D8H

And you thought a D8H is some sort of Camera!

As a very young man my Dad taught me how to run heavy equipment.  An old Caterpillar D8H just like this one is what I trained on.  Believe me I was very young driving this “Cat” that at the time was a huge piece of equipment.  No hydraulics just cables that lifted the big blade.  No torque converter!  A direct drive transmission with a clutch, individual track clutch releases, and individual track brakes.  I remember well, standing by Dad, on the Cat watching his operating prowess with my heart beating faster than I had ever experienced.  Scared out of my mind not because of the huge piece of equipment but rather that I did not want to let my Dad down.  We were in a huge field that we had recently put in a sewer line.  The objective for me was to bury the trenches so that we could then jet the trenches.  Without driving the Cat into the open trench.   Dad was not a micro manager.  He stood next to me as I backed up and pushed a little bit of dirt.  I remember his voice raised a few times as I slipped the clutch ( a no no).  He grabbed the controls a few times and saved us both from disaster.  Before long I was watching my Dad drive away in the old yellow chevrolet truck.   Leaving me with one of his biggest investments and lunch.  I was king for a day.  I don’t know how long I ran the Cat.  It was almost dark when Dad came back.  It seemed like only a few minutes.  What I do remember the very most that day…Dad saying

“Great job son!”

And my life as a ditch digger started.  Taught by my hero.  My DAD!