Back in the late 40s and up until the mid 50s Cecil, my Dad, always had dump trucks around. He had several and did hauling of all types. Times were lean back then so a dump truck also served as the family car. I’m pretty sure Kenny & I both were brought home from the hospital in an old dump truck.

He had an English Bulldog he called Pug. Not that it was an actual Pug breed of dog, but for him the name fit, so that’s what he called him. Pug would ride up on the truck headboard (cab protector) wherever he went, with all that loose skin flapping in the breeze. I can just see it now.

One day he was coming up the Old Lodge Road (CR 344 now) between the Wier Place and Rippy Place where there was a big old oak tree that hung out over the road. In the oak tree was a mass of huge wild mustang grape vines growing. Cec looked in his mirror after passing under the tree to see ole Pug hanging in the air swing from a grape vine. Evidentially he had decided to latch on to the vine with his teeth and then couldn’t let go.

Cec threw on the brakes and backed down the road. When he got under the tree, he heard ole Pug drop and hit the truck bed floor and away they went.

Several years later, when I was about 8 years old and back then we rode in the back of the pickup everywhere we went, just about. Cec had outfitted the old pickup with a good set of side boards to haul cattle around in or jump a horse up in the back for a journey to someplace. Us kids would get up in the back and climb up on the sideboards and hold on so we’d have a better view I suppose.

One day a bunch of us kids had gone off to the neighbors after school so Bonnie Gay, that was my momma, came up late in the evening to pick us up. We got up in the back and climbed the sideboards and away we went. There was a low hanging limb we passed under as we left out. I reached up and grabbed ahold of the limb, thinking I’d drop off at the back of the pickup bed, figuring that would impress some of the other kids that were in there with us. Only problem, I didn’t turn loose in time so I was sucked up across the tailgate of the sideboards and left handing about 10′ off the ground. I kept thinking Kenny and the rest of them would bang on the cab for her to stop.

Next thing I knew I had to drop to the ground and run the mile or so to the house, with a skinned up back and my shirt ripped to shreds in the back. I bet if Cec had been driving, he would have been watching his mirrors and would have backed up for me like he did ole Pug.