Washtub for Watermelon

Clearfield

538 East 250 South (Cherry Hill)

1958

Watermelon

I remember in the summer of each year, that we would frequently purchase a watermelon and fill a wash tub with water that we would place on the grass in the backyard. The water would cool the watermelon so we could eat it comfortably. We might have watermelon once a week during the summer months; and we kids quite enjoyed it. We often bought watermelon that had seeds (because it was cheaper) and would spit out the seeds on the back lawn without concern. Watermelon would then sometimes sprout in the grass. Obviously, it wouldn't last long after mowing. I suppose summers were really quite enjoyable; and devoid of undo pressures. We seldom enjoyed our yard very much during the winter months because it was covered with snow most of the time. I remember going out and shoveling our driveway and front walks (and even our patio) amidst a snow storm. I recognized even then the quiet that accompanied a snowfall was quite enjoyable to me! Frequently, I would volunteer to do the snow shoveling! It was not uncommon to experience a snowstorm every few days. The snow would fall and gather several inches (making car noise very muffled, hence the quiet); remain a few days; and melt. Our yard was covered with snow generally during the months of December, January, February, and sometimes March.

Area of Forest Fire

Forest Fire 

I remember one particular event occurred there that was a little bit unnerving. A forest fire developed in the Wasatch mountains to the east of our house. This was quite some distance away; thus, we were not unduly worried about our home. We could see the fire moving up the West side of the Wasatch front. Dad, being a young man, determined that he would volunteer (because volunteers were being asked for) to help fight the fire. As the fire grew in size and ferocity, he left and the family was concerned for his well-being. It seemed he was up there almost a full day; and though the fire was diminishing in size, it was not being entirely extinguished. As night fell, we could see the flames and embers of the fire! Dad returned safely! We were all glad to see him and grateful that he'd been watched over! He told us of an event that happened during the day that must have unnerved all of the firefighters. As a helicopter was landing, a young man was standing too tall; and the top of his head was completely severed as the blades hit him! Of course, he died tragically. I remembered from then on, to stoop as one enters and leaves a helicopter. This must have been rather unnerving for my father. 

Gnat

Mosquitos

Because we lived only about four houses from a fairly sizable swamp and a somewhat stagnant pond (Pullum’s pond), it was not uncommon to have a swarm of gnats flying just above one’s head as they walked along our street. We just assumed it was part of living in that area; and would frequently wave our hands above our heads to discourage the gnats from attacking us. Anytime we were in the swamp area we had no real recourse but to endure the mosquitoes! Thus, to apply mosquito repellent was a very common thing during the summer months; and I'm sure we smelled like repellent. Mosquitoes and gnats would be an obvious accompaniment any time we were outside; and we often pulled the covers or sleeping bags above our heads to relieve ourselves from the buzzing near are ears. It was so common that we seldom even thought of it.

digging

Cave In

That summer, a lot was being dug out of the hillside so a new house could be built there. Therefore, the depth of the hillside to the east of the lot was really quite tall. From the lot bottom to the top of the dirt was about 60 feet. The dirt was a clay type substance; and we'd become used to digging in it because we had done foxholes east of that building site. Once the lot had been dug, the construction workers left; leaving the construction of the actual house to take place at a later date. During this time, we neighborhood boys began to take advantage of its opportunities. We began digging what we thought was a large cave out of the hillside. The cave was intended to be about 6 feet tall; and we kept digging into the hillside; getting about 4 feet into the soft dirt. Each boy would take a turn digging out some of the back wall of the developing cave. Foolishly, we continued without any concern. Suddenly the hillside caved in; completely burying one of our friends. All boys immediately began digging with their hands to locate the boy who had been entirely covered with dirt from the hillside. Finding his legs, we tugged and pulled him out from under the dirt that was beginning to suffocate him. Once we got him out of the cave in, we recognized the foolishness of our endeavor and abandoned it forever. I remember the event rather indelibly because it was so frightening that we might lose a friend so quickly and so needlessly! Having had that experience, I became very careful thereafter.  Plastic spider on mom’s shoulder

