More of Albemarle, Jack’s side

Once in elementary school, Shirl and I were both called to the office. The principal didn’t have much tact, “Kids you had better run home, I just got a call they think you dad is dying.”  It was a little over a mile home, we ran all the way.

Come to find out dad thought he was dying and was making a lot of terrible noises, groaning and calling ‘Lord Help’ pretty loud. Dad found out what a kidney stone was. .

There was a NEHI bottling company near the house. The last person on the assembly line before they went into the cases, checked for foreign matter and the level of drink in each bottle. If it was too full or not enough it was not allowed so the operator pulled that bottle and put it behind him.  They were warm, but they were Free! My friends and I could drink all of those we wanted, but had to stay there to do it, because we could not have the bottle.

The bottles were worth 1-2¢ each. I earned a lot of money picking up bottles from the side of the road. They took them dirty or clean.

We must have lived in Albemarle on the coldest winter they ever had, because the Mill pond froze over enough for kids to walk and slide on. Of course no one had ice skates, but it was fun to run and slide as far as you could.

Dad & Mom got me a brand new J.C. Higgins bike, wow was I something. I rode and Ace ran beside me. I learned one problem with Ace, he was a bird dog, and a chicken looked a lot like a big bird, so he would chase chickens and I would have to chase him. there was no calling him back.

Dad was on the radio at least once a week in most towns we lived in, Albemarle he was live on WABZ. Burlington..WPCM, Valdese..WMNC and Belmont … WCGC.

Albemarle, NC is built on a BIG HILL. to a kid it was a small mountain. To skate down that hill was dangerous but Von Dale and I would do it. Once I got too fast and sat down. Ruined a good pair of “overhauls.”

(During this time, Sherry was being left down east, )

While in Albemarle we also got to see the Ocean for the first time. Dad drove there to Little Washington where his friend Walt Moody pastored, and there was an old fashioned Camp Meeting.

Those were carefree years, I was too old to Pout at our next move, but I sure hated to leave Von Dale.  Dad said we were going to Valdese, NC. I said, “What is a Valdese?” When we moved this time I not only had a big sister but I had ACE, he was my buddy, he rode in the back seat with me and Shirl on the move.

Thanks for stopping by the log.

Nite Shipslog

PS:

I didn’t know it at the time but Valdese was a wonderful small town, in the foothills of the South Mountains.

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It was Valdese when I first started paying attention to cars. This was the prettiest one I remember seeing:

Now I am not positive which I liked,  the top one is a 1953 Century Buick,  the Bottom is the Sky Lark.