Hobo Continued

For eating money I did try to get jobs which would be temporary. Washing dishes was one. But then when you get a little bit farther out west I went door to door to see if they had wood to chop or anything I could do. Sometimes they had jobs to do. Sometimes the housewife would give me a little something to eat.

There were times in the smaller towns there was an area next to the tracks where the hobos cooked their meals. There were tin cans that you could cook in. There were times when some of us would get together and scatter out and see what kind of vegetable meats we could come up with and bring them back to the “Hobo Jungle” and in a five gallon can with the top cut out make a “Hobo Stew.” It was always different because it depended on what ingredients could be collected. That is one way we got to eat and work together as a group. This was usually on railroad property, usually outside of town away from the yards. If the railroads knew about the Hobo Jungle they often left them alone.

Farther out west there were places at the water towers because in those days it was the day of steam. Coal was shoveled into the boilers. The water towers were to refill the water on the train. Some of the water towers were rigged so we could take showers. There was a faucet with a stream of cold water. It is pretty hard when you are traveling, especially in the soot from the trains to keep clean but that is one way that we did it. It was very refreshing to find a water tower like that.

We did carry with us a “bindle” which was a blanket and a few cooking utensils so when we went to sleep we had something to cover up with. The nicest way of traveling was in a box car because you were out of the weather. We would put our shoes under our head and were pretty comfortable. They were a little harder to get in when the train was moving. We rode in various different kinds of cars to get from one place to another.

When we got to the next town we had to get off before the station because the bulls were waiting to roust the hobos. So we would then go to the other end of town to get back on the train as it was pulling out.

I traveled as far west as Wyoming. I was in Gillette Wyoming and walking down the street when a car pulled up and asked if I was looking for work. I said yes, I am. He was a ranch owner and it was time for the harvest. I went out to the ranch. He paid me a dollar a day plus board. I worked there for about two months. There was one other hired hand. We ate with the family. But there was a bunk house. The other hired hand, who was an old timer, slept in the bunkhouse. We would go out and shuck wheat, which was hard on the hands. We would fork hay on the wagons. They had horses for the equipment. They pulled a buck rake that picked up the hay and pushed it ahead. There was another contraption that lifted up the loose hay and made it into a haystack. The horses powered this contraption as well. I did drive the team but it was very difficult. The horses were half wild as they on were only used to harnesses. He was out where there was no electricity. He had a generator and in the evening he would start the generator and there would be lights. It was a pretty remote ranch.

When the harvest was over the man drove me into town and I had enough money to buy myself a pair of shoes. When I headed back east it was on a train that had refrigeration cars. In those days the refrigerator cars had a compartment (reefer) on each end of the car and that is where the put the ice to keep the contents of the car from spoiling. These particular cars were empty. We couldn’t get into the main part of the boxcars. So we stayed in the reefers.

When we got close to Chicago I left the train and I did stop at a used clothing place and bought myself a suit coat and then I went into town and close to the tracks there were some businesses. I put the coat on and the fellow had his hand in my back andhe took me up to a mirror and the coat looked pretty good. I wasn’t looking forthe fanciest coat. It was really to keep me warm. Then after I left the shopthe coat was too big for me. He had gathered the extra material in his hand.Once I left the shop I was stuck with the coat.

I became acquainted with the owner of a sign shop. He put me up for the night. I started doing little jobs for him. In addition to signs he would pick up little painting jobs and I would do that. He had a pretty large building. It was set up with the boards where he could put his signs on it was convenient to letter the signs. As time went on I watched him letter and I thought I could do that. When no one was around I would open up the little paint cans and practice my letters. When he finally saw what I was doing he was allowing me to letter some of the rough type of lettering that the grocery stores used to put the prices on. I still couldn’t do the fancier work. I spent a few months with him. I was living in the shop and he was giving me enough spending money so I was able to buy my meals. For recreation I went to a place where they did roller skating. I bought myself a pair of skates and I even met a girl there. I was really starting to settle in. Then my boss decided to partner with another painter and my job was gone. I went back on the road again.

Hobo

Our house on 116th street was a couple of miles from the railroad yard. The trains were coming and going all the time. it is a big yard. There were passenger trains but the biggest part of the yard is freight trains with the box cars. At night I would hear the train whistles when they were moving from track to track. I would imagine far away places where those trains went.

