Monday, May 16, 2011

Daredevilry

My young Sophia did high ropes this weekend, which reminded me of when I did COPE and Dad shouted encouragements, "You're my hero, son."  I also talked to Boushette on Mother's Day about a story about Dad that I'd like to share.
All but Z, ready to go
When we were camping in Maine at the (then) National High Adventure Base, we canoed across Grand Lake Matagamon.  When we did, we tied our 5 canoes together and strapped logs to them for stability.  We hoisted a big tarp as a sail and crossed the lake in something like two hours.

As we were lazily sailing along, Dad said, "You ain't got hair on your ass if you can't walk across those logs."

Garrett and I couldn't let the challenge lie.  I tried first and fell.  Garrett went next and made it by putting his hand on the head of each man he walked past.  It was judged not to count.
G & me balancing paddles in our teeth
Then we goaded Dad, "Why don't you try it?"

We reminded him, "You ain't got hair on your ass if you can't walk across those logs."

He said, "That's why they call me 'Old Baldy.'"

Monday, May 2, 2011

New Cop

There's a new top cop in Chicago. Mayor-elect Emanuel announced today that he's bringing in the current Chief of Police in Newark, New Jersey. Before that he was in New York.

I thought to myself, "They couldn't find one good cop in Chicago?" I felt a need to call Dad and ask him about it, but then I remembered.

So today's story is from when Dad was a brand new officer in Chicago.

He was a young patrolman alone in a squad car when he made his first stop. It was a little old man.

As Dad approached the car the man rolled up his windows and locked his doors. Dad tapped on the window.

"Sir, please roll down your window and let me see your driver's license."

The man just sat there and stared straight ahead.

Dad tapped on the window again, "Sir, please roll the window down."

Nothing. Dad was confused and panicky.

He went back to his car and called for backup. Before dispatch could assign someone another patrol car pulled up behind Dad's. Two older cops got out and walked up to Dad.

"What's ya got here, rookie?"

Dad explained the situation.

One of the older cops tapped on the window and got the same reaction that Dad had.

"Lend me your nightstick." The older cop said. Dad gave it to him and he stepped over to the car.

"Sir, please step out of your car." The man in the car didn't move. The old cop took Dad's nightstick and bashed out the man's driver side window.

The two older cops pulled the man out of his car, held him by his ankles and shook him until his wallet fell out on the street. Then they put the man down with his eyes still rattling around in his head.

"There you go rook, there's his wallet, go get his license."

They got back in their car and left Dad standing there, next to the man laying in the street next to his car.

Dad looked at the man, shook his finger at him and said, "And don't do that ever again."

He jumped in his patrol car and drove off.