Thanksgiving Part I-The Farm Continued...

So as you can see from the previous videos, the go-cart is always a big hit on the Ryan Farm. No matter if you're four or fifty-four, everyone loves the go-cart. But maybe a little too much...

This is Uncle Dudley, using the tractor to pull the go-cart out of the twenty-foot drop into the creek.

As Caitlin likes to say, "Here's where I was when it all happened...". I was standing around with Caitlin and the "grown-ups", sipping my Snapple Iced Tea, when Uncle Dudley said, "I think they just went into the creek". They, being Cousin Stephen and his four-year old son. They'd been driving down the bridge that goes over the creek and then there was silence. Everyone scoffed a little at first but Uncle Dudley was convinced they'd gone over the edge.

Caitlin, Mom & Dad Q, and Angela (Stephen's sister) hopped into Uncle Dudley's pick-up truck and raced down to the dirt road, just before the bridge. I stayed up by the farmhouse with Stephen's other two daughters, just in case things were bad. I could see everything since we were up on a hill and I was terrified that I was going to get the signal to call 911. Everyone jumped out of the truck and I could hear Angela yelling Stephen's name. Other family members had been in the cow pasture shooting targets. They joined the rescue party and several dissapeared over the edge of the drop.

Finally, Angela came up with Stephen's son (who I'm still shocked was not crying), followed by a walking (maybe not too steadily) Stephen. They were loaded into the back of the pick-up and brought back up to the farmhouse. Everyone unloaded and Nurse Qualley hurried our accident victimes into the house to look at any cuts or brusises. Amazingly enough, she reported that Nathan only had a tiny bruise on his forehead and Stephen had a scratch on his head.

After the dust settled, Stephen explained that he forgot that the go-cart doesn't have brakes. (I, myself, forgot that during my first ride of the day with Caitlin. Thankfully, we were in a cow pasture where there was plenty of time to "remember" the no-brake rule.) Stephen was making a pretty fast u-turn on the bridge over the creek. As he turned around, he realized he was going too fast and the go-cart slid down the embankment and into the creek. I followed the crowd down to watch Uncle Dudley pulled rescue the go-cart. It was literally sitting in the middle of the water, with one seat cushion slowing floating away. (We still can't believe the go-cart didn't flip over!)

After the go-cart was pulled out, I really shouldn't have been shocked to see Uncle Marion come flying up the dirt road in the "death machine", as Caitlin and I so lovingly called it. But I'm sure stranger things have happened on that farm.