Yes, that's a pillow on top of the Scout. Yes, my Mom is drinking Busch for lunch. Yes, that is a can of baked beans with a spoon in it. Yes, she made her hat. Yes, I'm squinting because it's bright as berkeley. And, yes, I've never been to school. And yet my parents were conservatives.
Anyone want more? 
Looks like a blast.
Keep them coming.
Explain the "never been to school" lol
I mean, come on, this is almost out of an IH brochure! Minus the weird kid eating a PB&J on the roof with a pillow...
Scout II! My uncle had one. He let me drive it on dirt roads in Colorado.
Cool pics. Where were they taken?
In reply to yupididit :
Really? No E36 M3, never went to a public school ever. I took correspondence school from the Calvert School (which, incredibly, still exists: https://www.calvertschoolmd.org/ ) I then used the American School (damn, it's still around too: https://www.americanschoolofcorr.com/) but I just completed the first two years of the American School and then sent them my GED because I was years behind. Both schools let you take two years to complete a grade. And you could crib from all of the books they sent you. I should be smart as a turnip. My first actual day of class (minus the GED stuff) was College.
In reply to Slippery (Forum Supporter) :
Well, for now I'll try to keep them regional, just in cause someone recognizes the area. It's kind of specific to a region.
I can't find a pivotal picture to flesh out this story, but here is the vehicle we migrated from to the Scout. My wife has more pictures that she has scanned. I hope she has the one I want.
Yes, a Bronco in (not kidding) "Three Putt Green" paint.
This means you are proof that you don't need a public education, just an education. I have a similar story that I am not willing to share. But suffice to say, due to insanity in life, I didn't complete all of my schooling, and yet still read at a collegiate level, was state spelling bee champion, and currently have degrees in electrical theory, Physics, aerodynamics, etc.
"you have to go to public school to be some thing in life." I was told that my entire life growing up.
This is awesome. This is my screen on my computer. Love the old pics of the trucks.
Thanks for sharing! This thread has been a blast of fresh air blowing through downtown Same-Old-Thing Town.
I'm enjoying. Cool dog. Is it a Basenji?
Very cool.
From a kid's perspective, what was it like having a new Scout as a family vehicle?
We had a Scout II Traveler Ralleye growing up. School bus yellow with white ralleye decals and a white fiberglass top. 345 V8 that likely weighed more than a volkswagen, but ran well unless it was humid. Then you had to spray the distributor cap with WD40. Zero options.
From my perspective as a kid, all I remember was the complete lack of warmth. The heater was pathetic, there were zero interior body cards, so beside you was nothing but sheet metal that sucked the heat out of your legs. My sister and I would sit in the back seat with our gloves and knit caps on. I remember giggling because we discovered if we took our knit hats off, we could watch the static sparks inside arcing from one thread of yarn to another. On a good, dry, cold night, it was like little fireworks. I still remember the smell of hair and ozone from doing that.
The floorboards had rusted out so badly that the seatbelts had fallen out. I'll never forget that day. Dad got in, buckled his belt, and about 5 miles down the road he noticed the retractor mechanism was in his lap. One evening, he whipped that scout to the side of the road to pick up a fallen aluminum road sign which he cut and riveted on the whole floor to cover the "flintstones" holes, then used a piece of the roadsign post to bolt under the floor to re-attach the seat belt and spread out the forces in case of an accident. Not sure how much good it would have done anyway, they were just lap belts.
A sociological question if you don't mind:
What are your observations on the different type of exposure to other children (normally found in schools of course) you had in your upbringing, compared to the "typical" child? E.g. do you notice a difference in how you see things / react to things, socially as compared to the typically schooled person?
One could say that I had a bit of a wild upbringing by well intentioned parents who did things a little differently, and It’s been suggested that I should tell my story
But it was just normal to me
Shadeux (Forum Supporter) said:Yes, that's a pillow on top of the Scout. Yes, my Mom is drinking Busch for lunch. Yes, that is a can of baked beans with a spoon in it. Yes, she made her hat. Yes, I'm squinting because it's bright as berkeley. And, yes, I've never been to school. And yet my parents were conservatives.
Anyone want more?
My parents had a pair of those chairs until about 2 years ago. That's all I got.
Shadeux (Forum Supporter) said:In reply to yupididit :
Really? No E36 M3, never went to a public school ever. I took correspondence school from the Calvert School (which, incredibly, still exists: https://www.calvertschoolmd.org/ ) I then used the American School (damn, it's still around too: https://www.americanschoolofcorr.com/) but I just completed the first two years of the American School and then sent them my GED because I was years behind. Both schools let you take two years to complete a grade. And you could crib from all of the books they sent you. I should be smart as a turnip. My first actual day of class (minus the GED stuff) was College.
That's awesome.
Fun discussion, Shadeux, looking forward to more. I definitely had a very unconventional upbringing myself.
Although I did complete high school, I was definitely self educated (fun word: autodidact). I read three books a day. I failed American History with a 97 percent test average after they took points off for attendence. I only came to class on test days, since I had already read the book.
I also had the third highest SAT in the county that year.
My graduation was a significant accomplishment that can't be matched today. They won't give you a diploma with a 1.8 GPA anymore. They also fenced the parking lots after that.
Shadeux (Forum Supporter) said:In reply to yupididit :
Really? No E36 M3, never went to a public school ever. I took correspondence school from the Calvert School (which, incredibly, still exists: https://www.calvertschoolmd.org/ ) I then used the American School (damn, it's still around too: https://www.americanschoolofcorr.com/) but I just completed the first two years of the American School and then sent them my GED because I was years behind. Both schools let you take two years to complete a grade. And you could crib from all of the books they sent you. I should be smart as a turnip. My first actual day of class (minus the GED stuff) was College.
Super jealous of this.
I suffered through our E36 M3ty excuse for a school system for 11 years before I told the world to berkeley off, that I was done playing by their rules. Hated every second of it. My only mistake was not bailing on that hot mess sooner.
The older I get, the more I think that this type of "unconventional" child rearing is actually the way things should be.
This thread didn't go the direction I was expecting. I'm tuning in to hear more, it sounds interesting.
Definitely looking for more!
BTW, In that first pic I see a cholla cactus in the background and barren mountains further beyond. Would that have been what's now Joshua Tree Nat'l Park in SoCal?
Open a Google Doc, click on "Voice Typing" and start talking. Stories like yours are good book fodder, and self publishing is cheap.
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