Jack's father bought a surplus Piper cub, reassembled it, & buzzed the drive-in theater. Read more about the history of this aircraft here.
Jack got in trouble for shooting a Japanese rifle at the drive-in movie screen.
The drive-in theater was the creation of Camden, New Jersey, chemical company magnate Richard M. Hollingshead, Jr. In 1932, Hollingshead conducted outdoor theater tests in his driveway at 212 Thomas Avenue in Riverton. After nailing a screen to trees in his backyard, he set a 1928 Kodak projector on the hood of his car and put a radio behind the screen, testing different sound levels with his car windows down and up. Blocks under vehicles in the driveway enabled him to determine the size and spacing of ramps so all automobiles could have a clear view of the screen. Following these experiments, he applied August 6, 1932, for a patent of his invention, and he was given U.S. Patent 1,909,537 on May 16, 1933.[1] (information from Wikipedia) For more information about the history of the drive-in theater, click here. More images and information are also available here.
Jack's father brought back several Japanese weapons as souvenirs from World War II. The photos below are representative of the types of rifles & swords that might have been used by the Japanese Imperial Army.
Arisaka Type 99 Bolt-Actiion Rifle -- click here for more information.
Japanese WWII NCO Shin Gunto Type 98 Katana sword with leather field cover. Find out more about Japanese military swords here.
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Jack and Miss Volker were involved in a couple of different medical adventures....
Miss Volker self-treated her arthritic hands with hot wax. Medicine.net has this to say about treating osteoarthritis: "Some patients get significant relief of pain symptoms by dipping their hands in hot wax dips in the morning. The wax can often be obtained at local pharmacies or medical supplies stores. It can be prepared (melted) and kept in a crock pot (electric cooker). The hot wax hardens on the hands and thereby provides a warm covering over the hands. The hardened wax then can be reused by peeling it off the hands and placing it back into the melted wax."
Jack is fascinated by the numerous war movies of the day, but he is also frequently confronted by the reality of death all around him (his friend Bunny's father is an undertaker, and Miss Volker is the town coroner as well as the writer of obituaries for the local newspaper) and this causes anxiety. His stress manifests itself in frequent nosebleeds, which Miss Volker manages to alleviate with cauterization. This is a process by which the nasal passages are treated with electricity or silver nitrate to seal the small veins by slightly burning them. While this process is common and relatively painless, it should not be attempted at home! Here is a short article with further information. |