Page 43 - REALLY What A time Book IX

REALLY SO WHAT
What A Time

MY FAMILY

That experience led Joe to rebuild a bicycle he’d been given by
the firemen. The firehouse was just across the street. Joe and
several of the older boys spent lots of time there. The bike
was a long handle bar Schwinn. It could have been a nice bike,
but as a gift it was in a couple of baskets. Almost everything
was there only in pieces. He reconstructed it. With his paper
route money he bought new fenders, a storage grill for the
back fender, a chain, several spokes, and a 2-speed shifter. He
assembled it, tightening the spokes and balancing the wheels.
The shifter required a little help from Pop.

When it was finished it was pretty nice, with fenders, chain
guard and new white wall tires. Only, he didn’t like the black
fenders, so he took it all apart and painted everything.
Reassembled it was unique, he had painted it every color he
could get his hands on. It was a rainbow: red, yellow, blue,
green, orange, and a couple of mixed colors. It was a dandy.

Here’s a picture of Joe and a few friends from the block. He’s
second row middle, behind the hat.

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