Homer's Market

Halloween

As Halloween approached, we Davis boys would begin our strategy on how to cover as many houses as we could. We would commence trick or treating at dusk; and continue running from home to home until it became evident that we were trick or treating too late in the evening. Our costumes we're homemade; and thus, could withstand our rushing about as we approached each home. We would take pillow cases as our trick or treating bags; and attempt to get them entirely full before we stopped trick or treating. There were five or six streets of multiple houses that we would commence with; and then there were five or six streets to the east and south of our subdivision that also were available to us. It might take us over three hours to gather as much candy as we could on that particular evening. We would take a bar of soap along with us because soaping someone's windows or car might be appropriate revenge to an unwilling Halloween participant. We seldom used it; but always had it with us. As the night concluded, we would return home to relish in and review the night’s take. Pouring the contents of our pillowcases out on the living room floor allowed us to examine the contents freely obtained through trick or treating. Apples, fruit of any kind, and healthy objects we're set aside for the recognizable candy we had received. We made a particular point of going as far as Homer’s market because Homer's market would give out a full candy bar on that night. I suppose in today's world trick or treating in that manner may have seemed frivolous. But in trying to manage a group of boys (such as us), my mother would pretty much let us go; and attempt to govern us more carefully after we had obtained up to two weeks of candy. The school day that followed Halloween was often a little more active because the kids were full of candy. This was just one of the things that happened in those days! 

Archery in the Park

Archery

It was about this time that we were enrolled in a summer activity provided by the city. The City Park was immediately next to our school playground and balls would roll into the city's park (which had no fence between it and our playground). On Saturdays, in the late morning, a number of targets we're put up in a line in the City Park. Supervised by some city employee, bows and arrows were provided to those who were enrolled. (it was not expensive.) There we would follow instructions and develop our skills at operating the bows and arrows. It was an enjoyable time and there must have been 25 to 40 kids at each session. There might be two or three one-hour sessions for each Saturday. The arrows were field arrows and therefore, not extremely sharp nor dangerous. Nevertheless, extreme care was taken to assure that none of the many children we're put at risk. This activity went on for four to six weeks at a time and we looked forward to it each Saturday. 

Swimming Lessons

Learning to Swim

About this time, we children (Hugh, Ray, Jay and Rick were enrolled in a city program intended to teach children how to swim. (I suppose my mother was adamant about this because she had never learned to swim. And would never learn to swim thereafter!) we would go to the city pool (a new facility across from the high school) and spend a couple of hours each Saturday being taught how to swim. We were first taught how to put our face underwater; then taught how to kick our feet with ‘paddle board’s; and finally, how to do the ‘American crawl’. Upon developing the ability to swim, we were taught various other swimming strokes. Following each swimming session, we were permitted approximately an hour of ‘open swimming’ where anyone could play and cavort in the swimming area. The swimming pool provided a small 1-foot-deep swimming pool in a concrete area provided outside the West facing “window wall”. Additionally, a very small circular swimming pool (the children’s pool) was provided for very young children. We would lie down in this outside children’s pool because the water was warm and calm. One day, Jay got it in his head that he could somehow dive from the side into the shallowness of this children's pool. He attempted the dive and struck his head on the cement bottom of the pool. He cracked his head open (though he remained conscious) and had to have stitches. Having perform such a foolish act, we children were repeatedly advised to just lie in the children's pool! 

