Papaw Justis & the Cart

Papaw Justis & the Cart

Most of my favorite Saturdays were when my cousin Jay visited. He lived a hour away, so they didn't visit as often as I wanted.

Jay and I won many wars with the World War II combat tactics we learned from movies and television. We played lots of basketball and baseball, and numerous variations of one-ups-man-ship. Our competitive spirit was always in play.

Jay liked car racing. He loved the Indy 500 and attended every year (at least that's how I remember it). I didn't care for it, but I was a gracious host, so when he wanted to build a cart to ride down Papaw Justis' hilly road, I agreed. Besides, I have always liked speed.

We found some old baby buggy wheels (predecessor of today's strollers), nailed them to a two by four plank of wood, and began to ride it down the road. It broke in about ten yards under my lanky, fifty pounds.

Papaw saw our plight, laughed at us, then went to work in the little workshop he made from an old fruit and vegetable trailer. By the way, his whole family of seven had lived in that trailer during the depression.

A few days later, Papaw showed me his creation--a beautiful, three-foot-wide cart. It weighed about fifty pounds. The plywood frame was an inch thick. He created a steering mechanism with a turnable front axle and a rope. The heavy steel axles supported ball-bearing wheels that turned without any resistance. It was a work of art!

And it flew!

The curvy and hilly road only supported three homes: Papaw's, ours, and my uncle and aunt's (Kenny and Jane). The light traffic made it fairly safe for riding the blazingly fast cart.

I'm thinking the road stretched about a hundred yards. It started with a very steep 180 degree turn, straightened and flattened out for a few yards, then dropped elevation as it merged onto the more-traveled gravel road at the bottom of the hill.

I'm alive today because we had a high grass shoulder that allowed us to avoid approaching cars.

Jay and I rode that cart for years. It never showed any wear.

We dressed it up with paint and STP decals, but the glossy paint made it hard to keep from sliding off. Of course, that added to the danger and the enjoyment.

Papaw's cart for us brought hundreds of hours of fun to Jay and me. But now, knowing what I know, it brought him lots of joy too. He'd watch us ride and laughed. He clearly enjoyed watching us channel some of our energy down his curvy road. We even coaxed him to ride it a couple of times.

Thank you Papaw. I miss you.