Papa Bill vs. the Firecrackers

Bill Pack at 19 years old

When Papa Bill (“He’s this tall!)  was a teenager he worked for the  U.S. Dept. of Agriculture measuring wheat in the desert west of Blackfoot, Idaho (You’re a spud!) Papa’s (He’s this tall!) job was to walk the perimeter of the wheat fields so the surveyor could find out how big the field was.  Papa (He’s this tall!) had to wake up (Rise and Shine!) early in the morning before it got too hot to work. 

The surveyor, a nice fellow a few years older than Papa (He’s this tall!), would have him drive his jeep (Vroom! Vroom!) so he could sleep until they got out to the desert.  Naturally, being just before the 4^th of July, firecrackers (Bang! Bang!) were available.  Papa (He’s this tall!) thought, “What a better way to wake up (Rise and shine!) my companion than with an early celebration with firecrackers (Bang! Bang!) going off in his jeep? (Vroom! Vroom!) 

They were traveling on the Idaho (You’re a Spud!) highway just before day break.  Giggling to himself, Papa (He’s this tall!) pulled the firecracker (Bang! Bang!) and match from his pocket. He put both knees around the steering wheel to keep the jeep (Vroom! Vroom!) straight down the highway.  Papa (He’s this tall!) looked down, concentrating on lighting the match for his friend’s “wake-up” (Rise and Shine!) call …..

Suddenly, the jeep (Vroom! Vroom!) went over and down a steep embankment of lava rock.

Driving the jeep (Vroom! Vroom!) down the embankment was not as fun as the firecracker (Bang! Bang!) would have been, but it got the job done.  The surveyor woke up (rise and shine!)

“What happened?  Did you fall asleep?” The surveyor asked Papa (He’s this tall!) 

Neither one of them were seriously hurt, but fixing the jeep (Vroom! Vroom!) cost all of Papa’s (He’s this tall!) summer earnings. 

I guess you could say his great idea backfired!

This story was told at the 2013 Pack Family Christmas Party.  The audience shouted the words in parentheses whenever they were spoken.