Today Part 2
Was at daughters this morning, had a nice talk, then over to Shutterwi's for a sample of his tasty grapes. Also a good belly laugh at his description of a fishing trip, what a hoot! In between all of that I had time to think of times past as a young kid.
I guess it was the nice cool, late summer day, sun shine and fresh air. I remember getting up early, getting on my bike and riding all the way up the street headed south to the edge of town, it was all slightly up hill. Then I would turn around, pedal fast and coast the rest of the ten blocks or so until I reached the highway just above Lake Superior. Some times I would go back home and grab a five gallon bucket and head to a dock along the lake. It was an old railroad bed where trains used to bring metal in slag form to be shipped out on sailing vessels. Well more than enough spilled out and the dock was contunually washing away exposing the pieces of pig iron. Severasl times a year I would take a pail and pick the pig iron chunks and carry it to the junk yard which bought it. I would get from 50 cents to a dollar or more for my labor, which was lots to a kid. I could buy a lot of penny candy, a soda pop, and icecream. What a feast! I would keep copper wire I found, pieces of other metal, car parts etc., and sell it to the junk yard. Always a buck to be had!
I remember once a few friends and I went to this place a few blocks from the junk yard that used to be a blast furnace, they blew the tall smoke stack down and all that remained was about ten feet of stack and two sections of railroad track buried in cement. Well it occurred to us we could make lots of money for that track. Well we chiseled and hammered for a few weeks until we dug out one track, put it on about four wagons and off we went to the junk yard a few blocks away. Well the junk guy said it was railroad property and wouldn't buy it, and not only that but made us bring it back, all up hill too. Oh well, live and learn the hard way!
I guess it was the nice cool, late summer day, sun shine and fresh air. I remember getting up early, getting on my bike and riding all the way up the street headed south to the edge of town, it was all slightly up hill. Then I would turn around, pedal fast and coast the rest of the ten blocks or so until I reached the highway just above Lake Superior. Some times I would go back home and grab a five gallon bucket and head to a dock along the lake. It was an old railroad bed where trains used to bring metal in slag form to be shipped out on sailing vessels. Well more than enough spilled out and the dock was contunually washing away exposing the pieces of pig iron. Severasl times a year I would take a pail and pick the pig iron chunks and carry it to the junk yard which bought it. I would get from 50 cents to a dollar or more for my labor, which was lots to a kid. I could buy a lot of penny candy, a soda pop, and icecream. What a feast! I would keep copper wire I found, pieces of other metal, car parts etc., and sell it to the junk yard. Always a buck to be had!
I remember once a few friends and I went to this place a few blocks from the junk yard that used to be a blast furnace, they blew the tall smoke stack down and all that remained was about ten feet of stack and two sections of railroad track buried in cement. Well it occurred to us we could make lots of money for that track. Well we chiseled and hammered for a few weeks until we dug out one track, put it on about four wagons and off we went to the junk yard a few blocks away. Well the junk guy said it was railroad property and wouldn't buy it, and not only that but made us bring it back, all up hill too. Oh well, live and learn the hard way!
posted by Reflections at 12:28 PM
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