Shot Eric in the ass with that BB gun. Sorry about that.
“Alan, you might be interested in the steam engine show that is being organized…old things that really work…holding it on a farm not far from here.”
And that began a 50 year fascination with old machines. See the Picture of my Uncle Frank Freeman holding steering wheel of a 1907 car. When I think about my life I realize that much of my time was spent at the Freeman farms…a good deal of it with Uncle Frank and Aunt Lucinda. I do not know how they made a living…but it must have been tough. The farm was built on a series of gravel hills with a giant pond in the centre. Hardly good land. They sold cream to the creamery and I suppose pigs and cattle to the meat packers. But it must have been tough. Their son, my cousin Ted Freeman, became quite a businessman owning his own farm and later a stable making manufacturing plant.
Our lives intersected often. We had a lot of good times together…and one bad time when I shared a BB gun with my brother and did a lot of damage to barn windows and the McEchern truck windshield. We were passengers in George Johnson’s old Model T car and I was firing BB’s left and right not believing they went very far. Later, when the bills came in, I was shocked that a BB gun had that power. Even shot my brother in the ass to test the impact. Paid the people affected . I think I even paid for windows I did not bust once word got around I was a juvenile delinquent that needed a drubbing. I kept my cap low over my ears for years. Eric had misgivings about his older brother after that incident. Dad smashed the gun against a tree I think…maybe not…but it disappeared. Dad was never a good example. He bought the gun for us one Christmas…paid $1 down payment and left rest of payments to us. Then he proceeded to act like a WW 2 sniper targeting Tom Cats on our back fence since Tinker was in heat again. Fine example dad was, people often thought. Alan must be a chip of the old block, was whispered.