The Ice Cream Lady

Announcing a new... Cushman? Trike? Ice cream truck? Job? I don't know what to call it, but Elysian Ice Cream is open for business!

It's been a long journey from the sad sight we brought home last February to this, but it was worth it!

Near the end of February, Steve sent me a link to a 3-wheeled Cushman for sale on Craigslist. He included the caption "Summer job?" as a joke. I fell in love at first sight, not only with the Cushman, but with the possibilities it represented. I could be my own boss, be out in the sun all summer, have a chance to see all the kids. It sounded like heaven to me.

So, Steve and I went to go look at this Cushman. I don't think I've ever seen that much rust on one vehicle! Still, there it was: my one chance to be my own boss. I told Steve I wanted it, and he paid cash on the spot.

We brought it home on a trailer and took our first really good look at what we bought. The box on the back was waterlogged and molded. That came off, first thing. Then, Steve replaced the shocks and took a look at the clutch. The linkage was welded in, so he had to cut it out with a hacksaw! I'm not sure of the technical details, but I do know a hole that was supposed to be round was oblong. Very oblong. Interesting. He had to fabricate a part to fix it.

I removed the rust and painted the underside and the frame black. A friend of ours powdercoated the upper bed frame and the wheels a nice shiny white. He did an excellent job, I might add!

Then, Steve brought his welder over to my house and got down to fabrication work on the rest of the little trike I had by now nicknamed "Cushy". From raw steel emerged frames, sides, taillight brackets, license plate brackets, a diamond plate bed, and mounts for the coolers.

He had to rewire the whole thing because the wiring was all messed up. Some idiot painted all the wires white in the front, so the wiring harness looked like a prism. The wires went into the harness white and came out multicolored on the other side. I stand in total awe and amazement that Steve was able to figure it out and fix it. Now, I have a headlight, tail lights, brake lights, turn signals, a license plate light and a music box! I am truly impressed.

I have a genuine Harley Davidson part on every vehicle I own. The Cushy has a bolt from a 1939 Harley Knucklehead installed on the frame, thanks to Steve.

After he did all the hard work, I gaudied the baby up with all the bells and whistles (Four different whistles, I might add. I still can't find "In A Gada Da Vida" on an ice cream music box, but I'm not going to give up looking. I want to watch the look on the parent's faces when they recognize the tune being played.

I got ice cream yesterday. As I stared at all those Popsicles lying there in icy repose in my freezer, I was transfixed by the sight of a dream. Attached to those little packages of flavored ice are all the hopes, dreams and desperation of a fifty year old grandma stepping out on her own, free of everything that held her back.

It's time to sell ice cream!!

Pictures here:
http://tinyurl.com/rgyrn