High as a Kite

High as a Kite

FRANK MARTIN NEFF

Copyright © 2018 by Frank Martin Neff.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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Rev. date: 08/06/2018

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Contents

Domestic Warfare, 1954

Growing Up, 1928

Lifetime Career

Dream House, 1949

Drink and Drive, 1980s

Check-Kiting, 1950

Circular Kiting

Guns, 1950

Alpha Dogs, 1960

Young Man’s Dream

Church, 1958

Dogs, 1956

Great-Grandmother, 1948

Walking the Dogs, 1953

Swimming

Fishing, 1952

Dave, 1950

Hunting Equipment, 1956

Big Truck

Equipment, 1956

Rattlesnake, 1954

Baxter County

Cleaning Birds, 1955

Knife Fight, 1945

Packard Automobile, 1952

Gambling Addiction

Internal Revenue

Duck Hunting

Suspended License

Border Patrol, 1941

Hemingway, 1921

Coastal Activities

Best Friends

Ninety-Day Wonder

Poker Success in Alaska

Bar Brawl

Mob Gambling, 1949

Bank Robbery, 1959

Shirely and Gary, 1957

Dental Disaster

Golden Lily Program

Japan

Driver’s License

Snakes, 1957

Technology

Wrapping It Up, 2018

Authentic Miscellaneous Government Correspondence Concerning Gary

Val, this would have never happened without you.

We miss you so much and will love you forever.

This book is about a very unusual man. It was written as a collection of events in his life as seen by his young son.

Domestic Warfare, 1954

The quiet of the night was shattered by an explosion of splintering wood and breaking glass. Once more, the french doors of the patio had been destroyed by my drunken father, Gary, returning home after a night of carousing. It was easier to break down the doors than to remember where a hidden key might have been. Gary was furious that the door that was locked is where the house key might be hidden, if we had one.

Back in the 1950s, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, we left the car keys in the ignition and the doors of our houses unlocked. Nobody even knew where the key to our house was. I think that this night, my mother, Grace, locked the doors to irritate Gary. If that was the case, she was very successful. I knew from experience that I could not go back to sleep even if it was 3:00 AM. I would have to deal with the ever-increasing verbal volume. No doubt an argument between my parents would ensue. Small objects would become missiles, and the volume would increase.

Growing Up, 1928

It seemed, to Gary, like only yesterday that he was working at the family trucking business. Changing tires, loading and unloading trucks, and doing every odd job available had turned him into a well-muscled young man. He was six feet, two inches tall with sparkling blue eyes and short blond hair. He had a ready smile that women loved. He knew that he didn’t want to work in the trucking industry, but everything else was open.

New York City seemed to offer the