Ed's Go Cart

I took these pictures off of our 8th grade school picture. In these shots we were 12 or 13. Next stop, Encinal High School.

I grew up with Ed AcMoody. He grew up in a two story old home like I did, but he had a big garage under his house. Ed had a really big train set that he and his dad had put together. Really cool layout. I think Ed's dad was some kind of an engineer, or at least a good inventor. Ed and I could spend hours looking over some of the things his dad was working on. I kind of remember some tubing that was welded together and if you put some gas in the right place, and heat it up it would turn into a jet engine of some kind. His dad did this, not a couple of ten year old kids. Ed and I were using a hammer to pop caps once, when his dad said, watch this! He put a whole roll of caps in a vise, tightened it, then hit the vise with a hammer. The shock wave set off the whole roll at once!!! Really loud, but the whole roll was gone, all at once.

In his back yard Ed had set up a wire between the house and a tree. He had one of those boy scout rocket thingies that used a CO2 cartridge to power it along the wire. Also really cool. Next to the house was a large tub that was full of water. Ed took one of the CO2 cartridges and fires it off into the tub of water. Wow could that thing cover the ground and jump right out of the tub. Like I said, lots of things to get into.

Ed's dad had built him a go cart. I don't remember if it had brakes, but it at least had a lever that took it into and out of gear. We would take turns around the back yard, into a garage that we had put tilted plywood lifted up on something so we could make really tight turns. I don't remember who thought it up that we should take a turn around Alameda. but We both squeezed into the seat and took off down Lincoln Av, on the sidewalk of course. We didn't make it too far before the Alameda Police were driving along side giving us the evil eye. We pulled to a stop, and had a good talking to. If I remember, I think we had to push the go cart back to Ed's home. I don't know if Ed got into any trouble, I know I didn't. This was probably a first that I get caught doing something and not get grounded.

After being on (chat) with Ed, he reminded me about digging up gophers over in the train yard and keeping them as pets. If you have ever tried to dig up a gopher, it's not that easy. But in Alameda the dirt is mostly sand. It is an island after all. Once you find a new pile of dirt you just start digging with your hands until you open the burrow hole. Then if the burrow is shallow you can just keep pulling up the dirt real fast until you feel fur. Then you wonder if he is facing you, with those big yellow teeth, or if he is making a run for it and you can grab his hind end and toss him away from the burrow. Rather exciting for a couple of eight year olds.

I know we caught at least two. Ed has told me he kept his in a big fish tank filled with dirt, and that it escaped at some point in time. Something about big yellow teeth and a wooden lid on the fish tank. Then he mentioned something about his dad planting a new lawn. "The two don't go together well." I on the other hand put my pet gopher in the sand box in our back yard. I guess it wasn't screened under the sand. We had gopher dirt mounds around for quite a while if I remember right. Just maybe hamsters aren't such a bad idea after all. But you have to buy them! I don't know about Ed's, but I know my didn't want to cuddle at all. In fact it was a little scary just to look at it. Those big yellow teeth and squinty little eyes.

Ill get hold of Ed and see if he can send me a ten year old picture. He is living in Georgia now. Were on face book together and re-living old times. Lots of fun to re-connect.