Stand By Me: The Movie

Stand by Me (1986) - IMDb

There was a movie made in 1986 that reminds me the most of my life during the summers of my life from about 1953 until 1960 when I turned 12. Though I had guns in my life (I was given my Dad's Remington pump .22 rifle by my Grandma by age 8) (Dad had first gone hunting with his two brothers alone when his youngest brother was 4, he was 6 and the oldest was 9. The four year old had a .22 pistol. the 6 year old had a .22 rifle and the 9 year old had a small gauge shotgun while they hunted for quail for food to eat. They came home with a robin so their mother cooked it because they were so proud but didn't know it wasn't a quail at that point.

This movie so much reminds me of what people were like back then, the crazy friends, people threatening you with knives and guns and death and all the mayhem and adventure of being out in the country walking on railroad tracks and having wonderful adventures that you barely survived all the time. I miss those days sometimes quite a lot. This movie was in so many ways just like my life then.

Only my time then was spent a lot during the summers walking the railroad tracks from Shasta Springs down the rivers and trails to the railroad tracks next to the pristine (at that point) Sacramento river with forests all around to Moss Spray Falls. We used to climb the railroad tressell to the top and stand up 200 feet above the river as the train went under the bridge and shook it. Crazy days. But I still miss those days and my old friends.