Tree Swing

One of the things I remember quite a bit is that we would play in the tall trees at the East End of the orchard. These Trees were very tall (about 80 feet) and old. Their limbs provided us a good place to climb; and someone had put a swing rope on one of the trees that extended all the way down to a wooden ‘seat’  tied in the center at the bottom. Because the ground tended to slope, we could swing out from that slope. We spent a number of days during the summer just ‘hanging out’ among those trees; climbing in their limbs and swinging on the rope. In order to get to this area, it was necessary to go through the grass that grew amongst the trees (between and foot and two feet tall). We had formed a small dirt trail through that grass; and would traverse it in order to get to the trees. Because that trail was surrounded by grass, grasshoppers (which were common there) would hop and leap into the air across the trail as we walked along it. It was not uncommon to have grasshoppers land on and cling to your clothing as you walked along. I really disliked this and brushed the grasshoppers off as soon as I saw one land on me. Nevertheless, grasshoppers were a part of our life and we dealt with them the best we could. One day I learned that a friend of Hughes named Dennis had climbed rather high in one of the trees. For whatever reason, he threw down a knife he had to the ground beneath the tree. Unfortunately, shortly thereafter he fell from the tree and landed on top of that knife. This was a rather serious mishap and a measure of consternation occurred within my brother Hugh and my mother. Dennis, though hurt, was not permanently damaged and recovered after a week or two of recuperation. 

Homemade Cannon

Carbide Cannon

Hugh was a very active person and had learned of a way to send a ball quite some distance! This was accomplished via what we knew to be a ‘carbide cannon’! He made this by taking a coffee can and attaching simple wheels to its outside in order to angle it like a cannon might. Then he made a small hole at the top at the very back of the can. Finally, he purchased a rubber ball that fit snugly into the can. In order to operate the cannon, he put some water into the can and then threw a small handful of carbide into the water. The ball would then be inserted into its opening and the cannon was now loaded. The dissolving carbide developed a gas that when lit - would explode. The explosion would eject the ball quite a distance. (100 or more feet) Hugh had quite a bit of fun with this “carbide cannon” and we would use it to promote a game we played throwing a ball over the roof of our house. 

When we played this game by simply throwing a ball, a number of children would wait on either side of the house. If the ball went over the top of the house, it would roll down and one of the children would catch it. Then running toward the opposite of the house the ball carrier would attempt to hit one of his opponents who was rushing to get refuge at the side of the house the ball carrier had just come from. With 7 to 10 children this was quite a bit of fun, and we would play the game for hours running around the outside of the house and squealing with delight. If the ball did not reach the Crest of the roof, it would roll back toward its thrower; and the thrower would call out “come back” in order to notify the awaiting children that it was a false attempt. If the thrower saw the ball disappear over the crest of the roof, they'd know they'd have to get to the other side of the house; but they didn't know which side of the house the ball carrier would come around. Hence the game had a fair amount of intrigue and skill because the thrower still had to hit the child with the ball. The child could always dodge a thrown ball! 

Ring-tailed Male in flight

Pheasant Hunting

It was about this time that we started to have an annual event with the Ford extended family. This took place in the fall; and was achieved by going pheasant hunting together. We would gather in Cash Valley on a particular Saturday during the pheasant hunt. My father and uncles from the Ford family enjoyed hunting pheasants in Cash Valley together. We would arrange with a group that are operated in Cash Valley. They would release a number of pheasants into the fields that we planned to hunt the morning that we arrived. Then mid-morning my uncles and their sons (my cousins) would commence with us to hunt the various harvested fields. These were mostly cornfields that had been cut and the harvested. But we also walked along the many ditches that had grown up fairly well during the summer. As we walked along these ditches and fields, my father (and perhaps an uncle or two) would carry the shotguns. As a pheasant “got up” we all would shout either “hen” or “rooster”. A hen was protected and unavailable to harvest. But a rooster could be harvested if the shooter was sufficiently quick and accurate. My father and uncles became rather good at recognizing and shooting a rooster quickly as they flew quickly away. After a year or so of this, I recognized that my uncle George was particularly good at hunting pheasants! I suppose I was rather derelict as a son by verbalizing my admiration of uncle George’s skill! My father seemed to be somewhat chagrined as I voiced this admiration. (This was a foolish expression on my part; and I have felt guilty ever since.) it was not uncommon for us to have accomplished most of everyone's limit of three pheasants by the time we got around to having our midday reunion meal. We hunters (us younger boys were merely inexpensive bird dogs for the shooters) would meet with the women who had prepared a very good picnic lunch for us to enjoy. We would assess our pheasant hunting success with our meal and enjoy the camaraderie that we all felt in the day’s activities. Often, we only had a few (if any) pheasants to shoot after we had completed our midday meal. I remember my mother, grandmother, and sometimes grandfather going for a stroll along a water filled ditch. They would often return from their stroll with a handful of watercress that they seemed to rather enjoy. I never developed the taste. These pheasant hunts occurred annually, and we all look forward to their occurrence. As we boys aged, we were presented with shotguns of our own that we could participate as shooters in the pheasant hunt. I remember when my older brother Hugh got his first (single shot) shotgun. Recognizing he was not particularly skilled at hunting with a shotgun. he and my father went one day (prior to the pheasant hunt) to practice; by shooting clay pigeons! Upon returning, Hugh sheepishly reported that he'd shot an entire box of 25 shells, and not hit a single clay pigeon. This was troublesome to him and he rectified his imperfections over the years that followed. In fact, Hugh became a very good shot; not only with airborne fowl but with anything that we hunted. I went hunting with him later on as a young man and watched him hit pretty much anything he aimed at. He became an excellent hunter indeed! 