I remember when I was about 12 years old my Mom was out in the yard stretching the curtains. In those days when you washed the curtains you stretched them while they dried. A kid that was "on the road" showed up and my Mom gave him something to eat. Her advice to him was to go home to your Mom.

When I was going into the 10th grade I was about 15 years old. I had a little problem with my father. I knew I was probably going to get beat on. I don't remember what I did. So I decided rather than go home and face him that this was the time I would go and ride a freight train. I talked it over with my friend that was the same age. He was actually a relative that lived a dozen blocks from us. We used to go camping and lots of places together. I told him I was leaving but I didn't tell anybody else. So I headed for the freight yards. I didn't know anything about catching trains or riding the rails. I had to find out in a hurry, which I did. I got into a box car and pretty soon we were off. I was off into a world that I hadn't experienced before and into the unknown. I don't remember now the early part, where we went.

I had to learn how to catch a car. At that time there were a lot of hobo's on the road because it was the tail end of the depression and a lot of people were using the rails as a way to get from one place to the other. At that time there were single men, a few single women, and families riding the rails. i was not alone. There was always somebody that could tell you what to do next. I learned how to get on a box car. You had to get on the train after they were moving because there were railroad detectives trying to keep the people off the trains. You had to get on while the train was going slow enough. There were different ways to climb on. There were ladders on the side. You had to run along and grab one of the rungs of the ladder and pull yourself up. Riding the rails can be quite dangerous. When you swing up on the ladder you could swing between the two cars and fall back on the track and under the wheels. The old hands knew how to do it. I didn't realize that and I didn't find out until some time later when I was travling that the railroad companies put out a schedule. There was a train schedule with the times and directions and tracks.

I traveled around fro a while. There were times when I hitchhiked as well. That could very interesting. That is how I started driving. I was riding with one fellow and he said, "here, take the wheel." You meet all different kinds of people.

Then there was a problem of your meals. All I had was a pocket full of change. The thing  I found the most satisfying was a bowl of chili. I could go in a restaraunt and have a bowl of chili for a dime or 15 cents. I had to stretch out what money I had. Then I would have to try to find some kind of work. The work that was most available and obvious was in the restaraunts washing dishes. I did a lot of that. I had to learn how to use a dishwasher. It takes a certain amount of caution because the water was so hot you could burn yourself. There was one restaraunt that I went in and I worked but didn't have a place to sleep. The owner let me sleep in the basement. That is what I did. I tried to find cardboard and I had aquired one blanket and I slept on the floor laying on top of cardboard and newspaper. It was the cold time of the year so this was better than being outside.

There were times that I slept in the boxcar. If you took your shoes off and laid them next to you somebody might take your shoes. So I would put my shoes together and tie the laces around them and use them as a pillow. There was more than one night where I would go to the police station and ask if I could spend the night there. These were small stations in small towns, ususally. They would let me come in and sleep in the cell and in the morning they would let me leave. There were also flop houses where they had beds. It cost 50 cents for the night. This one place the room was separated with wood petitions and wire mesh. After I was laying there for a little while something was biting me. There was one light hanging on a wire from the ceiling so I turned it on and picked up the pillow and the bed bugs were crawling all over the pillow. So I got up, put my clothes back on and I went out to the office where they had rented me the bed and I told them they had bed bugs, give me my 50 cents back. No argument. He gave me my 50 cents.

92nd Birthday

My birthday was very nice. The kids all came over. We sat around and talked. My Grandson Michael called from Virginia. He is in the Navy like I was.

At both dances they announced my birthday. So I had birthday after birthday after birthday.

Now 92 years is over and we are starting on the 93rd and hope for the best.

More later.

Adventures on the house

I have been having adventures on the house. Oh my goodness!!!

Several months ago I had all of my floors replaced with wood flooring. It had been a long time since the flooring was done.

Schumann Falls - A couple of weeks ago I came home and heard a hissing sound and the bathroom was full of spray! The water was shooting up the wall. It was too much for me to get in there to shut off the valve. I had to locate the valve at the street to turn off the water there...by then the damage had been done. Lorene and Alaine came over and we all swabbed up as much water as we could. Alaine sent out the alarm to the rest of the family. Ken was on his way to look at the plumbing problem, Donna and Jack came with their shop vac to try to soak up the water from the carpets.

