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WILKES-BARRE — OK, we haven’t traveled in the Way Back Machine for a few weeks, so let’s go!

Destination again is the 1960s and, of course, Plymouth, Pa. — or it could be just about any small town in America.

Today, as we hover, we are looking for a hobby shop — I seem to remember a Jack’s Hobby Center in the Narrows Shopping Center and Dick’s Hobby Shop on South Main Street in Wilkes-Barre.

We are going to stop and pick up a few model car kits — I think Revell made some cool ones.

Once we purchase our model kits, we head back to my house and down to the basement.

I miss the basement in our house on Reynolds Street — and the front porch, and the creek behind the house.

Our basement was functional — it housed our big coal furnace. On one side of our basement was an apartment. It was vacant most of my younger years, so my pals and I would use it to build models — my favorite was a 1940 Ford which I would always paint candy-apple red. I would also add white trim and a rumble seat.

Painting those models was tedious — you really had to have a steady hand and you had to be careful to use just the right amount of glue.

I wish I could bring all those awesome cars of the 1960s back. Remember when you could immediately tell a car’s make and model on sight?

Today, it seems most everybody drives a white SUV and they all look the same. Where’s the creativity?

Back in the ‘60s, man those cars were spectacular.

Cars like GTOs, Camaros, Mustangs, Corvettes, Road Runners, Dodge Darts, Chevelles, Barricudas, Thunderbirds, Beetles, Ramblers, Studebakers, Corvairs, Pintos, Furys, Marlins, Gremlins, Mavericks, Cougars, Impalas, Fairlanes, Cutlasses, Continentals, Galaxys, El Dorados, Cordobas, LeSabres, Biscaynes, BelAirs and many more.

They were so distinctive. And the color combinations were amazing — not to mention the power under the hood.

Those cars were fascinating and fun — and it was cool to buy the model car kit and assemble and paint your favorite.

We enjoyed our times in the basement — especially during those hot days of summer, because it was always cool down in the basement.

And everybody had a basement. Some were turned into rathskellers where adults would gather for parties — you know, away from the kids, who were upstairs watching cartoons on the black-and-white Admiral TV with rabbit ears.

And the adults would drink beers and high balls and play cards. There would be chips and dip and pretzels — lots of pretzels. Some people had real fancy basements — early versions of man caves that had a small bar with goofy decorations, like a clock that told time backwards, or a dart board or a jukebox.
 

And when house parties moved back to living rooms with the arrival of fondue parties and Trivial Pursuit, basements managed to evolve. They became exercise rooms with treadmills and free weights. This happened just in time as fast food restaurants changed the eating habits of families and added calories in never-seen-before numbers.

But nowadays, most residential units are built on slabs — no basements — garages, yes, which oddly become storage units and the cars are left in the driveway or on the street.

And as basements disappear, front porches are nearing extinction as well. People don’t seem to value sitting on their front porches as the world goes by. And chatting with the neighbors is also on the endangered list.

Neighborhoods just ain’t what they used to be. People leave their homes in the morning, head to work, find a happy hour for a bit, grab a to-go dinner and head home for an evening of watching TV.

Parents rush to get their kids to sporting events or dances or other activities, drop them off, then do some shopping before picking the kids up and back home.
 

Probably in their white SUV.

I wish we had cell phones back in the ‘60s. We coulda taken so many great pics and stored them and shared them.

But maybe it’s better that we gather and tell stories.

I just wish we could meet in the basement.