or macaw bird that would say Wanna Buy A Ford, Wanna Buy A Ford, when you walked in the front door. I think it said more like no money down or something like that but my memory starts to slip after all it was almost 50 years ago. Off in the distance Royal Castle & Chris' Gourmet Castle.Home Girl's hood!
Map link for out of towner's!
http://tinyurl.com/yj7v6fy
Photo courtesy the Les Whitaker Jr. family.
Photo taken September 6th 1968
As usual please read the comments SH never fails me when it comes to details!
Anonymous said...
ReplyDeleteHey, I see my old house! Right behind the The Church of God with the big roof! Great pictures Danny. Thanks for all your good work. Hope your having fun with it!
Tara (Saad) Linn
This photo could confuse rocket scientists. Hope NASA doesn't decide to bomb Lake Park looking for water like they did the moon on Thursday. You ever wonder why, with the Clumsky Building available, Mister Gray on standby for design and engine work, Collier's County wasn't picked for the space shots?
ReplyDeleteNo, Seagate Homeboy says...
ReplyDeleteJust a reminder, this ain’t rocket surgery or brain science; it’s a blog entitled the Real Naples, and the picture above is how 41 really looked in September of 1968.
It is indeed a slice of history for those of us who were there,and perhaps entertainment for those who weren't. I will make wisecracks and be occasionally knowledgeable, but I will always speak of Naples, the way it was, with respect and appreciation.
Ya gotta click on the picture to make it big, right?
You are looking at northbound 41. That big wide road on the left is the “Tamiami Trail, and “The Beach Club Golf Course” is on the left above center. Just past the bend in the road is the “Publix Shopping Center” (built 1962) across from Naples High School (completed 1960, I think).
In 1968 I worked at the Shell Station across from the Beach Club Golf Course when I wasn’t attending classes at Edison. I worked for Ken Wadsworth (Mona's dad), then Harold Minier (Valerie and Robert's dad)
Those who weren’t around, or were not old enough at the time, aren’t expected to remember Quik-Chek (yes, that’s how it was spelled) which became Winn-Dixie, or Holiday Inn, Royal Castle, and Chris’ Gourmet Castle – Pippin’s for you youngsters (before Lums was ever built next door).
I see the old Ford store (Hutchinson Tire), Mason’s Texaco (with the Hess gas station across the street), Wadsworth/Minier Shell gas station (grin), Robin’s Dodge, and that’s just the east side of the highway.
If you ARE old enough to remember, Lake Park was/is a major housing neighborhood north of “Old Town” begun before the real estate to the north of the Beach Club Golf Course (on the west side of 41) was developed.
Hey Tara, I'm in the dark here... did the neighborhood behind Qwik-Check have a name and just where did Lake Park start?
In this picture, it’s interesting to see just how much of Coquina Sands and The Moorings had been developed by 1968. Park Shore wasn’t even a wet dream yet.
You did click on the picture, right?
The following has nothing to do with this picture, but Chlumsky is spelled with an “h”. It was his yacht “NAZDAR” docked at the end of Gordon drive between the old Keewaydin boathouses. Mr. Chlumsky’s manse was the last house on the right on Gordon Drive located between the beach and the yacht, or was it the other way around?
Yeah, I know... I’m getting a little crispy around the edges,
Your humble servant,
Seagate Homeboy
NHS ‘67
(3 hour time difference, I'm in California)
Arrrrrgggghhhhh, is my face red!
ReplyDeleteI couldn't even get the spelling right myself (duh!). Not once but twice! I misspelled it twice!!
Ahhh, the beauty of an aging mind...
My editor ever so subtley put me on the correct path (thank you BH) It's Kwik-Chek for all you fellow purists out there...
The Mynah bird at "Big Tim Casteel's Tamiami Ford" would greet men with "Hi Joe, wanna buy a Ford? Dollar down, dollar a week". It would greet women with a shrill "Wolf Whistle" then many times mumble something unintelligible...
There was a Mynah at Nicks Liquors too (in front of the Swamp Buggy Lounge), but I can't remember anything but a "wolf whistle" from that one. My mom used to stop at the "Drive-Thru" and as soon as the window slid open the bird would cut loose... Mom thought it was the greatest thing since sliced bread.
