There was only one lake near us that had any fish and it was a good lake. There were other lakes but they were quite saline and didn't have fish.
Some neighbors built Dad a little wooden boat and he thought it was the best boat in the world. When fishing season opened he would take his boat down to the lake and leave it for the summer ...unlocked. In the late fall before ice formed he would make a trip to the lake and bring his boat home for the winter.
Now one year he decided to send my brother and I to pick up the boat. I was 14 and my brother was 13. We didn't have driver's licenses. As kids in a rural area we began driving when we were very young. I started when I was 11. We didn't go to town. We just drove on the farm. By age 14 we drove all aver the place.
You may say why didn't the police catch you? There weren't any police...at least not nearby. What about traffic? There was next to no traffic. We were in a very sparsely populated area so our chances of running over somebody were very slim.
Well , we got to the lake and loaded the boat. Dad had taken the sides off the truck box for some reason. We had to be careful.
By the time we got home it was dark. When we got out of the truck, there was no boat on the back of the truck
My brother and I at ages 3 and 4
Okay, we got back in the truck and put the pedal to the metal to find the boat. The boat was 2 miles down the road and had fallen off as we turned a corner.
The boat had not been damaged so Dad was ready for the next fishing season.
Many times we did adult jobs on that old farm that were very necessary and we were proud of the jobs we did,
That's a fun memory for you and your brother. Good thing the boat wasn't damaged. My Dad grew up in a large family on a farm and told lots of stories about all the jobs the kids took on at a young age. Everyone had to work together and I'm sure you know all about that!
ReplyDeleteIt was at a time that agriculture was very labor intensive.
DeleteThose were the free times without all the rules we have now. Must have been great to grow up that way with your own responsibilities.
ReplyDeleteKids had much more freedom and they didn't have restrictions like today. Today the cell phone takes up too much of their time.
DeleteThat is so funny! I love this story! I can just imagine how you must have felt when you discovered the boat was gone. That picture is great.
ReplyDeleteWe were very concerned when we found we had lost the boat.
DeleteThat's a good story from the Way Back Machine, all right. I am so glad you were able to find the undamaged boat and your dad was none the wiser. :-)
ReplyDeleteDad was wiser. We told him the boat was gone before we went back to look for it.
DeleteHello, nice memory of you and your brother and the fishing boat. I am glad the boat was not damaged. Enjoy your day and weekend!
ReplyDeleteThat was a well built wooden boat.
DeleteWow. You were lucky!
ReplyDeleteYes , it's a lucky thing it wasn't much further back.
DeleteDid you tell your father about this incident? If you had been my son I would have taken my belt off and given you a good thrashing! Bad boy Red!
ReplyDeleteWe told Dad before we went back. I got lots of "lickens" that I deserved but in this case it was not our fault so no punishment.
DeleteI loved reading this story.
ReplyDeleteThanks.
DeleteRed, Great story! Just curious ... did you tell your Dad about the boat falling off the truck? :-) I might not have ... at least for a while. Big smile. Have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteWe did tell Dad before we went back.
DeleteWhat a great story, I love it.
ReplyDeleteThanks.
DeleteFortunately it wasn't damaged!
ReplyDeleteCouple of scrapes on the paint but no more.
DeleteFarm kids grow up a lot quicker than others, I think. Maybe kids on the street also grow up fast but in a different way. Imagine, two young boys driving on this errand!
ReplyDeleteFarm kids in that day had much more independence.
DeleteYou were lucky the boat wasn't in pieces but then again you weren't going fast. Did you ever tell your father?
ReplyDeleteWe told Dad before we went back to look for the boat.
DeleteAt 13 I drove the tractor, set irrigation dams, held off a mad cow...farm kids grow up fast.
ReplyDeleteWe also seemed to be able to accept the responsibility.
DeleteYou and your brother must have been quite the pair, only two years apart. Funny neither one of you heard it slide off. Probably chattering away in conversation. My aunt began driving when she was 13 and told hilarious tales of her escapades with my mom, her sister, who was six years younger.
ReplyDeleteThat was an amusing and interesting story. Rural life was very different from urban life. I learned to drive in a field before I was a teenager.
ReplyDeleteIt must have been quite interesting growing up on a farm!
ReplyDeleteKids are capable of so much more than they are credited with. I'm sure your whole life has been enriched by the sense of capability you must have derived from these kinds of activities.
ReplyDeleteIt's also a great story!
I love going in the way back machine!
ReplyDeleteI think most Farm kids learned to drive at an early age. I was about 10 when I learned and drove just in the fields. We got farm permits when we were 14...just for use on the farm:)
ReplyDelete