WARNING : Please put down all drinks, swallow any foods and don't eat anymore, might be a good idea to spit out gum or mints as well before you read the following.
grampster-
Hello sir!
The '53 Chevy was gray in color.
I am a '55 model. My earliest "four-wheeling" was in cloth diapers in a top drawer of a dresser on the back seat.
[ I warned you folks didn't I ?]
My glass bottle was warmed via the defrost I am told. I was afraid to ask what all occurred when I got older and told I was breast fed as a baby . My mind had all sorts of images...
Momma didn't know how to drive. Then one day I saw mommy behind the wheel of the '53 Chevy , daddy had coffee cans ( we didnt' know they were evil back then) on the gravel road parallel to the ditch in front of the house. Momma was crushing coffee cans, I thought it pretty interesting. Daddy kept yelling something about "parallel parking" - she yelled at him to quit yelling everytime she went into the ditch. I thought she was doing a fine job of hitting the ditch. Then I had the definiton of parallel parking explained to me by my neighbor- took him awhile as he was laughing the whole time.
I then learned the fine art of changing out of my jammies ( the ones with the football that glowed in the dark on the chest)into my play clothes, while in the back of that '53 Chevy so momma could take daddy to work so we could have the car to go shopping ususally just on Fridays. I don't know what this "we " part was all about. I kinda like taking the Bus ride or the trolley. I mean the '53 Chevy didn't have a cord that went "ding" or a bell to clang. My head went "bump" the way momma found the curbs, potholes, and for some reason the brakes worked different for mom than daddy. Daddy did not have the brakes make screeching sounds, leave black marks,stink, or toss me from the back seat to up front.
I can't help but feel learning how to change clothes in the back of a '53 Chevy gave me a heads up on some skills for when I got older and took a date to the drive-in picture show...
As we know , but for the sake of others , one didn't need to have a key to turn on ignition or open the trunk. Just leave them in the "on" position or unlocked.
My first personal "four wheeling" all myself was in the driveway. Daddy was at drill and momma next door. My Johnny Unitas football was under the Chevy. So I moved the car to get my football. Okay rolling it back was easy, not being tall enough to see and reach pedals at the same time...I just aimed at a overhanging branch to get my bearings. I got my football, I made it over the tree root in the dirt driveway, I pulled it up just fine, straight and everything. Mom freaked when she caught me, my smile went to frown " get a switch and if aint' big enough - I'll pick one" I hate hedges to this day.
"Wait until your daddy gets home young man! " Always hated that part too...
Daddy looked at me kinda funny. I started in " I didnt' crush any coffee cans" - that is when momma stormed out of the room. " I got the football, I parked it straighter than mom and didn't mess anything up." Of course he refused the notion I go out and show him how I did this.
He later did test me by letting me pull the car up while sitting on his lap, with another evil coffee can " Just pull up to where the coffee can is even with left front bumper. Momma stormed into the house - guess she got mad because daddy was grinning - or maybe I didn't crush the coffee can.
Now we got all high dollar and got a second car, a '58 Dodge , two tone green with wings and push button transmission . Buttons on the left of dash - what idiot thought the rear view was supposed to go on the dash. That is where the burgers go from Tasty Freeze or Dairy Queen...I mean glove box pulls down and holds the drinks if the car hop forgets to leave the tray on the window...sometimes real busy and needed all the trays.
Now a fella at church had a '53 Chevy too, a blue one. My expereinces in the one we had, and his, they would go anywhere ' cause we did. The only cool thing about the '58 Dodge was when you backed out of the drive , and hit "D" the tires would spin chat. [ We thought chat was high cotton compared to dirt and gravel.
'53 Chevy's went everywhere, lot of room for fishing poles, guns , dogs, all sorts of stuff to take way out in the backwoods.
We later got a Station wagon, with power brakes ,power steering, and again auto transmission . Had more kids too, good thing too. Momma took turns slinging kids all over the back from side to side, from back to back seat- and on a good day she could toss a kid from back glass all the way up front where she was. A kid would crawl all the way back to back glass...she would do this again.
I was about Ten when all my "four wheeling" and "driving experience came in handy. We went to the S&H Stamp redemption center. Momma and I were almost to the door and momma forgot a couple of books and my catalog with the toy circled I wanted. Momma went in, I was in the parking lot when I hear this kid about 2 just a wailing...and the car was rolling with him in it down the parking lot. I took off in a dead run, head first I climbed into the window, got settled and we went over the curb into the street. This was some kind of Desota I think. Anyway I knew if I started it - I could steer a bit better , so I did, and made sure the tree was in first gear. I eased into the street, using the building and all as I really couldn't see over that hood and eased in first gear to around back of store and back around front.
There was this momma really frantic running toward me as I was tugging on that hand brake. Then the Cop that walked the beat, who was with the momma came over.
So I here I go - finally - into this S&H center with a nickel coke , the stamp books, my catalog with toy circled, and BIG Cop..."Ma'am is this your son?"
Momma's do weird stuff when a Cop twirling a baton asks them that...
"What did he do this time, and where did you get a coke...and...and..."
Cop told her. I thought mom was gonna faint before I got my toy.
Yeah I got to hear " wait until your daddy hears about this young man" Only this time there was no swithches or belts involved.
See, I kept telling them a kid is not to young to learn stuff , I mean "4 wheeling" in the driveway came in handy...all them other times in fields and stuff too...
My toy...I finally had enough to get my bone handled hunting knife with a leather sheath...it was so neat!
Kinda explains why folks said I would not make it past my 21st, 30th, 40th, or to my 50th B-day. Still time on whether I make it to 60 though if folks still wanna place bets....*grin*
steve
