Then and Now/Bert the Turtle

We lived in something of an art deco/Spanish styled home in Bay City, Michigan in the early 1960s.  You can look it up on a map if you care to. I can say safely that it wasn't a prime target for Russian Missiles.

We did have the Defoe Shipbuilding Company that produced a very limited number of destroyers for the Navy so we all talked each other into thinking that we were right behind the White House as a prime first strike bulls eye.  We lived about 2 miles or so from this potential ground zero so there was more than a little angst albeit horribly misplaced.  It was our dream to be important enough to be in the "first strike".

Our little hacienda was built in the late 20s by a fairly wealthy family with a million kids. The basement had huge walk in safe. No kidding.  it was 6 feet wide and 12 feet long and it had a thick metal door, carpeting and was soundproof so it became my music practice room. Way back then, it was made

into our bomb shelter and fall out shelter.

My dad came home from work about 52 years ago  and quietly moved everything out of "my" room and stocked it up with bedding, food and water, flashlights and a new-fangled transistor radio that had the emergency bands clearly marked - I think 640 and 1240 on the dial.

About 13 days later he moved everything back.  The doomsday clock reset with 7 minutes to go instead of 30 seconds. I got back to practicing my trumpet.


Now that we have Mr. Trump in the White House, I suspect if my dad were alive he would move everything back in.