The Drive-In

As I was growing up, one of my favorite things to do with my family was to go to the drive-in. We had a great one near our home, "The Amanda", that was very affordable. We could each get in for fifty cents and could buy a jumbo tenderloin, the size of a dinner plate, for another fifty cents. The sandwich was so big that you could easily make it last for the length of both features.
The movies were always great ones with actors like John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart, Doris Day, John Wayne, Rock Hudson, Clint Eastwood, did I say John Wayne? (We sort of loved the John Wayne movies!) We would talk for days about the great time that we had and relive the film over and over, not to mention any new good looking actors that were introduced to us, such as Fabian, Patrick Wayne, or James Caan. I still have some of the play bills, showing the upcoming movies, that the owners would give you as you drove in.
The other night I went to the drive-in with part of my family. There are less than 800 left in the US. We are fortunate to have several in our area. It cost us four dollars for each adult, another one near us charges $12.50 per carload. This is still a great bargain for two movies. We have to supply our own sound system, as we didn't take care of the ones that were originally provided by the theaters.
Our popcorn also has gone up in price, and it was a little on the stale side. I miss the freshly popped popcorn and the smell of it that you could get from going to the drive-in.
We seem to always pick the nights when it rains, at least this is what my husband thinks. The other night, in fact, we ended up being in a thunderstorm warning. It only shook the truck a little. (We got all of our chairs and ourselves inside before the hard rain hit.)
It is more difficult to come across those memorable movies, they just don't make great Westerns anymore. In fact the majority of them I wish I hadn't bother watching. But when you are with your family, those memories are the ones that you want to keep. Such as the atmosphere that you attain in the preparation just to get there. Lawn chairs are a must and your coolers with your drinks. You don't need to count on the concession stand for snacks, you can bring what you want with you. These days I try to take fresh fruit and yogurt. (I have to keep that diet going.)
So, here we are on a Saturday night and I think we are once again off to the drive-in. I have the drinks cooling, the radio and the chairs are in the truck. I am not sure what is playing, but I know I will look forward to each minute of family time. Hopefully the rain will stay away! And as the saying goes, "See you are the movies!"