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 BIG SANDY CREEK

                                                               

 

       

 

 

 

BIG SANDY CREEK

 

 

 

 

ANYONE THAT HAS EVER RIDDEN A BICYCLE KNOWS THAT YOU NEVER FORGET HOW, REGARDLESS OF HOW LONG IT’S BEEN SINCE YOU HAVE BEEN ON ONE.  I GOT MY FIRST BICYCLE AT CHRISTMAS WHEN I WAS TEN YEARS OLD.  IT WAS A PLAIN JANE, NO FRILLS, SECOND HAND BIKE.  IT HAD NO FRONT FENDER OR CHAIN GUARD, BUT IT WAS MINE! 

NOW IN THE SUMMER OF 1947 WHEN I WAS 14 I HAD PUT MANY MILES ON THAT BIKE. 

 

NOW LET ME PAINT YOU A PICTURE.  I WAS 14 YEARS OLD AND DURING THE SUMMER ALL I WORE WAS A PAIR OF CUT OFF BLUE JEANS, NO SHIRT AND NO SHOES.  I HAD A CREW CUT AND A FEW FRECKLES.  I WAS DEEPLY TANNED.  I WAS RIDING MY BICYCLE ON A COUNTY BACK RODE IN THE PINEY WOODS OF EAST TEXAS.  ARE YOU GETTING THE PICTURE?

 

BUT WAIT A MINUTE THAT IS NOT ALL OF THIS PICTURE.  NOW ADD A CAR INNER TUBE AROUND MY WAIST AND A 30 POUND BLACK DIAMOND WATERMELON ON MY LAP.  I WAS HOLDING THE WATERMELON WITH ONE HAND AND THE HANDLE BARS OF MY BIKE WITH THE OTHER.  NOW HAVE YOU GOT THE PICTURE?  THEN LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT BIG SANDY CREEK. 

 

DURING THE SUMMER OF 1947 ME AND THREE OF MY BUDDY’S RODE OUR BIKES EVERY WHERE WE WENT.  THESE BUDDY’S WERE JAMES (TINY) ROZELL, EARNEST (SONNY) PARNELL AND WAYNE (SWEET PEA) WINN.  I AM LOREN (LAWNMOWER) MOORE.   ON THIS DAY WE WERE ON OUR WAY TO BIG SANDY CREEK TO GO SWIMMING.

 

EACH OF US HAD A CAR TIRE INNER TUBE AROUND HIS WAIST WHEN WE LEFT HOME THAT MORNING.  WE ALL LIVED IN AN OIL COMPANY CAMP THREE MILES EAST OF GLADEWATER.  BIG SANDY CREEK WAS SIX MILES WEST OF GLADEWATER.  SO WE HAD STARTED OUT THAT MORNING IN GOOD SPIRITS AND FULL OF THE DESIRE FOR ADVENTURE.

 

WE WERE RIDING THE BACK ROADS AND AS WE GOT WITHIN A MILE OF THE CREEK, WE WERE RIDING ALONG THE BACK SIDE OF A BIG FIELD OF WATERMELONS.  THE TEMPTATION WAS TO GREAT TO RESIST AND WE STOPPED AND PICKED TWO BLACK DIAMOND WATERMELONS TO TAKE TO THE CREEK WITH US.

 

I WAS CARRYING ONE OF THE MELONS AND TINY WAS CARRYING THE OTHER ONE.  WHEN WE GOT TO THE CREEK WE RODE UP STREAM ON A COW PATH.  AFTER WE HAD GONE HALF A MILE WE STOPPED AND PUT OUR MELONS IN THE WATER TO COOL WHILE WE WERE PLAYING IN THE CREEK.

