The Hondo(page-8)

 

       In the youthful days of Hondo and Tim, their days were often filled with mischief and adventure, Fourth of July weekends would be spent with the Roberts, cousins, Chris, Steve, and Mike. Tim and Kevin loved them very much because winters were often spent there in the barn stripping Uncle Charles and Aunt Virginia’s ten acres of tobacco, so, when summer came around there on their 500-acre spread fun immediately followed, they often camped down on the river bed, set up tents, brought food, and their beloved cousins Steve and Chris bought them beer. Steve looked like Burt Reynolds the actor and Tim called him Burt often which I think he enjoyed and Chris always drove muscle cars and he always had time for Hondo and Tim, Mike was Tim’s age and they had a lot in common and Mike was always playing practical jokes at Tim’s expense but Tim never minded at all. Down on the river bottom they had a boat and set trotlines in the Rolling Fork River, they were usually drunk by midnight and had to check the trotlines every three hours, of course, they caught fish, but the Gars would strip or steal their bait like a river-rat-thief and when they snagged a Gar, they'd put the fish’s beak down in the banks of the river. It was a lot of fun back then and so many fond memories that'll last a lifetime between two families, the Roberts had Hondo and Tim’s respect forever. 

     Summers would often be spent with another family, the Thompson's, 6 girls, and one boy. The gals’ names were Theresa, Barbara, Mona, Becky, and two Mongoloid babies: Angel and Jeanie. And one son, Albert Martin, later on in life they would have another boy called Ray for whom is a great kid. Hondo and Tim were brought down on their Uncle Bert and Geneva’s farm to put up baled hay in the scorching summer, and plant their five acres of tobacco, of course, they didn't care, they loved the off times down there, going frog gigging was one of them. Aunt Geneva was a divine cook, her Southern cooking was exceptional and the smell alone in her kitchen would induce starvation. Some of the best meals Hondo and Tim ever ate were in her kitchen. Now, when night time came Uncle Bert and Aunt Geneva would go to bed because they both worked, but that's when Marty(Albert), Tim, and Hondo got their second wind and went to their basement and loaded up fresh batteries in the flashlights and examined the gig, then off to 6000 Square miles of the expedition where Marty knew the location of over twenty lakes and ponds that were strung out over several neighbors’ farms. 

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