Buttermilk Sky

These skies made me think of the old Hoagy Carmichael song, "Ole Buttermilk Sky".
Funny.
I was a kid when I saw him singing the song in the movies, but when I noticed these clouds I heard his voice.

Sometimes I can't believe the time I spend tracking down a memory.

Where did I hear Hoagy Carmichael sing that song?

I could picture a movie and I knew I would have seen it at the Plaza Theater. But what movie? Thanks to google I worked it out. The secret in the search was hitting the right keyword.

At first I was down a wrong path thinking it was the movie Paleface with Bob Hope and Jane Russell. Nope! It was the 1946 movie, Canyon Passage with Dana Andrews, Susan Hayward, and Brian Donlevy. A 1946 release. The video cover shows a banner across the top, "Ole Buttermilk Sky - Hoagy Carmichael.

I knew I was about10 years old when I saw it. I tell you I may not remember yesterday but I have practically total recall on the days when we lived at 814 Hawthorne Lane, Charlotte, NC.

Mama moved us to that 12 family apartment house, Apt #12, after Daddy joined the US Army Air Corps during World War II. I was in the second grade and walked the eight blocks to Elizabeth School. At that time, it was safe enough for kids to roam their neighborshoods on their own.

814 Hawthorne Lane was a village so far as kids were concerned. Lots of people looking out for what was happening. And we lived equidistant from each of our grandparents with aunts and uncles in between. And people who knew us and our families I felt safe.

It was a sweet time - even though I did not fully appreciate it at the time.

But like so much, it is gone.

The last time I was in Charlotte I rode down Hawthorne Lane. The entire square block has been razed - its just red dirt with tufts of grass and pieces of wood strewn around. Waiting for progress.