•5:10 PM
Over time your memory fades. Its inevitable. This blog is my attempt to capture my memories of growing up in Ottawa, Ontario - Canada. Many of my memories are probably not unique, especially if you grew up in the 70’s and 80’s.
For instance, did you have a Saturday morning routine? I did. And it involved joining my Dad in the living room to watch cartoons. He was a huge Bugs Bunny fan, and so we always watched CBS and their 2 hour (and for a few years 3 hours) worth of cartoons. He was usually sipping on some coffee - flipping through the Saturday paper. In Canada, the Saturday paper is the equivalent to the US Sunday paper - comics, lots of flyers and a multitude of sections. It was a stack - especially the Ottawa Citizen.
For me there was really only 3 parts that I was interested in: The TV Times (what was on this week?) the Saturday Comics (so that I could try and redraw them) and the Entertainment section. Funny the Sports section was as big of a draw - unless it was a big story about the Rough Riders
Over the years - the Saturday morning cartoons were a staple. Although I will admit that some were more enjoyable than others. I do recall the years of “Rocket Robin Hood” and “Max the 2,000 year old mouse” and “Shazam!”. Most of the shows from the mid-70’s had much to be desired. But there was always Bugs Bunny.
When living on Weston Road (779 Weston Road, Ottawa, ON: 1981-1983) I would sometimes would head over to Craig Becker’s house - four houses up and join him in his Saturday routine. This may include playing his Atari 2600; or playing on his Texas Instrument or Commodore 64; or riding our bikes around the neighborhood.
In looking back on those days with these eyes, they do seem so care-free. I do recall that they were not necessarily so. But gone is that routine. Gone are those Saturday mornings where there wasn’t anything more important to do other than sit with my Dad and laugh at animated drawings on the TV.
I may just want to bring that back.
For instance, did you have a Saturday morning routine? I did. And it involved joining my Dad in the living room to watch cartoons. He was a huge Bugs Bunny fan, and so we always watched CBS and their 2 hour (and for a few years 3 hours) worth of cartoons. He was usually sipping on some coffee - flipping through the Saturday paper. In Canada, the Saturday paper is the equivalent to the US Sunday paper - comics, lots of flyers and a multitude of sections. It was a stack - especially the Ottawa Citizen. For me there was really only 3 parts that I was interested in: The TV Times (what was on this week?) the Saturday Comics (so that I could try and redraw them) and the Entertainment section. Funny the Sports section was as big of a draw - unless it was a big story about the Rough Riders
Over the years - the Saturday morning cartoons were a staple. Although I will admit that some were more enjoyable than others. I do recall the years of “Rocket Robin Hood” and “Max the 2,000 year old mouse” and “Shazam!”. Most of the shows from the mid-70’s had much to be desired. But there was always Bugs Bunny.My top 5 all time would have to be:
Depending on the Saturday, after breakfast and a wash - I might jump on the 5-speed bike and tour the neighborhood for garage sales, or putter around the house and watch International Wrestling at 12 noon on CFCF 12 (Montreal).
- Bugs Bunny, Road Runner Hour
- The Smurfs
- The Gummy Bears
- Pandemonium
- Speed Buggy / Josie and the PussyCats
Depending on the Saturday, after breakfast and a wash - I might jump on the 5-speed bike and tour the neighborhood for garage sales, or putter around the house and watch International Wrestling at 12 noon on CFCF 12 (Montreal).When living on Weston Road (779 Weston Road, Ottawa, ON: 1981-1983) I would sometimes would head over to Craig Becker’s house - four houses up and join him in his Saturday routine. This may include playing his Atari 2600; or playing on his Texas Instrument or Commodore 64; or riding our bikes around the neighborhood.
In looking back on those days with these eyes, they do seem so care-free. I do recall that they were not necessarily so. But gone is that routine. Gone are those Saturday mornings where there wasn’t anything more important to do other than sit with my Dad and laugh at animated drawings on the TV.I may just want to bring that back.
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4 comments:
Mark - great site. I went to St. Mark from 75-81. Your site brought back a ton of memories.
Thanks Andy - so good to hear. It has been too long since my last posting - I will be putting up a few new stories shortly - once I get the final boxes unpacked from my recent move. Cheers!
"Over time your memory fades. Its inevitable. This blog is my attempt to capture my memories of growing up in Ottawa, Ontario - Canada. Many of my memories are probably not unique, especially if you grew up in the 70’s and 80’s.
