Book Entry 63: 1963 Learning to Drive with Dad

During these years dad I would go to choir practice at church every Wednesday night.  On the way home dad would have me sit right next to him.  He would work the gas and break but I got to steer the car.  Oh what fun that was!  It gave me a thrill to turn the car from one road to another. 

Dad would speed up at the turn to the railroad crossing.  He’d ask if there was a train coming as he stepped on the brakes just as the car was directly over the tracks.  That was before there were arms and alarms at the crossing where 7^th street crosses Sante Fe.  The only way to know if a train was coming was to look and see.   He thought it was funny but a couple of times it really scared me. 

We would laugh real hard together.  He always made me promise not to tell mom he’d let me “drive” the car.  I don’t really think she would have cared.

We’d finish off our “choir” nights by racing into the house and watching Bonanza with mom and the boys.