>Dale;
>
>We had one neighbor in San Francisco, who had an Ice Box up until the mid 1950’s. The Ice blocks (perfectly formed to fit the Box) were delivered in a truck – Oakland Ice Company. I remember the truck very well, as well as the deliveryman with his leather apron over his shoulder and huge tongs to grip the ice. The ice was placed on the shoulder and carried to the customer.
>
>Can you imagine a horse and wagon in San Francisco up until the late 1950’s? It was an Italian Junk man, with a megaphone. "Rags, bottles and sacks"! Up and down the hills he drove as his horse left behind his “calling cards”. :)

In my home city it is still common to have peasants (aka farmers) bring in fresh melons and cantaloupes san sell them off their tractor trailers, cruising the streets slowly, and waiting at each corner. The only change is that they have them ripe by mid-July (instead of early to mid-August) and they gave up the horse carts just twenty years ago.

Talking about home delivery, I haven't seen anyone with soda-water bottles here. My neighbors back there had one of 20 liters recharged weekly. And the soda man switched to a station wagon long ago... don't remember if he ever had a horse cart.