| As a boy of 14, I was always looking for adventure. | | | | back. We found an old barn that look like it was |
| As I look back, I am amazed that my parents let me | | | | about to fall down, and climbed up into the second |
| do so much. Dad had taken a break from the coal | | | | floor. Most of the floor was missing so we had to be |
| mining business and opened a service station on the | | | | careful not to fall through. We spent the night there |
| main road through Englewood, Tennessee. We | | | | and the next morning someone yelled, look what is |
| moved the house trailer onto the property next to | | | | down below! Right below us was a dead goat, he still |
| the station. After school and on the weekends I | | | | had all of his hair, but he had been dead for a long |
| helped dad in the service station, pumping gas, | | | | time. I can't remember what we did the rest of the |
| repairing flats and greasing autos. Dad would often | | | | day, but that dead goat sure stuck with me. |
| leave me alone to run the station. Some times he | | | | My second cave trip was also in Englewood, I am not |
| would even take all my friends fishing and he would | | | | sure just where. We rode our bikes out of town to |
| say someone has to mind the store. I did not mind | | | | this farm, one of the boys must have known about |
| though because he took me fishing plenty of times. | | | | the cave. The entrance was a slide down about 20 |
| We were only there about six months, but I have | | | | feet into a good size room. We only had our |
| many memories from Englewood. An old lady walked | | | | flashlights and I don't think that we stayed very long. |
| south to Florida in the winter time and back north in | | | | I wish that I could remember where it was I would |
| the summer time. She pushed a cart with all her | | | | like to go back and check it out again. I do |
| belongings and never accepted a ride. She spent | | | | remember that there was a spring down the hill just |
| some time at the station visiting and talking for quite | | | | a short way form the entrance. On the way back |
| a while. | | | | we spent sometime knocking down wasp nests in |
| We found a red container with a fuse in a pile of dirt | | | | another barn and getting chased by them. That was |
| behind the station one day, it looked like it had black | | | | always a challenge to see how many nest you could |
| powder in it. Dad and I tried our best to get it to go | | | | knock down without getting stung. |
| off but the fuse would not stay lit. Dad must have | | | | I had a close friend named Becky, we met at the |
| known that the powder and fuse was to wet. | | | | Baptist Church where we attended. She had a |
| Someone gave me an old washing machine motor | | | | steady boy friend that was keeping a close eye on |
| while we were there and I was able to get it running. | | | | whom Becky was hanging around with, but I was |
| I do not know why they called the small motors | | | | careful and we never had a run-in. We never got too |
| washing machine motors unless they were used on | | | | serious but we shared a lot and we corresponded |
| the early washing machines. It had a side shaft and | | | | together while I was in the service. While I was |
| place for a small belt. I bolted the motor onto the | | | | visiting with her one day, a car ran over her cat. It |
| back of my bicycle and attached a belt from the | | | | was a really bad scene the cat was screaming and |
| motor to the rear wheel with an old motor cycle belt | | | | Becky was crying for me to put him out of his |
| attachment. I installed a lever on the side that I could | | | | misery. Well I never realized just how hard it is to kill |
| tighten the belt with for drive. It would really fly. | | | | a cat and I never want to have to go through that |
| However, it was very heavy on the rear and hard to | | | | again. We dated once after I returned from my tour |
| steer. If you got off the bike, the front wheel would | | | | in Germany, but a lot had changed for both of us |
| come off the ground. After a while I got tired of | | | | and nothing developed. We lost touch after that and |
| struggling with it and wanted my old bike back. I am | | | | I often wondered if she married that farm boy in |
| amazed that I didn't kill myself on that thing. | | | | Englewood. I passed a lady on the bridge of Rich's |
| My friends and I decided to go camping once and | | | | department store in Atlanta once many years later |
| mom said that it was fine just don't go too far. We | | | | and could have sworn that it was Becky, however I |
| packed up our blankets and snacks and headed off | | | | thought it better not to try and find out. |
| to wherever the road led. We even walked the | | | | We left Englewood in 1956 and moved to Lakeland |
| railroad tracks for quite a while. When night came, | | | | Florida. Dad got a job as a welder in the phosphate |
| we had no ideal where we were, only how to get | | | | mines there. |