LEARNING TO DRIVE THE "STICK SHIFT" CAR!

Well today I will try to tell you how I learned to drive the car. My sister was about 15 and knew how to drive the car. She was allowed to go to town to run errands, etc. Well there was a viaduct about 1/2 mile from our home and one day when we got through the viaduct she asked me, if I would like to learn to drive. Well, this was just too good to be true. Of course, I wanted to learn. I was about 10 years old. This was my first attempt to drive. Occasionally, she would let me try again. By the time my dad thought I was old enough to learn, I had a pretty good handle on what to expect with the "clutch". Dad thought I was a "quick study"! Little did he know.

One time Esther was driving on one of these excursions and we came to a railroad crossing ingrade. She climbed up on top of the tracks and the car stopped. We looked down the tracks and there was a train coming right at us. She couldn't get it started, but somehow the car rolled backwards and the train went by. Whoa!! That was a close call.

Another time we had our aunt, grandpa, mother, my sister and myself in the car going to town on a gravel road. Gravel roads are quite unpredictable when it comes to controlling the car when you try to slow down. This time, Esther was driving and the car started skidding (due to loose gravel) and her trying to dodge a pothole. She tried to dodge the pothole and landed in the ditch. My grandfather got out of the car and didn't want to get back in. I guess he thought walking was safer than an inexperienced driver.

One day Dad and my sister went to town. My dad had gone in the store and she stayed in the car til he purchased what was needed. She looked and saw that the engine was on FIRE. Then she ran in to the store and told dad that the car was on fire and everyone in the store came out to help put the fire out.

In those days we did not have to have a drivers license to drive a car.

Other mishaps I will tell on another day.

Wisdom of the day--Rules of the road are there for a purpose to avoid accidents and was created by those who know the pitfalls. God has rules to go by and they are put in the Bible to avoid pitfalls in life.