Archive for category Growing up

Another version of the Pigeon Story

When Dad & Joe were young, they had rifles. (As many boys did at that time.) Among other things, they would shoot at pigeons. Dad said Joe was a very good shot, while he, himself, was not.  He could see how Joe ended up in the Air Force as a  tail gunner. They would take these pigeons to the homeless men who lived in shanties on the hill behind Lambros Tavern. These men were actually W W I  Veterans who had no homes. They only had candles and lanterns for light and heat. The men loved having a meal of these pigeons and sometimes paid a nickel for five. When they had saved up enough money, Dad & Joe would either buy bullets or use it to go to the local “boom-boom” . (That’s a movie theater for you young’uns info.)  They could go early and stay and watch the same movie, over and over, all day long.

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Getting started

To start this off here are some stories Dad told Terri.  Living along East Ohio Street near the railroad tracks, Dad and Uncle Joe would cross the rail trestle. Once, Uncle Joe was on the top of the bridge supports (Dad was too scared and stayed on the tracks) to catch pigeons to sell for 5 cents each to the bums that set up camp behind the Lambrose bar.  They put the pigeons in their shirts until they got back.  They did this at night in the dark…..Uncle Joe and Dad often went swimming in the river naked where they were not allowed.  Uncle John saw them; yelled for them to come back to shore; they told him to come and get them.  He took their clothes; went home hoping they would be in trouble.  They walked home naked and Grandma said “kids will be kids”.  Uncle Mike was pounding some type of support into the ground with a fireman’s axe while Dad held the support steady.  The axe head came loose as it came down; Uncle Mike tried to stop it but the blade went into the middle of Dad’s head.  He was in the hospital for 3 days and in a coma for the first 24 hours.

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