The Ice-cream Man

We don't see the ice-cream man that often anymore; but on those hot summer days of the late 90's, that jolly fellow would be there for us nearly every afternoon, sometimes double on humid evening nights, to quench our heatstroke and sunburned needs for cooling summer treats.

Though it's name has changed several times since the 50's, I vividly remember the red, white and blue of those damn tasty Fire Crackers. The flavors of cherry, lime and blue raspberry are forever embedded in my brain of those unforgettable popsicles. Originally named Bomb Pops on one sunny day of July 1955. Unfortunately, they don't make them like they use to. The flavors just aren't there. It's just not the same. To be more clear, I found a box of them at the grocery store one day, nostalgia hit me like a brick wall, but as my mouth watered the whole way home, my joy quickly vanished as I opened the packet... they barely looked anything alike, let alone the taste; which was just bland, as if the flavors had mixed into one. Shear disappointment crossed my face and the box sits in my freezer to this day, untouched. I'm sure the originals are out there somewhere, but until then, I'll just have to live off the simple summer-time memory.

The memory of splashing around in the sprinkler and hearing the faint, distant echo of music coming from the ice-cream man rolling up and down the Chaparral streets. Running to our parents for retrieval of some quick cash before we could see him turn the corner down our own bend. It was quite intriguing because this ice-cream man, Dave... or was it Dale? I can't quite remember the endearing names from 20 years ago, but he who regularly wandered our little community in his little truck, was also our bus driver for elementary school during the never-ending school year. He was a gentle young man (young at the time), full of belly laughs and happy times. We were all just one big community living in the moment. Technology, computers, cellphones - obsolete. It's crazy to think how far we've come, yet I'm glad these memories remain.

There was definitely other favorites that came from that truck, though. Like the giant cookies and cream ice cream sandwich that was much too big for my tiny child hands, or the yellow SpongeBob's with gumball eyes, that usually didn't look quite right with one gumball eye much lower from previous melts. To be honest, it was either hysterical or terrifying but delicious none the less. If I remember correctly, there was also a "Patrick Star" that matched SpongeBob's quirky and/or scary demeanor ..

You know our parents just loved when we would come home when the street lights turned on, after sitting on my bestfriends patio for hours, eating the same popsicle that has now melted down all our hands, stickiness taking over. Our faces dyed with the blue and red colors of the deliciousness that barely made it in our mouths. Oh, but it was sooo good for what sugars did make it into our little bellies. Leaving us with sugar rushes galore before our bed time.

These were the summer nights to remember, and I will forever cherish these sticky evenings with my best friends eating the delicious frozen treats that will always give me flash backs to a more simple time. The frozen treats that will always remind me of summer, and the ones you can't even get until summer comes around the corner. So here's to another warm season of searching for those red, white and blues.