Ask Grandpa

Did kids steal or get into trouble when you were young? Brent.

Kids were kids.  Same as now.  Perhaps not quite as malicious but we were still kids.  Part of being a kid is not taking the time to consider the consequences of our behavior.  For example:  When kids moved old man Crowder’s outhouse, we, I mean “they” never considered that he would fall in the hole.  No one ever considered that eggs can destroy paint on vehicles or homes.  I remember the time someone put a box of tide laundry soap in a waterfall fountain on Central Avenue.  There were so many bubbles and suds that it stopped traffic and made the front page of the newspaper.  It was pretty funny until we learned that it ruined the pumps and filters.  Someone swiped the fat guy statue off the Bob’s Big Boy on Central.  The owner was a good friend of my dads and as much as I pleaded innocent, I’m not sure I was completely believed.  About twenty years later I built some antique ironwork for a mansion being used for a movie, the mansion was off Camelback and while installing some balcony railing, I could see into the neighbors’ property.  The property belonged to an Arizona Senator and guess what was standing next to his gazebo?  Of course, I invited my dad to come admire the ironwork and check out the fat statue in the Senators’ yard.  Probably the rottenest thing we did was collect peoples hub caps.  I don’t even know why we did it; we surely didn’t have any use for them.  I do know the punishment didn’t fit the crime and in today’s world our parents would probably be in jail.  Thinking about it, I do remember a crime caper my buddy and I concocted.  We noticed that at the Encanto Boat Rental Dock people frequently lost coins that fell thru the cracks when they fumbled to pay for their boat rentals, having seen a movie about an underwater demolition team, we decided to become frogmen.  We borrowed some wire cutters from Dads’ tool shed and headed for Encanto Park.  We swam to the dock, cut the chicken wire and crawled under the deck.  We collected two bags of coins, some of which appeared to have been there for years.  Our crime spree ended with us both being caught.  My accomplice surrendered on the spot but the officers had to chase me down on the golf course.  All the silver coins were confiscated and we were allowed to keep the pennies.  Kids were kids but we learned that crime doesn’t pay.  Unless you count the pennies.

- Grandpa

Please send your questions to George at gayoung@cox.net