 

THE CREEK WAS 12 FEET WIDE AND WAS FAST RUNNING.  THE WATER WAS COOL AND CLEAR.  WE EACH GOT ON OUR INNER TUBE AND THE CURRENT SWEPT US ALONG.  WE WERE HOOTEN AND HOLLERING AND HAVING A GOOD TIME.  AS SWEET PEA FLOATED BY TINY, TINY STUCK OUT HIS FOOT AND PUSHED DOWN ON THE BACK SIDE OF SWEET PEA’S TUBE.  THIS TURNED SWEET PEA OVER BACKWARD AND SPILLED HIM IN THE WATER.  SWEET PEA HAD TO SWIM DOWN STREAM FAST TO CATCH HIS INNER TUBE.  WHEN HE CAUGHT HIS TUBE HE HUNG ONTO A TREE LIMB UNTIL THE REST OF US CAUGHT UP TO HIM.

 

WHEN WE GOT DOWN TO THE LITTLE  BRIDGE AT THE ROAD WE CLIMBED OUT OF THE WATER AND WALKED BACK UP THE COW PATH TO WHERE WE HAD LEFT OUR BIKES AND WATERMELONS.  WHEN WE GOT THERE WE FISHED OUR WATERMELONS OUT OF THE CREEK.  SONNY HAD A POCKET KNIFE AND HE CUT A RING AROUND THE MIDDLE OF EACH MELON.  THE BLADE WAS TO SHORT TO CUT THE MELONS IN HALF BUT IT DID CUT THROUGH THE RIND.   ALL WE HAD TO DO THEN WAS TO BUMP THE MELONS ON THE GROUND AND THEY SPLIT INTO TWO PIECES EACH. 

 

EACH BOY GRABBED A HALF AND DUG IN WITH HIS HANDS AND STARTED EATING.  AFTER OUR SWIM AND WALK BACK UP STREAM WE WERE ALL HUNGRY.  WE ATE WATERMELON WITH JUICE RUNNING DOWN OUR ARMS AND DRIPPING OFF OUR ELBOWS.  JUICE WAS DRIPPING OFF OUR CHINS AND RUNNING DOWN OUR BELLY’S.   THE COOL WATER OF THE CREEK HAD COOLED THE MELONS SO THEY WERE VERY REFRESHING.

 

WHEN WE HAD ALL EATEN ALL WE WANTED WE JUMPED INTO THE CREEK TO WASH OFF THE MELON JUICE.  WE HAD A BIG WATER FIGHT AND FINALLY CRAWLED OUT ONTO THE BANK.  WE LAID THERE IN THE GRASS FOR A WHILE SWAPPING YARNS AND JUST BEING LAZY.  THEN IT WAS TIME TO START HOME.

 

AS WE RODE BY THE BIG WATERMELON PATCH, THE FARMER AND TWO OF HIS HANDS WERE PICKING THE MELONS AND PUTTING THEM IN A BIG PILE.  HE WAS GETTING THEM READY TO TAKE TO MARKET.  AS WE RODE BY HE STOPPED PICKING MELONS AND STOOD THERE WATCHING US UNTIL WE WERE COMPLETELY OUT OF SIGHT.  SWEETPEA WONDERED IF HE KNEW WE HAD SWIPED TWO OF HIS MELONS.  NONE OF US KNEW, BUT HE SURE DID WATCH US AS WE RODE BY.  HE PROBABLY KNEW THAT EVERY RED BLOODED AMERICAN BOY LOVED WATERMELON ENOUGH TO TAKE ONE IF THE OPPORTUNITY PRESENTED IT’S SELF.

 

WHEN WE GOT BACK TO THE CAMP, WE HAD A WAR COUNSEL.  WERE WE GOING TO LET THAT HARD STARE THE FARMER GAVE US KEEP US FOR ENJOYING ONE MORE WATERMELON BEFORE THEY WERE TRUCKED OFF TO MARKET?  WELL THAT’S A WHOLE NOTHER STORY FOR A DIFFERENT TIME. 

 

                                                   

  BY LOREN MOORE

COPYRIGHT 2001

LOREN

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