Everyone loved the Good Humor Ice Cream truck’s visits to their neighborhood during the summer. It had a set of bells that the driver manually rang announcing his slow cruise up and down the city and suburban streets. Most parents requested that the driver arrive after dinnertime and he happily complied so that he could sell more popsicles, fudgesicles or orange dreamsicles as dessert items for every member of the family. The odor of the smoky, dry ice, mixed with the gasoline fumes, was one of my favorite summertime smells. That aroma meant the “jingle man,” as we called the driver, was reaching into the back door of the truck getting out the more expensive treats like push-up rockets and of course “Good Humor” bars. Sometimes I diverted and got a Dixie cup that came with its own small, wooden spatula-shaped spoon. The slim wooden paddle and vanilla ice cream together made an excellent sensation in your mouth. The model here for my painting came from my vintage toy truck collection.
Karl was lucky. His neighbor, Mr. Willy, was the Good Humor man and they could walk over to his house any time and buy a Good Humor bar.
ReplyDeleteLucky bum. Was the truck in the driveway? How did they keep the ice cream cold?
ReplyDelete