For instance, did you have a Saturday morning routine? I did. And it involved joining my Dad in the living room to watch cartoons."
Oh man, there are many touchstones in my memories of my halcyonic days growing up in our house in Alta Vista, and one near the top would also have to be Saturday morning cartoons.
My dad had left us, so it was just me and my mom and sister, both of whom liked to sleep in not surprisingly. So I'd wake up on my own and quietly slip down to the basement where I could watch the cartoons by myself all morning.
I didn't set an alarm clock, but then as now, when there's something you wanted to do in the morning, you kind of have a light almost nervous sleep and manage to wake up on your own.
The trouble though is I'd often end up waking up too early, like maybe 7:30. So I didn't want to get up as was cold in the basement, so I'd be lying in bed waiting trying not to fall asleep. Again then as now, that second sleep can be a deep one, and I'd often fall into it only to wake up late the second time, and missing some shows.
Don't remember everything I watched, except that 8am seemed to be the time when it started. The highlight for me was one of your top five, the Smurfs, which I loved and I seem to remember started at 9am. (I also had tons of the figures, some of which I remember buying at the Teacher's Store somewhere off Smythe Road maybe it was.)
Rocket Robin Hood brings back memories, like Spider-Man and Super Friends of the same era. Another mainstay was Scooby Doo.
Was trying to remember other shows, so Googled 1980s saturday morning cartoons and found this great site with "Saturday Morning TV Schedules of the 80s":
http://www.inthe80s.com/saturdays.shtml
Yup, Smurfs was at 9am, and it was Superfriends at 8am that I was trying to get up - I hated oversleeping and missing that one!
I remember Fantastic Four, The New Schmoo, Flinstones, Casper, Thundarr, Richie Rich, Pac-Man, Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends, Dungeons and Dragons, Dragon's Lair, among others.
I'd forgotten that they had cartoon versions of evening shows: Fonz, Mork and Mindy, Laverne and Shirley, Dukes of Hazzard, etc. Don't remember much about them, but I'd have checked them out.
Also forgotten the video game shows: Pac-Man, Dragon's Lair, Pole Position, etc.
Man, I loved Saturday morning cartoons. I still love cartoons, now I go back and download ones from the past. Haven't gone back to those early childhood ones yet, but would like to at some point.
"Depending on the Saturday, after breakfast and a wash - I might jump on the 5-speed bike and tour the neighborhood for garage sales, or putter around the house and watch International Wrestling at 12 noon on CFCF 12 (Montreal).
When living on Weston Road (779 Weston Road, Ottawa, ON: 1981-1983) I would sometimes would head over to Craig Becker’s house - four houses up and join him in his Saturday routine. This may include playing his Atari 2600; or playing on his Texas Instrument or Commodore 64; or riding our bikes around the neighborhood.
In looking back on those days with these eyes, they do seem so care-free. I do recall that they were not necessarily so. But gone is that routine. Gone are those Saturday mornings where there wasn’t anything more important to do other than sit with my Dad and laugh at animated drawings on the TV."
This all brings back memories. There was nothing better than those early spring-summer Saturday mornings in May and June, when the weather was getting beautiful but not too hot yet. The sun was out, the sky was beautiful with still a coolness and freshness in the air.
Your cartoons watched and well fed, you'd set off on your bike looking for adventure in the neighbourhood. Caverley Street where I lived was a big garage sale street, with our house always in on the action. My mother actually would coordinate the whole street so that everyone would have their garage sales on the same day and would advertise together. Suddenly the whole street was alive, filled with parked cars and people, like some kind of mini fairgrounds.
But on quieter days, we were never short of things to do. We'd bike around the neighbourhood, up to Balena Park, or we'd explore the "back 40' hydro corridor that ran behind the houses on one side of our street.
When we'd had enough outside or the weather was hot, we'd slip down to our basements to play Atari 2600 at my place, or Commodore 64 at my friend Billy's.
It wasn't all rosy days, my parents split up, life wasn't always easy, but they were still halcyon days of childhood, at a time as you say where you'd wake up and there was nothing more important than watching your cartoons then setting off to play outside, only coming home for meals and/or at sundown. And in the summer's with late sunsets that could be late, sometimes out on the street until 8pm or 9pm. Great times.