There was a time, when you could drive down certain streets and see women of the night walking down them. From Sandy Blvd, 82nd Ave and yes, even the hip neighborhoods of Northeast Alberta and North Mississippi, these streets were the haunts of such women. I'm not talking the women of the night that you see today, I'm talking women of character. Woman who had a flamboyant nature about them, and flaunted their "stuff". Feathered boas, fake leather pants and make-up painted on like it was Mardis Gras, they had it all. I never ventured to have a "date" with any of these women, but they definitely caught my eye. They made you take a second look, and they made you think...a double take, as it were. As a teenaged boy, my best friend and I often mustered up the courage to talk to a few and they were nothing but polite and friendly...real personable and whatnot. Nowadays, they all look the same: skinny, dirty, drugged out and hopeless. I'm not saying that prostitution is a way of life that any woman hopes for, but the ones who did it back in the day, definitely made it their own. I miss those old time girls...where have all those flowers gone?