Have you ever heard, "Boy did Mom( or Dad) ever get mad!"
Well, the proper term is angry, but I digress. My Foster parents( May God Rest their Souls) Were as good a parents as any Child could ask For. Yeah, Foster Parents!! Long story. But here's a highlight. Mom and Dad had plans for vacation. the Childrens Court Judge wouldn't let me travel because of my real Father's upcoming Visitation.
Sooo, I stayed home and watched the house and took care of the dogs. Dad Tom had a full blown shop in the Basement! ( The house in Buffalo.N.Y. had been built in the thirties) It was a "Big Un" Converted to a Rooming House (Do they even have those anymore?) Well! anyway Tom had this shop, Tom had all these tools, Tom had shown me how to use the tools safely! Tom worked For Houdialle-Hershey Industries as a Tool and Die maker( Sometimes he had Homework) Does that proffession even exist anymore?
In the corner of the shop was standing the most beautiful Fine grain example of an oak dowel, The outside Diameter size of today's Soda Cans. Eight Foot long! Hmmmm; Four weeks in the Summer! The Dowel, all eight feet of it became, Under my young hands, Eight Submarines with conning towers, guns and all the pertinent details. I even made the dive planes and props from a piece of brass he had on a shelf.
Note here: TOM was from IRELAND, and his WIFE,Mom, Her name Alice, was from SCOTLAND! They BOTH still had heavy accents. Explosive Tempers, Both! Well, Dad couldn't find his dowel when they got home and ready to go back to work. He Asked me with that wonderful accent, " Would ya be seein where me dowel went, Boy?" " Oh, I know ya bin in tha shop ya know" Me-"You Do?" Him-"fer sure it's cleaner than I be leavin it".
So, I showed him the eight Submarines, all painted and detailed out in German ,American, Japanese, and British Fit. You coulds seen the steam comin out of his ears. I got a thrashing for sure. Ten Swats with the ole paddle! Him talking to Mom " Now what tha Heel am I gonna tell me Boss?" Her" take the Damned little boots in with ya an show him what the kid did"!
He took me too! I had to explain to both these formidable looking adult men what I did. Then as a capper, I had to explain why, and what each sub represented right down to the conning tower hatches. To Them and the Whole shop at lunchtime! I didn't do that any more! But, there was a good side to. All the men in that shop sent me a model ship for that Christmas and Tom laughed his *** off." Gotchya, Dint I Boy?" C'Mere and give us a hug Fer sure" Great memories that. Turn's out, the ONLY thing I had to replace was the brass sheet I used. That was for a personal project he had in mind. Oh Well, It cost me a dollar of my allowance that week!