Thanks for the comments, emails, and even Tony with his rant
(see - I told you I would include it in my next blog post; you owe me $100
bucks). I was going to write about something else when something totally beyond
my control swayed me away from that topic to the one you’re gleaning over now;
the weather.
A warm early
spring day to be specific. Here in northern New England, it’s a cool thing when
all the snow is gone (at least where I live) by the end of March. Even better,
when the sun comes out and the temperature gets into the upper 50’s for the
first time in months. Better still, on that same day, people start firing up
their
That one action
by several others got me to thinking. Each person I talked to that day, was in
a fantastic mood - from enjoying the weather to wooding the throttle (given the
chance). It also made me realize the other side of the coin. Your everyday
ride. Each morning when you walk out to it, it’s there. If you don’t take a
moment to at least like it and appreciate it - the color, the vibe, etc.,
regardless of year, make and model - then chances are you have the wrong car. I’m
going to go a little old school here again for a moment, but if you can unlock
the doors without a key fob - even better. And yes, I hate Smart Keys.
When you put the
key in the ignition and start the motor, what does it do for you? Sorry, but
pressing a “start” button (except for
the Dodge Ram 1500 SRT-10 truck) doesn’t count. Can you actually groove on
As the weather
continues its journey towards summer, I know I’ll see many more antiques,
street rods, bikes, and hot rods. It’s a natural draw to the street and the
outdoors. A chance to get out of the house, away from work or chores, maybe
even a chance to enjoy some quality time with your kids or loved one. Hey - how
‘bout both? If you own uber-modern performance iron, don’t let that stop you.
Join the fray.
There is also a
common thread that all of us who drive and enjoy performance anything - be it
an old AMC to a macked out twin turbo Volvo - we have to be aware of some of
the things that are out of whack with our current surroundings. It’s might
happen to you and I know it’s me - but seeing some of the modes
of transportation on this warm day triggered some thoughts. First, I saw a guy
on a beautiful Harley chopper. He stuck has arm out to signal he was making a
right handed turn to go into a gas station. This was on a busy street and I’m
sure there were a few who had no clue what he was doing. When was the last
time you saw someone using hand signals?
It also occurred
to me that I may be of the last generation to be taught about hand signals,
driving a standard, and actually maintaining a car in a class type setting
through a school. I took my Drivers Ed classes using a 1977 Plymouth Volare. I
took my drivers test in a ‘76 Ford Granada. This was before the days of 29 LED
bulbs that make up the back lighting system on a vehicle and the sensor in the
dash that tells you which one is out. My Granada was a 2 door hardtop with a
hood that was at least 6 feet long and had blind spots out the whazoo. I passed
on the first try by the by.
In a sense, we
have to go out of our way to understand the automotive days gone by and fully
appreciate our gearhead past to be in the present. We’ve heard this phrase
before; “We seem to be losing a sense of our history.” Yes - I believe
that is true. Even in the automotive corner. Preserve what we have & what
you have as an individual. In my humble opinion, we’ve lost too much already.
Until next time - peace out,
Dave
I can relate for sure, drivers Ed car was a 1977 Plymouth Valiant, driving test was taken in a 1970 Plymouth Fury III and passed first time also :)
ReplyDeletebrig on summer weather :)