52 Ancestors 2021: Week 28: Transportation

I desperately wish I had photographs of my Grandma Glynda and my Great-Grandma Anna driving a school bus - but I don't. My entire life though, I've heard stories of them driving a school bus from my Mom and some stories from my Grandma herself before she passed away. They weren't the only ones to drive a bus, either. My Great-Grandpa Henry also drove a school bus at one time or another. 

It didn't stop just there. Two Grandaunts and a Granduncle drove a school bus, and another Granduncle drove a city bus. Apparently, driving a bus of some sort just runs in the family. Myself, personally, I couldn't stand driving something so large. I'm sure after a while it felt like second nature to them but.. I have trouble just driving a pickup truck. I'm sure I'd end up flipping a school bus on my first day. 

The two I know the most about are my Grandma and Great-Grandma, so I'll tell you a bit about their careers. 

I know my Nana retired from driving a bus in I believe the 1980's due to her age. My Grandma stopped in the 1970's as she'd found different and better work, plus, they moved away from the country and into the city. They both drove rural bus routes when they lived out in Niagara. I believe they picked up students for Niagara Elementary and potentially the middle school and high school as well. 

My Grandma and Nana even bowled with some of the other bus drivers on a bit of a 'league.' I even have my Grandma's bowling ball and hope sometime I can use it to bowl with. I'm not a great bowler... but it's a fun game. I can see why they both enjoyed it so much. 

I've heard many stories and a few stick out in my memory. Both of them involving my Nana's bus. One time, a boy threw a broom out the open window... the vehicle behind the bus, that the broom hit, happened to be a state trooper. Another story is when it started snowing so heavily during the bus route that my Nana's bus slipped off into a ditch. She got off the bus to walk for some help and ended up face to face with someone who worked for The Gleaner newspaper. 

My Grandpa was awfully upset at our superintendent that day. He should have called school a lot sooner than he did. Half the busses ended up in ditches that morning by the time he finally called off school. The busses that had successfully made it to the schools, then had to return the kids home from the schools and even more of them ended up in ditches. It was a catastrophe according to my Grandparents. 

I wish I could think of some other funny stories off the top of my head but I'm drawing a blank (I'm going to blame it on being sick.) I do wish I could have ridden my Grandma and my Nana's bus. I wish I could have seen them in their 'prime' so to speak. There are a lot of times I wish I could have been born as my Mom's sister, and not her daughter, so we could have grown up together. I think, selfishly, I wanted more time with my Grandparents, especially before my Grandpa got multiple sclerosis. Plus, I'd have gotten more time with my Uncle Jay, and ultimately, more time with my Mom. 

Another thing I could mention for transportation -- my Grandpa Jady at one time drove a concrete truck. He said it was quite an interesting experience. I know my Granddad drove some heavy machinery when he was in the Army. I think he said he ended up working the heavy machinery because he was familiar with farm equipment, like a tractor, back home. 

I come from a long, long line of farmers, so.. if a tractor has been invented, an ancestor of mine has used one. I do have a photograph of my Granddad on his tractor. 

It's a picture of a picture, so not that great. My Granddad sure did love farming and gardening. Now that I think of it - I have a picture of my Grandma with her bowling league and I know it's somewhere on the laptop or on my Facebook and I'll try my best to dig it up. It's driving me crazy that I can't find it. I did however, find a photo of when my Grandma and a couple of her bowling friends (bus drivers) went to Washington D.C. This was taken out front of the Smithsonian! 

I'll be sure to update this post if I come across the bowling league photo that I'm thinking of. 

Thanks for reading my transportation rambles tonight. It means a lot.