Beech Tree News Network

Even in the old days teachers had “busy work”. I spect some of you knew that. Besides helping little Cecil “know his beans”, (beans were used as an arithmetic teaching tool: “Here are 4 beans- take away 2; How many are left?”) One function of the educational bureaucracy was to write out by little Cecil’s name in the roll book how he got to school each day in the first place. It was not enough to rejoice and be glad that he got there at all, somebody, somewhere up-higher needed to know, so they could write it down in their book, and then turn that into another higher-ups, in the form of a report; to another person behind a desk with a name- plate, a title, a telephone, and a rolodex, (now a laptop). Oh, Dang my forgetful soul! And an IN AND OUT BASKET, with important looking papers in ‘em. Anyway, regarding this all-important question on how little Cecil arrived at school, he said, “I get on the bus over yonder at Arbuckle’s store… that’s on the other side of Pig. To get the there to Arbuckle’s store, you go to Pig and turn-off.”

“How do you get to Arbuckle’s store?” he was asked.

“In a nar-gage wagon.”

But I guess I’ll have to say one thing for the old bureaucracy. It was more accessible than now.

The first Helicopters were called autogyros.  In October 1936, aircraft manufacturer, James Ray Landed his “autogryo/car” in a park in Washington, D.C.. After folding up the rotor blades, he drove his roadable-craft up to the doors of the U.S. Department of Commerce in an effort for them to approve of his invention, and to “help advance the idea of private aircraft ownership.” They did.

By the way, that was a mistake. The Pitcarin AC-35 (as it was designated) was an accident waiting to happen. All the aero/car attempts had a bad safety record. And there is a point here. Now if you drove up to the doors of any Washington, D.C. U.S. Department of Anything- in a new, fully licensed pick-up, with a bicycle in back to get home on, in case of two flat tires on your truck- for any kind of approval; they’d fire three shots over your head arrest you and haul you off to the “bonkers” farm. Or maybe Levenworth. Sail on o ship of state.

Kindest regards…