Saturday, June 28, 2014

Tomb Run

Summers, the cemetery was one of our playgrounds. We spent a lot of mornings and afternoons taking on the challenging project of catching frogs in any of the five  ponds. Leo was good at it. I wasn't. I was much more adept when it came to racing our homemade buggies down this hill next to the Shaw tomb. Why we called them buggies boggles my mind to this day, but we did. Wood was easy to find. Wheels off a discarded baby carriage worked well. You needed a large bolt that went down the middle at the front to control the wheels, allowing then to pivot right and left. I must admit that we did pattern them after the soapbox derby vehicles that we so detested. Looking back, I do believe we really hated those things, because none our parents would 'foot the bill' that was needed to get the materials, directions and specs to build the carts.
Anyway, we boxed in the front, painted them up, added a number, and we were ready to fly!
This hill was a favorite spot.
Why?
'bout 50 yards down there was a wicked left turn.
Then an immediate right.
Then a fast 75 yard downhill straightaway to the ponds.
This 'run' really tested the maneuverability and aerodynamic construction of your buggie.
Winner take all!

17 comments:

  1. There is a tomb very much like this in a cemetery in my home town in Illinois. That is another very hilly place. I wonder if boys used to ride their "buggies" around there?

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  2. Wow! Must have been so much fun!!

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  3. It is certainly a special tomb.

    Greetings,
    Filip

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  4. I can picture it . . . as well as the scrapes and bruises . . .

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    1. Some runs ended in bloody messes, for sure.

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  5. The tomb somehow seems appropriate. :-)

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  6. I can just see the bruises you'd be coming home with!

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  7. Any girls involved? I'd have loved to...

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  8. Sounds like a perfect summer adventure.

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  9. That's similar to the kind of things we did as kids - certainly more interesting and adventuresome as carousels.

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  10. This looks like a vault in the cemetery across the street from the house where I grew up.

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