Imagine That
Growing up in the 50's was quite different from today. TV was in black and white, only had three channels and was on the air from about 6:30 am til midnight, except for the Million Dollar Movie on Saturday nights. Saturday mornings would find us sitting in front of the TV starring at the "test pattern " anxiously awaiting the start of cartoons. We didn't have hand held game boys or cell phones and bunches of toys. Neither did we have air conditioning - it was generally cooler outside than in.
What we did have was friends who we saw ( in person ) on a daily basis, trees to climb, board games and cards to play on rainy days. We used sticks that had blown off trees or pieces of 2x4 in place of toys, but most of all we had " imagination ".
Boys seemed to play at war an awful lot whether it be cowboys and Indians or soldiers fighting hordes of Huns. We used sticks for rifles if we didn't have toy guns and hard dirt clods for hand grenades. We would choose up sides and argue over who would be the good guys, sometimes we would build forts but mostly we would just run around from tree to bush to ditch. When enough players were killed off the war was won and another would be started. The good guys always seemed to win and no mercy was given to the enemy.
When there was money available, we were given dimes to buy ice cream from a guy who pushed a cart thru the neighborhood or we collected coke bottles and redeemed them at the grocery store for three cents apiece which we used to buy candy.
We didn't sleep in during the summer, we were up early and out the door running around like banshees all day long. Sweat would run off our bodies in rivulets, the dust and dirt would look as if we had been in a mud fight and some times we had been. Our play would go long into the night with a game of " hide and seek " or collecting fireflies in glass jars. We had to be told it was bedtime.
The lawn we had on Colonial Circle was full of clover. We would pick the white flowers and tie the thin stalks together to form a chain to make bracelets, necklaces , crowns and ropes that would stretch 15 ft or more. We caught June bugs and tied thread to their legs and let them fly around like a dog on a leash. When they tired they would land on our shoulders as we walked around. Mr Walker's house next door set up higher than ours so there was a hill where we played king of the hill.
We were drawn to water like a moth to flame on those hot summer days. There always seemed to be a small stream somewhere and we would find it. This was why we went barefoot during the summer. Water and shoe leather didn't go together. Besides, there was nothing like the feeling of stepping in a puddle of fresh rain water on the road. The summer storms would interrupt our play time but as soon as the rain stopped we would be back out stomping our feet in the puddles and building dams in the ditches.
Trees were an attraction we seldom passed up, the bigger the tree the better. Brother Pat and I were involved in the construction of a couple of tree houses. It would be a neighborhood affair with everyone chipping in whatever they could find, we would go great distances for material to build a tree house. The ladder to get up the tree would be pieces of 2x4's nailed into the tree trunk and if we were lucky we had a rope to help climb up. Pieces of wood of all lengths and thickness would be nailed carefully in to place to form a platform. We never had walls as it was hard enough to come up with the wood to build the platform. The nails were collected from our homes. No one threw away bent nails back then they were too expensive. Bent nails were carefully hammered straight and re-used.
Where we lived on Colonial Circle there was a large Hackberry tree in the back yard. At times I would play by myself in the exposed roots, breaking sticks into small pieces and strategically placing them around the roots to form two army's which I would destroy in great battles of the mind. When the wind was blowing I would climb to the top of the tree and wrap my arms and legs around the main trunk and start swaying back and forth. Why the tree didn't snap is beyond me but the sensation I got blotted out any fear of falling
. Rolling transportation was another means of fun. We had tricycles, bicycles, wagons and go-carts. Anything that would go fast we would ride it, wreck it and get on for another round. We or a friend had the bikes and wagons but the go-carts we had to build. When we lived on Tyler Dr brother Pat and I got together with several boys and built a go-cart. We accomplished this feat with out any welded parts.
Building a go-cart in the 1950s required not only skill but lots of imagination. The wheels and axles came from rusted out wagons, or not rusted out wagons depending on how bad you wanted a go-cart. The frame was made 2x4s and the steering wheel was a piece of rope. Once all of the components where acquired the assembly started by first using the longest 2x4 as the main frame. Usually it was 3-4 ft long. The rear axle ( another 2x4 ) was attached to the main frame with at least 4 nails. Be sure to put the main frame on top of the axle when nailing them together. It is also a good idea to hammer over any nail points that might poke thru the 2x4s, you wouldn't want to come into contact with nail points in a crash. Next you attached the front axle to the main frame, here a nut, bolt and at least 3 washers were required, this would allow the cart to turn. A piece of rope is now ready to be nailed in place, the nails are driven about halfway into the wood and then bent over and hammered down over the rope pinching it into position.
Finally the wheels are attached to the wooden axles. To do this you can use the metal axle from the wagon or tricycle the wheels came from, or use long bolts which are attached, like the rope, by bending nails over the metal axle. Now nail a couple of 2x4s across the main frame to create a seat and you are ready to go.
The driver of the cart sits on the seat and places his feet on the front axle and holds the rope in both hands. It is important to note that you steer with your feet Push forward with your right foot while easing off on the left foot and you will turn left. To go right, work your feet in the opposite direction. The rope is used like a power assist in case your foot slips off the axle and for towing the cart up hills. Now all you need is a hill to ride down and a buddy to push. The driver is responsible for getting the cart back up the hill.
Building and riding a go-cart was fun but it wasn't long before it became boring but we had an idea. One of the boys who lived the next street over could get a motor, his Dad worked on lawn mowers. We wound up mounting a 5hp motor from a self propelled reel type mower to the back of the cart and ran a throttle cable to the main frame between our legs. It worked.
We are now able to run on flat surfaces without having to push - and it was fast. I can't remember all that rode the cart, or the name of the boy who supplied the motor, I do know that I got a short ride. The friend who supplied the motor took off down the road like a bat out of hell, he came back towing the cart because the throttle came loose and he couldn't slow down, he wound up dragging his feet on the pavement and running up a hill until the engine stalled. Our friends dad got pissed because we used his motor without asking and because he was going to have to buy a new pair of shoes for his son. That was the end of the go-cart but for a short while we had a ball building and riding the cart.
I'm sure that the kids of today would find it hard to believe that a plain piece of pine 2x4 could be a bulldozer or scrap of lumber could turn into a go-cart. None of what we did was rocket science and it was all done on a whim without prior thought. We just wanted to have fun. We had to use our minds to explore the world we lived in. A world that now seems a lot simpler, safer and more fun - imagine that.
No comments:
Post a Comment