They say the weather is supposed to start getting hot again after a few weeks of unusually mild and sometimes rainy weather. Mild for central Texas that is.
In the spirit of beating the heat, today’s Old Photo Friday takes us back to Springfield, Virginia sometime in the late seventies. I’m the kid on the right. My business partner, Georgie, is to the left of our little shop.
I don’t see many kids out selling lemonade anymore. Perhaps their parents give them all the coin they need or maybe it’s too dangerous for kids to be out on the street corner trying to attract strangers.
Or maybe it’s too dangerous for passers by to drink what strange kids are selling.
Still, selling lemonade was for many of us our first glimpse of American capitalism, our first effort at selling, marketing, customer service.
Our little stand didn’t make us rich, but we probably earned enough to get something from the ice cream man since our investors were pretty laid back about recouping their capital investments in our venture. Perhaps that’s the lesson that doesn’t translate to the real world.
James Brush is a teacher and writer who lives in Austin, TX. He tries to get outside as much as possible.
[…] Was the Playstation Broken? Last week’s Old Photo Friday lamented the passing of the one-day-only lemonade stands once run by enterprising young urchins out to make a bit of summer coin. […]