How IT all started

Being born son of a farmer in the 40's, I grew up watching my father fix his farm tractors and equipment. I think he gave me a wrench to hold when I was about six (6) or so.

I don't remember exactly when I started to turn a wrench maybe it was when I got my own BOYS bike. I had a younger sister so right after the war I got a 20" girls bike first so I could give it to her when I got my 26" more manly bike later on.

I also started driving tractors and farm truck about age nine as getting a good hired hand was pretty hard to do even after the war ended. I had a red Model B Farmall to drive and Dad had both a Model H and M. http://www.livinghistoryfarm.org/farminginthe40s/machines_0201.html

I helped my Dad probably more by handing him wrenches than actually turning them. Once we moved to Florida in 1951 I had pretty well had mastered driving most any thing with four wheels. So in 1952 my dad and I picked up a brand new 52 Rambler from assembly plant in Kenosha, WI and proceeded to drive it to LA to deliver it to the local Nash dealer there. Seems like a lot of new cars were delivered that way back then. I expect we took Route 66 but I am not sure. http://oldcarandtruckpictures.com/AmericanMotors/1952NashBrochure-02.jpg

I can't hardly believe Pinin Farina designed that 52 Rambler we drove to LA but that is what the ad above said.

My dad tired easily so at age 12 being fairly tall I drove almost the whole way to CA in a new car that didn't belong to us. We were going to see my older brother whose wife was having their first baby.

I remember driving across wide open Texas (Open Range Law) and coming over a hill and seeing a 50 Ford convertible upside down in the sage brush. We stopped and found nobody nearby but some blood in car. Driving down the highway we soon found the family who had been in the car. Woman said she had been driving when cattle appeared in the highway right in front of them and she had swerved to miss them and flipped the car. Lucky for them and us we were able to take them to the hospital and NOT get any blood on seats of our "loaner". I think I may have driven slower for awhile after that incident.