Jul. 14, 2005 - 18:35 MDT

AND ONION TOO

Heather and I took a trip to the Good Will today to drop off clothes we no long wear (for one reason or another). Way out on North Federal Boulevard, of course a stop at the Credit Union to do business - incoming, not outgoing. Checking the Post Office Box all before going out north.

Heaving a sigh of relief I pitched our contribution into the hands of a helpful gent and we pulled away.

Heather came up with one of her great ideas and said, "Let's go to Mickey Manor." And the trip back through our history was then made. Once long ago, but in this strange land was a small chain of eateries called Rocky Bilt. They were all over town and although Heather and I went to different schools Rocky Bilt was a place of choice for us.

For several reasons. One - their hamburgers though small, were as tasty as one could get, especially with their sauce on them. Two - was the quantity given for the money. Three - They had the greatest chili in town the way we felt about it. That was before chili became the incendiary food it is now. And the price was right for that also.

With a very few bucks in one's pocket to deal with a person could walk out of Rocky Bilt with a nice sack of burgers to eat on the way home and still have some left on arrival at domicile.

When we moved to east Denver I used to go to the Ogden Theater to see movies. It was on Colfax Avenue, a bit up from downtown. Guess it would be called a "nabe" even though it was on a busy street. But the best part of it was the fact that directly across the street was a Rocky Bilt, so I always went to the show with enough money to have a couple of Rocky Bilts and maybe a bowl of chili. Made the street car ride home comfortably, pleasantly full.

Heather can tell stories of being at other Rocky Bilts as she grew up, having an older brother and older sister I guess she was at them sooner than I was.

Anyhow, Rocky Bilt was a fact of life for us, a small amount of cash and a tad of hunger, that was the place we went. More cash, more hunger Rocky Bilt took care of that too. They were famed for their burgers, and deserved that too.

Rocky Bilts began to thin out as the years went by, gradually disappearing from their old haunts. I remember taking our youngest to a Rocky Bilt near where I lived, where she fell in love with Rocky Bilt too.

Eventually, the last Rocky Bilt in town was on Federal Boulevard on the triangle formed by 29th Avenue, Speer Boulevard, near North High School. Finally it was no more - - - - who knows what happened to it or those who owned it ? The city made that triangle a park, where the white Rocky Bilt Ghost still is in the background if one looks through the eyes of their heart.

Now and then one or another of us would remember and reminisce, drool a bit and sigh. In the local paper I saw an article that the Rocky Bilt sauce formula was in the possession of the folks who have Mickey Manor, which is a few blocks south on Federal Boulevard. A working man's tavern from way back, well populated with those with a thirst. And it had decent fare for those who hungered.

Soon after I read that article Heather and I had to go across town for some reason or another and we hunted up Mickey Manor and had ourselves a treat, a major treat for us. As we chewed the memories flooded in. Heather mentioned how her dad would stop by there and bring home a sack of Rocky Bilt hamburgers. Her family was a large one, I can imagine the size of the sack. She roller skated at Mammoth Gardens, also on Colfax and not too far west of the Rocky Bilt by the Ogden Theater. She has memories of the gang of them, siblings and friends going to that one en masse and having hamburgers and fries.

Funny to me how my mind treasures memories of eating places associated with fun places and or people we love. I remember Keable's on 17 Street downtown, across the alley from the Security Building where Mom worked in a Western Union Branch Office there. They had good food, more than hamburgers and I on my good behavior would join Mom now and then for lunch. How good it was to be with her during the work day, knowing that I would see her at home after work too. Gave us a chance to eat a bite and have a bit of a talk too. Then a hug and a kiss outside, she going back to work and me headed for wherever.

Still deep in my heart are the Rocky Bilts, with sauce and ONION TOO . . . . . . . . . .

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