Friday, January 26, 2024
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The Blackmon family were one of the first that my brother Kent and I were closed to after moving to Belleview. We never had a TV in our home, but dad allowed us to go over to the Blackmon’s on Sat nights where we watched TV together. Kent was addicted to TV more than me and often would not come home with me up the sand Babb Rd. between our place and the Blackmons. They lived behind where a current big strip mall is. We were up on the railroad tracks down from Buhallas Feed Store. Kent wanted to stay and watch the Green Hornet or the Shadow while I went on home without him. Then he was too scared to walk home by himself and Mr. or Mrs. Blackmon had to drive him home.
We had lots of escapades with Oral & Harold. Once we wanted to test an Indian trick we saw on TV where you shot a burning arrow into enemy territory. The arrow went up in a dry pine tree and set a mini-forest fire which required calling the Belleview Fire Dept.
Oral had a Cushman Eagle 3-wheeler that we rode all over Belleview, Oral driving, Harold, Kent and me in the back bed. Oral once lost control on Lake Lillian, hit a tree head on, we all flew out head first. Lucky to not be killed or injured.
Oral had access to his dad’s Chevy and we went rabbit hunting with me on the front end. The joker Oral enjoyed hitting the brakes and me hitting the dirt.
Mr. Blackmon was the agent at the Summerfield train depot. He would flag down the Orange Blossom Special when there was business there. Oral took the family car to school and would drive back to the depot where we would hang out until Mr. Blackmon could go home. Mr. Blackmon was a gun & brake driver which could drive you nuts and waste gas, but gas was $.25/gal. The depot was declining in business in the period. One product was lighter stumps in cars which were loaded by African-American muscle men whose descendants later turned out to be football & basketball stars.
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