February 2, Ground Hog Day.
Do you remember calling Big Daddy on his 65th birthday in 1961 from Morocco (it's the MARS radio story)?
Do you remember calling Big Daddy on his 65th birthday in 1961 from Morocco (it's the MARS radio story)?
Here's the short version:
We made an apointment for a three-minute call to the US from a radio transmission station out on a small hill (such as there was a hill on the flat plain that was the base) in a remote corner of the base. The tiny army-green trailer was dwarfed by the tower that reached to the clouds before spreading its spindly antenna arms.
We sat on hard stools as the radio operator spent several minutes contacting first the US MARS radio transmitter in the Azores, who contacted the US MARS radio transmitter in Gander, Newfoundland, who hooked up with the US Overseas operator in New York, who then made the series of nasally sounding "Operator Calling" contacts to navigate the various telephone systems in Maryland, Virginia, Kentucky and then Mississippi to make the phone ring on Robinhood Road. They were waiting.
Big Daddy: "Hello."
Operator: "I have an international call from Doris at the Casablanca, Morocco MARS Radio Station, are you able to receive it?"
Big Daddy: "Why yes, of course! We've been waiting."
Operator: "Remeber, because its a radio transmission, you will not be able to speak at the same time, so be sure to say 'over' when you are ready to listen. Please, begin your conversation now."
Granny: "HELLO, over."
hsssssss. click.
Big Daddy: "HELLO . . . . over."
hssss, click.
Granny: "HBDTY, over." (yes, hbdty is used the world over, even then).
hssssss, click.
Big Daddy: "WELL, THANK YOU DARLIN', over."
hsssss, click.
Granny: "WE MISS YOU, WHY DON'T YOU FLY OVER TO SEE US, over."
hssssss, click.
Big Daddy: "DARLIN', YOU KNOW GRANDMOTHER CAN'T LEAVE JACKSON, SHE HAS HER PLANTS TO TEND TO, over." (even though it was Big Daddy who didn't want to fly over the ocean)
hssss click.
Granny: "WELL, WE SURE DO MISS YOU, AND [sniff] WE MISS YOU . . . , over."
hssss, click.
Big Daddy: "WE LOVE YOU. . ."
hsssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss
MARS Radio Operator: "Sorry, we lost the connection. We'll have to try again next month."
2 comments:
I don't think I remember the actual event, but I do remember Mom retelling the story over the years.
I gathered that they decided that international phone calls were not worth the cost if all you were going to do was cry!
Big Daddy wouldn't even fly to Texas, remember? Didn't he say something like If God had a-wanted men to fly, he'd 've given him wings?
Grandmother did fly to Texas though, on at least a couple of occasions after he died though.
And I of course remember NOTHING of the story. But it's a good one nonetheless. And I do remember that Big Daddy wouldn't fly. I don't even remember Grandmother flying. I thought we had to go get her.
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