Visited The Grovert Girls, yesterday...
Picked up our signs, and said my Thank You's...and Good Byes.
Pat, was leaving for Texas, yesterday...
invited us to come visit her...anytime.
<3
Sue, and I...made plans to share a Big Glass of Wine, when their Folk's Home...sells.
That'll be soon.
It's an Awesome...Home, in the Great Town, of Newhall.
; )
Ran errands, picked up a salt block...for Scout a Roo...and visited with him, for a bit.
; )
Then...Pal, Mark...rang.
Said he had something for me.
?
Somehow...Mark laid his hands on a Mess of Morel Mushrooms!
They came from Way...Up North!!
Holy Smokes!!!
He was willing to Share.
Oh My!!!
We sat, and visited under John's Old...Oak, talked about Dad, the old...trucks, we used to have, and the Shenanigans, Dad always got into.
<3
oh my.
Life...was Always an Adventure, when you were with Dad.
Always.
<3
{Now ya know where I...'get it'...from.
I learned...from The Master. ; ) }
The word 'impossible', wasn't in Dad's vocabulary.
If he had his mind set on it, it would be done.
He'd figure out a way.
Always.
I, never questioned him, or doubted him...ever.
Was never afraid, or worried...when we'd find ourselves in a 'Tight Spot'.
let me tell ya...
we've been in some mighty...tight spots, a time...or two.
: )
Many of those 'pickles'...were very colorful, and...if you didn't live through them, most likely...wouldn't believe they ever happened.
; )
but...
I was lucky enough...to see many, first hand.
{To my Mother's dismay. ; ) We learned not to share the details, early on...with Mom, of our Daily...
'Adventures'.
oh my.}
I was telling Mark, last night...about an Auction...Dad, and I were at, when I was about 7.
It was about 40 miles South of Cedar Rapids, on an old Farm, near Williamsburg, Iowa.
Dad had bought huge piles of scrap iron...and the entire contents of an old shed.
I wasn't much help...back then, but...kept Dad company, and...truly was just happy being with him, no matter...where we were.
I remember being fascinated while digging through that old shed.
Finding such Interesting...Treasures, as Dad loaded our Old...Ford.
Dad knew what Every Old Treasure was, and would tell me stories, about how he remembered his Grandmother, or Grandfather...using this, and that...when he was young, like me.
: )
It was dark, by the time we were loaded, and ready to head home.
We were low on fuel, so Dad decided to take a short cut.
It was all good, until...
we came upon a bridge that wasn't...
over the Iowa River.
We could see, where bridge building equipment had been crossing through the ditch, and through the River, so...Dad pulled our Heavily Loaded Ford, down into the ditch, up to the edge of the bank...of the River, got out...took off his boots, rolled up his pants, and began to wade across, to see how deep it was.
The Moon, was Full...so bright, between it, and the Ford's headlights...I never lost sight of him.
When Dad returned to the Ford... he assured me, we could easily cross.
No worries.
; )
We...did, indeed...cross The Iowa, well...mostly.
The front end, of The Ford...stepped up onto the northern Bank...
but...
the Rear Duals, sunk...about as deep as they possibly could, in the heavy, thick Muck...
by the Bank.
We...were Stuck.
Beyond...Stuck.
That heavy load, buried...the rear axel.
Dad tried every Trick...in the Book, to get that Truck...out.
No dice.
He turned to me, told me to wait in the Ford, he was going to walk...and get to a phone.
Didn't seem like he was gone...too long, before he was back.
Dad said...he'd called his Pal, Phil... from Cedar Rapids, and he was on his way...with his Boom Truck.
Phil's old...Boom Truck, looked like a Prehistoric Monster, to me.
It Was Huge!
Older Than Dirt!!!
The Boom, was So Long, I...thought Sure, if Phil wanted to...he could pluck a Star...from the sky, with it.
: )
None the less, when I saw those headlights, late that night, it felt like...
The Calvary Is Coming!!!
A Site...for Sore Eyes!!
<3
Phil kept the Boom Truck up...on the road, he, and Dad...let out what seemed to be Miles...of Cable, to reach the helpless...Ford.
I could hear the log chains, hitting the ground, from the Boom Truck's tool box's...then, saw Dad carrying them down the Ditch...and could hear him wrapping them around the front end of the Ford.
Then... Dad asked me to hop out of the Ford, and go stand behind some Trees, that were near the Bank of the River.
Told me to keep behind them...and pointed to the glistening cable, that was tightly stretched from The Massive Boom, to the Ford.
Dad said...
"See that cable, should it snap...it would cut you in two. Keep behind these trees."
Made sense to me.
That's exactly...what I did.
No worries.
Phil...slowly began to pull...with the Old...Giant, to no avail.
There was So Much...Weight...on that Ford, it was buried...So Deep.
Dad, was behind the wheel...of the Ford...trying to get it moving, but...no way.
I'll never forget that night.
It was quite a sight to see, with the Moon, shining down on us.
I could see that Massive Boom Truck...struggling, every which way, trying to get better footing, a better angle, on the helpless Ford.
Then, Phil...decided, to Give 'er Hell.
oh my.
I've never heard...an Engine 'Talk'...like That One...did, before, or since.
Phil gave the Ford a Big Yank....the tires were Smoking...on the Giant!!!
Then...
All of Sudden...
The Massive Truck...Reared Straight Up In The Air!
It's Headlights were pointing at The Moon!
The Giant...was Walking Only....on It's Rear Duals!!!
It's headlights... were illuminating The Huge Clouds of Smoke...Up To The Heavens...
Billowing from the Giant's Smoldering Rear Duals!!!
then...
slowly...
inch, by smoking inch...
the Ford...began to crawl out of The Grips...of The Iowa River.
Stunning.
Incredible.
Don't recall...the time of night, or early morning...me, and Dad...got Home.
but...
my Mother Did.
oh dear.
We were in Big...Trouble.
There was Plenty of Smoke Rollin' from our house...that night, too.
oh dear.
Mom, was Beyond...HOT.
Yikes!
Looking back, probably would've been a good idea, for Dad to have called Mom, when he called The Calvary, and let her know...the 'situation'.
oh dear.
oh dear.
but...
Dad probably didn't want to worry her.
{That...didn't work out...too well. Yikes!!}
No Calvary...could've saved Dad, from Mom...that early...Morning.
He'd been Scalped.
oh my.
Adventures.
Shenanigans.
oh my.
Love to Ya...
Prayers, for All.
Barb C.
