When I was a kid (8 or 9) there was a loop road being put in behind my parents property. Being curious, I went down to check it out.
A single D9 was back there cutting in the road, so I took up a rock and watched. As he moved along I followed along with him. When he broke for lunch, I would go home an do the same.
After a couple days watching he stopped the dozer and asked me if I planned on watching him all day again, I said yes. So he asked me if I could hold on for a ride and said YES!!!!!!!
I spent the day on the dozer and went home ecstatic. The next day as soon as I got there, he stopped the machine and I jumped back on. He had a pair of ear muffs for me to wear, a cushion to sit on and he went back to work.
At lunch that day he had an extra sandwich for me that his wife had made and we sat and talked. I said thanks for letting me ride with you. He said it was the easiest way to keep an eye on me. It was more dangerous to be near the machine than it was on it.
I spent just about the entire summer on that machine. 1.2 miles cut in. His wife stopped for lunch on some days and she was the nicest lady. They did not have children and she spoiled me.
It all came to an end when we got stuck digging in a pond at the end of the job. I had to go back to school. I was not there when it finally came out but I saw the 6 machines they used to do it.
I will never forget that summer. It is probably why I bought a tractor at 18 years old with no use for it.
Man, times have changed.
A single D9 was back there cutting in the road, so I took up a rock and watched. As he moved along I followed along with him. When he broke for lunch, I would go home an do the same.
After a couple days watching he stopped the dozer and asked me if I planned on watching him all day again, I said yes. So he asked me if I could hold on for a ride and said YES!!!!!!!
I spent the day on the dozer and went home ecstatic. The next day as soon as I got there, he stopped the machine and I jumped back on. He had a pair of ear muffs for me to wear, a cushion to sit on and he went back to work.
At lunch that day he had an extra sandwich for me that his wife had made and we sat and talked. I said thanks for letting me ride with you. He said it was the easiest way to keep an eye on me. It was more dangerous to be near the machine than it was on it.
I spent just about the entire summer on that machine. 1.2 miles cut in. His wife stopped for lunch on some days and she was the nicest lady. They did not have children and she spoiled me.
It all came to an end when we got stuck digging in a pond at the end of the job. I had to go back to school. I was not there when it finally came out but I saw the 6 machines they used to do it.
I will never forget that summer. It is probably why I bought a tractor at 18 years old with no use for it.
Man, times have changed.