When the insurance company came to dry everything out it turned out it had saturated the sub-flooring in the bathroom, entire kitchen and eating area, part of the living room, and two bedrooms. What a mess!!!!!

As we were cleaning up and getting estimate I looked around and came to realize I had better put on a new roof as well.

Lots going on around here to get all of this fixed up!!! I wish it was as easy to get my old body fixed back up....

The following Wednesday or Thursday I went to the dance and told my dancing partner about getting flooded out. The word spread throughout the dance about my flooding story.

I really came to appreciate my family for all of their help in getting things straightened out. In this case blood really did turn out to be thicker than water...Thanks everyone. Thank you all of the help you have been.

I Am Still Here!!!!!

It has been quite a long time since I posted.

Last November I spent a few nights in the ICU on a ventilator starting on a Sunday night. But, by the next Thursday I was back at home.

Here is a little bit of the story from Lorene's point of view:

On Friday afternoon I went to Lorene's and spent the night. I was not feeling good. By Saturday morning I still wasn't feeling good and it was very painful to walk. I drove home. Lorene followed me in her car. Alaine came to my house thinking she would take me to see her new office that was being remodeled. But instead, she talked me into going to Emergent Care at Group Health.

I was having a harder time breathing than usual and my foot was very painful and I couldn't get warm. They said I had cellulitis in my foot and gave me some IV antibiotics and some pain pills to take home. At bedtime that evening Lorene gave me some of the pain pills and I went to bed.

I woke around one in the morning having a terrible time breathing. I had Lorene call Alaine. Then she called the Medics.

Next think I knew it was three days later and I was in the ICU. I had a tube down my throat and I wanted it out of there. The doctors and nurses wanted me to get used to breathing on my own and said I had to keep the tube in for a few more hours. Alaine was there with me when they finally took the tube out.

My whole family was in the ICU for quite a bit of the time I was there. Even my grandson, Michael, flew in from Virginia. They were all worried I would never make it home.

I can't remember much of the time in the intensive care unit and it took a while to get back to where I could function on my own. But....here I am still kicking.

I am even back to dancing a little and have been out to sing Karaoke with Lorene a few times.

More to come soon.

Italy September 26 - September 27

9-26-09 Saturday Day 15 yachts

Sorrentine - Peninsula - Rome

This morning we enjoyed a drive along the Bay of Naples before we continued north to view the Abbey of Monte Castino, famous for it’s roll in the world war two battle in 1944 where many men lost their lives. From there we made our way back to Rome for last minute shopping or a visit to a museum.

In the evening we had our farewell dinner put on by the tour company. It was a fun night with music, singing and wine drinking. Our fellow tourist wished us well and sang happy birthday to Lorene. It was her 87^th birthday. Dal and Jenny from South Africa sat by us and Joe and Theresa from Las Vegas next to them. We all new each other pretty well by now and there was much toasting. Two songs were composed to Tony, our guide and Eduardo, our bus driver, by members of our group. We sang patriotic and just fun songs. We drank just enough wine to loose our inhibitions and wandered off to our rooms with a happy glow on.

I would like to express my appreciation for the help and sympathy given to me by my fellow travelers on this trip. When ever I was having difficulty walking or couldn’t keep up, some one was there to lend a helping hand. My heavy back pack was hauled from place to place and at times the group slowed down to let me catch up. I thank all of you for your consideration.

9-27-09 Sunday Day 16

Final Day

In the morning we packed our bags and dragged them to the lobby. We ate an early breakfast and where on the way to the airport at 6:45 AM. It was time for the long flight home. We said our last goodbyes. Our wheelchairs attendants were waiting. They knew which way to go. Going though customs was no trouble because we were waved on through without opening our bags. We were in the front of the line boarding the plane and had a wheel chair waiting when the plane landed. The flight from Rome to New York was long and tiring but again we were wheeled to our next plane and on our way to Seattle. Lorene’s daughter, Deloris, meet us at baggage in the Seattle Airport and on the way home we stopped and ate at the Poodle Dog Restaurant. The trip was great but it was good to be home.