The Great Automatic Coke Vending Machine

Just reminiscing about Manual's shed and all the neat things we used to do in
there. I remember covering those few high windows and playing hide and go
seek amongst all the bags of clay and other storage. Man, it seemed like a
huge room at the time. I was telling my brother Johnny about the time we made
the coke vending machine in Manual's shed. There was an old single door
pantry-like cupboard that was stored there. I believe it came out of the
Maggie's bathroom during some remodel or another. It was painted yellow and
had no back on it. One day some of us got the idea to convert it into one of
those automated, coin-op coke dispencers. We cut a little dispenser window
in the front door and somehow jerry-rigged a cup holder and shelf in the 
opening. A coin slot was also cut in the door with a can nailed to the inside
of the door to catch the coins. I don't recall all the details of the
machine, mostly what I remember was my excitement of being inside the 
machine and when someone deposited a coin, dropping a cup into the holder and
pouring pop into the glass from a quart bottle from the inside. As I recall
it was going to be a great money maker and we'd be rolling in dough.
Needless to say, the pop supply for the machine disappeared during the 
vending machine testing and operator training period.......somehow it didn't
seem to matter though.....we all had our fill of coke and inventing for the
day. I think we took the money from the coin can and went down to Baxter's
for some candy and lik-a-maid...... and on the way back home we pulled 
chunks of tar to chew like gum from the gutter there at the corner of Budlong
and 112th street.....yeah...I think thats the way it went???
- Dave Dumas