Another good memory includes my first car. An orange Volkswagen Beetle complete with a white racing stripe, now considered vintage. Bought with my own money, and ready for adventure my first year in college.
No doubt, it was a fun car. Exactly what I wanted. Never mind that the air conditioner didn’t work well, or that the heater and defrost took an hour to warm up. My German made wonder car drank oil too. I checked it frequently and kept a can of oil in the front trunk.
Oh and it could float. My friend and tested this feature in a flash flood. Yes, it floated a few feet. Thank goodness it wasn’t into oncoming traffic.
I had a friend who had one, and he said “VW’s fix themselves—just put a coat hanger in the engine and it will be fine.” I never tried that.
The move from California to Oklahoma was a bit of a culture shock. And the Oklahoma winter of 1978 must have had record snow fall. Snow covered the ground from what seemed like all winter.
Snow and Ice
Learning to drive in snow and ice was a challenge. Even a short drive required ski gloves and a coat. My car trudged slowly through the snow and ice. Ice accumulated quickly on the windshield, necessitating several stops to clear the ice for necessary vision.
My orange VW took me happily to work, necessary errands, and a trip to see my dad who stayed in Tulsa for a year. (Quite possibly not ready for the empty nest syndrome and retirement boredom).
One day my roommate asked me to take her to the drug store a mere mile away. Just as we stopped at a stop light it happened. We were rear ended and pushed into the car ahead. My sweet orange car crunched on both ends. Dad suggested I keep the insurance money as the damage was cosmetic only.
My beloved Volkswagen now with a crunched trunk. Shrouded with disappointment, we were still ready for the next adventure.
My current car is definitely not a fun as my orange bug. Thankfully it’s equipped with a good heater, and all the other modern conveniences.
Another good thing in these days of pandemonium from the Covid-19: going for a drive is not prohibited. And you don’t have to mask up in the car.
What was your first car?
Scripture for Today
“But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.” (Proverbs 4:18 KJ21).
Prayer for Today
Lord, establish our paths and make them straight. Help us to be safe as we travel in your beautiful world. Keep us safe in our vehicles. And thank you for the convenience and wonder of travel of all kinds: cars, boats, airplane, train and even walking, and bicycles. Amen.
© 2020 Nanette M. Holloway-All Rights Reserved
My first car was a yellow and white 1953 Chevy that my dad bought for me to drive to CHS. I was one of the oldest in my class so I was one of the very first of my classmates to have a car. The funny story that I like to tell is that when I started working at HTB (now Dewberry), I found some old photos that showed the expansion of the high school that was designed by HTB when I was a sophomore. In one of the photos, I spotted my car parked near the Superintendent’s office. What a coincidence! My boss gave me the photo as a keepsake. Great memories of 1964 and 1990!
Great story!