Ray bought this little wagon w/ a dumping mechanism at an estate sale the last time we were in Texas. He said when he saw it, “Ethan is going to love this.” He consequently ground off the bolts, disassembled it, and somehow made it fit in the back of the Nissan we had rented for the cross-country trek. Today, he finished reassembling it and added the new wheels he bought, along with a tailgate he built.

When Ethan saw the wagon all assembled, he said, “This is the coolest thing I’ve seen in my whole life.” (He is 3 1/2.) He was even more excited when Ray showed him that he (Ethan) could operate the dumping lever. There may have been squeals of delight.

We have an electric cart that we use to go from one end of the property to the other, and now this little wagon has a new custom-made hitch so it can be pulled behind it. Quite a cool and effective setup for people who often haul mulch, tree limbs, fertilizer, and other goodies. Ray, Ethan, and I hauled limbs for the wagon’s inaugural voyage today. Tomorrow, we have mulch to tackle.

Ray and Ethan also took a little ride in the wagon while I drove the cart. Ray described the bounciness as comparable to “a wagon going west in 1825.”

Here’s a photo of Ray and Ethan, or, as Ray described them, Bonnie and Clyde.