At my mother's funeral, I happened to be speaking to my uncle George who was in attendance. I related my chagrin at diminishing my father's prowess as a pheasant hunter to him. It was then that uncle George took the opportunity to explain to me why he was so good at hunting pheasants. He explained that he had been a top turret gunner on a B17 during World War II. They had been required to become good at shooting rifle (rather than shotgun) shells at enemy aircraft. In order to develop his distinct prowess at shooting such enemy aircraft, he had been required to practice his shooting skills prior to being assigned as a radio operator on a B17. He stated that during his military training he was required to stand in the bed of a truck, which had a machine gun mounted there. As the truck traveled around an obstacle course, clay pigeons would periodically be sent into the air opposite the truck. The crewman. manning the mounted machine gun. was then required to shoot at and hit the flying clay pigeon. Each was required to do this many, many times; and my uncle George explained that he had received a great deal of practice in shooting rifle shells at clay pigeons during his military training. Thus, to hit a relatively slow flying pheasant with a shotgun was comparatively easy for him! This was quite a revelation to me; and I realized that my father had been very good at shooting his shotgun and hitting pheasants. I was bad as an observer and delinquent son! 

Stake Center where baptized

Baptism

I was baptized shortly after I turned 8 years old. The baptism took place in our Stake Center; and was performed by my father. I remember the baptism reasonably well; but I remember most the feeling I had after I had been baptized. Of course, both Jay and I were baptized at the same service. As we drove home, I don't remember why; but we stopped briefly at the A&P grocery store in

Layton. While my father went into the store, we children were in the back seat of the car waiting. My mother was in the front seat, and she asked how I felt. I don't remember my exact response; but I remember that I told her I felt very good! I doubt that I had the vocabulary to describe anything deeper than that. Jay and I both were confirmed and given the gift of the Holy Ghost the following Sunday in sacrament meeting in front of the entire ward. (In the church next to Wasatch Elementary) Recognizing that it was such a significant event, it's interesting to note but I didn't understand it as well as I do now. Nevertheless, I had reached the age of accountability and had become responsible for my own sins. This part of the covenant I truly understood; and any guilt I felt thereafter seemed to be reasonably well developed. Thus, I was much more aware of myself and my behavior.

Fishing in Fish Lake for Mackinaw

Fishlake

One particular day during the summer, dad took the family down to Fishlake several hours South of Salt Lake. There he rented a boat and took us children out on the lake with him to fish for Mackinaw trout. He had gone to great lengths to obtain Pop gear that would sink his bait very deep in the lake where these Mackinaw trout were known to be. As we fished along, trolling in the water; Dad explained how Mackinaw trout grow to very big sizes. And we were hopeful that he would hook one. I remember that day that we older boys and Dad spent most of the day trolling back and forth along Fishlake in hopes that we might catch a Mackinaw trout. It turned out that we were unsuccessful in catching anything like a Mackinaw trout, but we were successful in catching several trout as we trolled along.