Adam and this elephant Tess had a unique "bond." I payed Adam 1.50 a week to work in the elephant act, excluding Saturdays which was cartoon day. One day he informed me he thought he needed more money, and I informed him, not until he worked a full week, Saturdays included. He didn't agree, and stomped out of the trailer and said he was going to his friend Johnny's(John Holter Jr. son of Marineland owner John Holter Sr.) An hour later the Ontario Provincial Police came to my door and said, "did you know you have an elephant loose?" I jumped in their car, and the took me to the far end of Marineland. There was Adam and Tess waiting for traffic to clear. He had gone to the elephant stable and turned her loose, and was "running away from home," because I wouldn't pay him more. I agreed to 2.00 plus no Saturdays, and he and I walked her back a mile to Marineland and put her away. I couldn't say anything. Twenty years earlier I attempted the same thing with my horse, Dynamite.
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Adam and his dog Spot--1979
Posted by
Wade G. Burck
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12 comments:
looks like you met your match, wade! i'd certainly hate to have to negotiate a contract with adam.
Thats great!!! Smart kid!! Thats how you're supposed to negotiate.
Wade - That is just too funny. My son had large pets too (though not quite as large). In kindergarten they had a pet day and he won the award for biggest pet when I brought his favorite Clydesdale mare to school for him.
Jeannie
Henry,
Trust me. He hasn't gotten any more reasonable, as he has gotten older.
Your friend,
Wade
Jeannie,
They had "pet day" when Adam was in the first grade, in Richmond. He took two tiger cubs. The Superintendent still tells people about it. LOL
Wade
Wade, we had pet day at Animal Gardens too when you brought the adorable white cub. You had to pry it out of my hands but not before you offered a fair trade for my red stallion.
Bud,
My father was a trained child psychologist, and he dealt with me a little different, when I was going to leave. He made me sandwiches, gave me clean underwear and socks, and bid me farewell. I was 5, and I couldn't figure out why he wasn't stopping me. He waited until I had my horse saddled, then told me I could go, but I couldn't take the horse, and that I had to leave it there for my brothers after I was gone.
That gave me the opportunity to "rethink", and I decided to stay. Not because I loved him,you understand, but because I was afraid my brothers wouldn't feed Dynamite the right way. Brilliant.
Wade
Dianne,
What fair trade. I was going home to get you 6 more if that's what it would have taken.
Wade
Wade,
RE Adam: Smart Dad, and I would have only been stopped for the very same reason you were.
RE Dianne: As of late, I don't think there are enough white tigers to get her to let go of the Red Monster. There are many white tigers, there is only one red stallion. :D
I was never lucky enough to take one of my dad's elephants to school, but on show and tell day I did have quite a collection of ivory, teeth, toenails, horns, antlers, skulls and anything else he had gathered from his various jobs. Sometimes scaring the girls is a good conversation starter!
Ryan,
Go for it. Snakes, spiders, and mice worked for me.
Wade
Yes Ryan, I can vouch for the snake, scared the He$$ out of me....
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