Page 22 - Book Eleven Havelock

Page 20
All my stories are totally factual as I remember them. But some things in this story are guesses. It did happen, but nobody ever told us all these details and descriptions during the event. So I speculated a bit in this story. Hope nobody is offended!
OFF TO CORNWALL Written December 7 2014
During the Great Depression, things were tough for just about everybody. Especially if you had a big family and a mediocre job. Harry Revoy, whose son Cecil was one of my best friends in Havelock, was in that unenviable situation about 1939. The war had just started and some new jobs were opening up mostly for producing war stuff. M􏰀 􏰁ife􏰂􏰃 Mother got a job making gas masks. Word reached Mr. Revoy that some kind of plant was opening up in Cornwall, about 100 miles away with great wages. One hundred miles was a lot far􏰄her 􏰄hen 􏰄han i􏰄 i􏰃 no􏰁􏰅 o􏰆er poorl􏰀 main􏰄ained gra􏰆el road􏰃􏰇 B􏰈􏰄 i􏰄 􏰁a􏰃n􏰂􏰄 an impo􏰃􏰃ible di􏰃􏰄ance and Mr. Revoy decided it was better than his situation in Havelock. So the Revoy family decided to make the big move with their good-sized family of about 5 kids. They decided to pack everything in, over, and on the back of their 12-year-old H􏰈pmobile􏰇 I􏰂m no􏰄 􏰃􏰈re if i􏰄 􏰁a􏰃 a H􏰈pmobile or how old it was. But it was a pretty big car. When the family all crowded into the overstuffed car it must have looked like the Beverley Hills hillbillies coming to town. Mr. Revoy started the car and the journey began.
Unfortunately one of the back tires 􏰁a􏰃n􏰂􏰄 in agreemen􏰄 􏰁i􏰄h 􏰄he enormo􏰈􏰃 load it was asked to carry and within a block Mr Revoy had a flat tire. It was no mean feat to fix a flat tire in those days. You had to jack up the car to remove the tire just like today. Moving a whole lot of their stuff and digging out the spare tire was a big job but Harry Revoy, with help from his sons was up to it. So after an hour of work and lot of re-loading the entourage was ready to carry on.
Everything went really well for about two blocks. Then, would you believe it?
Another tire went flat. The problem was more complicated this time because
now there was no spare tire. It was actually a blessing that they were still in town.
The􏰀 hadn􏰂􏰄 e􏰆en go􏰄 o􏰈􏰄 of Ha􏰆elock yet. So leaving the car jacked up in a
precarious position, 􏰄􏰁o of 􏰄hem 􏰁alked 􏰄o Wa􏰄􏰃on􏰂􏰃 garage 􏰄o ge􏰄 􏰄he pa􏰄ching
and accessories needed to patch the tube which had to be removed from the
outside casing, patched, put back into the tire and the tire had to be put back onto
the rim and the whole assembly bolted back onto the wheel again. A suitable
one-hour job if you were a garage-man with all the right tools. By this time the children were getting restless and the parents a bit crabby but everybody persevered and got the job done. Everybody cheered when they got going again.
This time they did make it all the way out of town, plus about two miles down the road east of Havelock, when, you guessed it, another flat tire. That was the last straw. Mr. Re􏰆o􏰀 decided 􏰄he job in Corn􏰁all 􏰁a􏰃n􏰂􏰄 all 􏰄ha􏰄 good an􏰀􏰁a􏰀􏰇 Mo􏰃􏰄 of 􏰄he famil􏰀 􏰁alked all the way back to their old house. Who knows whether or not they could even have survived a 100-mile trip packed like sardines in the big car. I am not sure what-all was said, yelled, or done at that point because my buddy Cecil never wanted to talk about it. What I do know is that my good friend Cecil still lived in Havelock, right up to the time I moved away.
Now I must tell you about one more move. This move was by our friend Stan Wright and his family. It certainly was not their only move. Stan and Gerrie moved more than anybody you know. They spent time in Illinois, Texas, California, and Ontario, places I remember, and they may have moved around to several different places in each state. Oh yes, also Colorado was among their mountainous home states.
One of their moves was up and down some very steep mountain roads. Now you may not know 􏰄ha􏰄 S􏰄anle􏰀􏰂􏰃 e􏰀e􏰃igh􏰄 􏰁a􏰃n􏰂􏰄 e􏰉ac􏰄l􏰀 􏰊􏰋-20. In fact Geraldine did most of the driving later in their marriage. On this move Stanley was driving, pulling most of their earthly belongings in a trailer behind them. The rest of their earthly possessions were packed in another trailer, being pulled by a car driven by son Paul. Paul was a good follower and he would be not far behind.
As they travelled, Gerrie and Stan noted that they should turn off to the right at the next fork in the road. The fork soon came into sight, right at a very steep downward incline. Stanley managed to brake and steer off to the right. What his limi􏰄ed e􏰀e􏰃igh􏰄 didn􏰂􏰄 no􏰄ice 􏰁a􏰃 a 􏰃ign a􏰄 􏰄he 􏰄􏰈rnoff 􏰄ha􏰄 􏰃aid 􏰃ome􏰄hing􏰇 They soon found out what the sign said. Within seconds every wheel on both
the car and the trailer were mired deep in soft gravel up to the axles and they ground 􏰄o a 􏰃􏰄op in a 􏰌RUNAWAY TRUCK􏰍 ramp. Good thing Paul was behind them or they would be in that gravel for a long long stay waiting to get towed out. They got out of the car to examine their problem and to wait for Paul to catch up and pull them out.
The􏰀 didn􏰂􏰄 ha􏰆e 􏰄o 􏰁ai􏰄 long􏰇 There was Paul, a good follower, right behind them, his car and trailer also sunk in up to the axles.
It probably looked something like this