Tucker and his Toy Truck

I’m not sure when our neighbor Tucker Wachsmuth began bringing something for ‘show and tell’ to our Friday Night gatherings.  It’s definitely been for a few years now.  His cache of interesting artifacts and the stories that go with them seem endless and are a font of entertainment (to say nothing of education) every week.  I wish I had been ‘documenting’ each one.

Maybe I’ll have an opportunity to do just that for, as he says – but we don’t believe him – that he may be running out of things to bring and, besides, that he’s lost track of which-and-what by now.  Great say I!  I may get my chance to take pictures and make notes, after all.  I’m not sure to what purpose, but it seems wrong not keep some sort of record.

Take last night, for instance.  About midway through the evening, Tucker nipped into the other room and brought out a large ‘something’ concealed in a black plastic bag.  As is often the case, I hadn’t seen him come in with it – not that he’s surreptitious about it.  Just low key, leaving it out of the way yet handy so he can grab it later.

Bill and Tucker at Play

When the bag’s contents were revealed, I felt a little like it was a Christmas preview but in retrospect!  A very large toy fire truck made its appearance.  That it had been well used and much loved was apparent.  The extension ladder was folded up (or whatever you call it when it is not extended) and Tucker accommodated my eagerness to see it work by cutting the plastic twist ties that were holding it in place.

The truck, circa 1920, had belonged to his father and Tucker said that somewhere he has the original receipt from Meier & Frank’s – about $10 as he recalled.  He thought it worth about $350 today but, of course, that has nothing to do with its true value.  Tucker told us how he and his two brothers used to ‘ride’ it down the street when they were little.  They all loved it and he showed us how the wheels were wobbly from use and said he could probably replace the pins holding them… but probably wouldn’t.

Of course, the other ‘boys’ in the room were much intrigued.  Bill Grennan was instantly down on the floor practically at eye level to the headlights to inspect it, and Nyel would have been right beside him if his bum leg would have allowed it.  So, wives and mothers – if you’re out of ideas for a gift to that grown up boy in the family, just try a big toy truck of some kind – maybe the older the better.  It sure did put this group in the Christmas spirit!  Ho! Ho! Ho!