Now where did I leave my teeth?
SH
7:58 PDT
Seagate Homeboy,
ReplyDeleteI couldn’t tell you where Lake Park started or where it ended. My little world (or the perimeter that I was allowed to travel on my bicycle) was between the woods beside Lake Park School, now the Mall, and ending at Kwik Chek and area behind Kwik Chek .
Hoke Gracely’s house was on the outer area of my perimeter and Michele Iverson’s house was about as far east in the hood as I would go. It was all Lake Park neighborhood as far as I was concerned.
As far as the picture, if I am looking at it correctly, I see Kwik Chek, at least I think it’s Kwik Chek because it’s green and I remember it being a green color, right? Anyway, traveling north on 10th Street behind Kwik Chek, the big white roof is the Church of God and on the other side of 10th Street is Holiday Inn. Our house was behind the Church of God and right behind our house is the lake. Wow, am I making any sense at all? My sense of direction leaves much to be desired.
Anyway, I have lots of stories of Lake Park neighborhood , however, I must get on the road right now and run a few errands, more later if you’ll have me.
Lake Park Home Girl
Lake Park Homegirl, Does that include Alta, John, Mike and Morris Riley?
ReplyDeleteThe Riley's were a fixture in Lake Park back in the day (RIP Morris)....
Alta's catering (Mike & Morris's mom) on 4th Ave. N. (behind Dairy Queen) was the Martha Stewart of the day. She could make some awesome dishes!
And let's not forget the Shrednitz's of the Yamaha shop fame on 10th St.& 1st Ave. N. that lived on the corner of 14th Ave. N & 11th St....
Where's Marty? He had the best damn Toga party that ever was on New Years Eve 1979. I think everybody in town was there...at least what I remember of it!
:/~
Chime in Marty.....You can do it!
Circle3Ranch
Scott Boxwell
So, as promised, here’s a little story from the Lake Park Homegirl. I may have already told this story somewhere on this blog, but the sheer stupidity of it deserves another hit.
ReplyDeleteIt’s about a mentally challenged pyromaniac, (that would be me.) And Paster (I can’t remember his name) from the Church of God.
As I was gathering my little friends together, (none of us was older than 11 or 12)we all were bored and looking for some kind of shenanigans to get into, I happen to see my father’s lawn mower gas can. I loved the smell of gas and fire, so it was my bright idea to go and burn something in the church parking lot. (All of us hung out a lot in the church parking lot.)
We started small, dipping a little gas and using my father’s silver zippo, (also stolen) to light a rapidly burning fire. Then we started making words with the gas and lighting them. (You know, bad words that only an eleven or twelve year old would know.)
I still wasn’t happy, so I took the can and wrote my name with the gas in huge cursive letters. I lit it and the blaze was amazing. My name on fire, burning ever higher, big, bad flame! I was thrilled! “Someone go get the marshmallows and hot dogs, we’re gonna have some fun tonight!”
We lit up the neighborhood that night in the parking lot, I have no idea why none of our parents looked out the window and caught us, Gunsmoke or the Ed Sullivan show must have been on.
So, you guessed it, the next day Pastor (I can’t remember his name)was knocking on the door. Went something like this;
Pastor: Er, ah, Ken?
Dad: Yes, how ya doing today Pastor?
Pastor: Er, ah, well, Ken, isn’t your daughter’s name Tara?
Dad: Oh, yes, Pastor, do you know my Tara?
Pastor: Well, Ken, we have her name emblazoned on our parking lot in gooey asphalt along with a few other words, well Ken, words that we don’t speak in our church.
Oh Man! You can guess the rest of the story. Back in the day when parents were still allowed to spank their children, my father very seldom dispensed corporal punishment, but on this occasion, I’m afraid my backside got whacked good and deservedly so. Geez, I could have burn down the church, hell, the whole neighborhood, not to mention burning my friends or myself. What a dope!
Anyway, my pyro days were over.
Lake Park Homegirl
P.S. Circle3Ranch, yes I remember the Riley's from the neighborhood, however I did not know them well. But I most definitely remember Marty!
How ya doing, Marty?