A bit of Joel’s history! Wonderful. Perhaps Jim will do a sequence where Joel reminisces about those old days on the rails? That would be wonderful and entertaining… seeing a younger version of Joel way back when…. great idea!
He was probably “riding the rods.” According to Wikipedia:“Drawrods beneath a freight train, one place where hobos used to ride. Riding the rods was extremely dangerous, and most modern train cars no longer have rods underneath.”
Back in the late 1930s and early 1940s, my parents were living in a house along a railroad spur. Dad would be at work, so Mom wasn’t about to let strange men into her house. She would keep cans of raviolis handy to give to the men who would stop by for work or something to eat. They would go over to a wooded area where there was a small stream and heat the raviolis over a camp fire. She would see the smoke from their camp fire.
Her own father, my grandfather, hopped onto a boxcar to California to find work and ended up being a welder for the railroad company.
I always wondered about the ages of Joel and Rufus. I think Jim wants to keep them “ageless” on purpose to continue to supply the folksy humor that he has imbued the strip with for so many years. Having them pass away would be unthinkable so they continue on. We are not to think of it since it is Jim’s business so just enjoy the jokes.
cpalmeresq over 9 years ago
A little Joel History. Interesting!
Cheapskate0 over 9 years ago
Where’s Utah Phillips when you need him?.(Yeah, I know, he died a couple years ago)
Pipe Tobacco Premium Member over 9 years ago
A bit of Joel’s history! Wonderful. Perhaps Jim will do a sequence where Joel reminisces about those old days on the rails? That would be wonderful and entertaining… seeing a younger version of Joel way back when…. great idea!
bmckee over 9 years ago
He was probably “riding the rods.” According to Wikipedia:“Drawrods beneath a freight train, one place where hobos used to ride. Riding the rods was extremely dangerous, and most modern train cars no longer have rods underneath.”
Willow Mt Lyon over 9 years ago
Back in the late 1930s and early 1940s, my parents were living in a house along a railroad spur. Dad would be at work, so Mom wasn’t about to let strange men into her house. She would keep cans of raviolis handy to give to the men who would stop by for work or something to eat. They would go over to a wooded area where there was a small stream and heat the raviolis over a camp fire. She would see the smoke from their camp fire.
Her own father, my grandfather, hopped onto a boxcar to California to find work and ended up being a welder for the railroad company.
436rge over 9 years ago
I always wondered about the ages of Joel and Rufus. I think Jim wants to keep them “ageless” on purpose to continue to supply the folksy humor that he has imbued the strip with for so many years. Having them pass away would be unthinkable so they continue on. We are not to think of it since it is Jim’s business so just enjoy the jokes.