FRIENDS RALLY 'ROUND FOR JULY 4 FLASHBACK.Byline: DENNIS McCARTHY Dennis McCarthy may refer to:
CHATSWORTH - The gang all showed up on the Fourth at Joe and Marsha DiFatta's house in Chatsworth to celebrate and sweat a little as they tried to remember exactly what it was they put in that old time capsule capsule In botany, a dry fruit that opens when ripe. It splits from top to bottom into separate segments known as valves, as in the iris, or forms pores at the top (e.g., poppy), or splits around the circumference, with the top falling off (e.g., pigweed and plantain). Joe had stashed out in his garage for the past 25 years. July 4, 1976 - the day America turned 200 and they each dropped something to remember them by in a container Joe sealed up. Now, he was opening it up, and darned darned adj. Damned. Adj. 1. darned - expletives used informally as intensifiers; "he's a blasted idiot"; "it's a blamed shame"; "a blame cold winter"; "not a blessed dime"; "I'll be damned (or blessed or darned or if they could remember what was inside. A few of the gang were a little nervous because, hey, it was the '70s, and like a lot of young couples back then, they were, ah, a little out there. Not like today, when they're all rock-solid citizens in their late 50s. Back then, Nixon and Vietnam were fading into memory and most of their kids were still in diapers or on the way. It was PT - party time in 1976, said these couples who had gone to junior and senior high school together in San Fernando San Fernando, city, Argentina San Fernando (săn fərnăn`dō), city (1991 pop. 144,761), Buenos Aires prov., E Argentina. It is a district administrative center in the Greater Buenos Aires area. , and wound up marrying their sweethearts Sweethearts may be:
Today, their kids are grown, and some of their kids even brought their own kids to the party. PT's been replaced by PC in the country, and the old gang was a little apprehensive about taking this walk down memory lane back into the '70s, with their kids and grandkids looking over their shoulders. Twenty-five years ago was a long time. What had they put in that old container anyway? They didn't have to worry. There was nothing in the time capsule that could get any of them arrested or overly embarrassed. What there was inside was a vivid snapshot of 10 couples - young people who to their credit have remained lifelong, close friends - coming of age in the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. 25 years ago. There were a few empty Coors beer cans, and an empty bottle of Mateus wine (remember that?), which got a big laugh. There was an old Valley News from July 4, 1976; a Sears catalog catalog, descriptive list, on cards or in a book, of the contents of a library. Assurbanipal's library at Nineveh was cataloged on shelves of slate. The first known subject catalog was compiled by Callimachus at the Alexandrian Library in the 3d cent. B.C. ; a Playboy Playboy monthly magazine renowned for nude photographs. [Am. Pop. Cult.: Misc.] See : Eroticism and other magazines; a Bob's Big Boy menu; and pictures, plenty of pictures. Oh, and Joe's old wristwatch he lost back in 1976. ``What did a Bob's Big Boy combo plate go for back then?'' Joe's wife, Marsha, wanted to know. A buck thirty-five. Just the hamburger alone was 85 cents. ``Hey, we outlived New Coke New Coke was the unofficial name of the sweeter formulation introduced in 1985 by The Coca-Cola Company to replace its flagship soft drink, Coca-Cola or Coke. ,'' joked Bill and Judi Robinson, thumbing through a stack of snapshot pictures with Jerry and Rita Allen and Bob and Sharron Robinson. Don Stout searched the bottom of the time capsule in vain for the pack of Kools he swore swore v. Past tense of swear. swore Verb the past tense of swear swore, sworn swear he threw in, but they weren't there, he told his wife, Cheryle. Pretty soon, the wives broke off into groups, laughing about their old hairstyles and clothing from 1976 snapshots. The husbands reminisced about their lost physiques and hair. The grandkids just went back into the pool and played. No new dirt on grandma and grandpa. ``Most of us are celebrating our 41st wedding anniversary this year, which says a lot for these times,'' said Gayle Faragher, watching her husband, Jim, share some laughs over old pictures with Ron and Marlene Dean and Bruce and Linda Frashure. She was right, it did say a lot. All of it good. Finally, Cliff and Judy Vess gathered everyone around because Joe DiFatta had an announcement to make. The time capsule was going to stay open for one week, and the gang's kids and grandkids were invited to put something inside, too. ``In 25 years, they can all meet back here and open it up,'' he said. Who knows, maybe they'll even sweat a little, trying to remember exactly what it was they put in that old time capsule back on July 4, 2001, when they were just a bunch of wild and crazy kids Wild and Crazy Kids is a game show on Nickelodeon, that aired from 1990-1992, in which large teams, usually consisting entirely of children, participated in head-to-head physical challenges. It was hosted by Omar Gooding, Donnie Jeffcoat, and Annette Chavez. . CAPTION(S): 3 photos Photo: (1 -- color) Joe DiFatta of Chatsworth holds up a group photo from the time capsule he sealed in his garage on July 4, 1976. (2 -- 3 -- color) Still together after all these years, Cliff and Judy Vess of Northridge hold a 1975 photo of themselves, above, that was in Joe DiFatta's time capsule. At left, DiFatta shows the Bicentennial bi·cen·ten·ni·al adj. 1. Happening once every 200 years. 2. Lasting for 200 years. 3. Relating to a 200th anniversary. n. A 200th anniversary or its celebration. Also called bicentenary. edition of the Valley News, predecessor of the Daily News, from the capsule that's rested in his garage for 25 years. Evan Yee/Staff Photographer |
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