I have owned my truck since it was nearly new. Just a few hundred miles on it when I bought it. I have owned it for over 9 years, going on 10.
I have not gone as many different places with this as I have with my previous pick ups(is pick ups the correct term for multiple trucks or is it picks up? like more than one grand prix is grands prix. What ever the correct term I will use pick ups to denote more than one.).
I had an 88 Nissan 4x4 that I had for 6 years. I bought it after I lost a wheel on my MGB. By "lost a wheel" I mean that it came off the car while I was driving, not that I took it off and misplaced it. I don't quite know or more likely, remember what the thought process of buying a new truck was. I guess that it seemed easier to get a new vehicle than to fix my old one. Anyway, I drove the Nissan until 93. I put 180,000 miles on it. I drove it across the country, into Canada, up and down the coast of California and even parked it for a year while I was stationed in Hawaii when I was in the Navy. I towed my MGB with it several times. I must like to drive.
I traded the Nissan and some cash for a 1969 Alfa Romeo boat tail convertible (Duetto). What an awesome car. I loved that car. Andrea loved that car. As a main vehicle and only motorcycles as back up, probably not the best of situations. So after about a year and a half and 40,000 miles or so, I sold it after a series of most unfortunate events.
I moved onto a used 93 Toyota T100. I bought it with 45,000 miles and drove it until it had 210,000 miles on it. This vehicle too saw many states Canada and even a brief stint in Mexico. I drove this on many car finding trips in California and even went to Montana to get a Triumph once. I was also getting into a pattern. I towed my MGB with this truck, many times.
I sold the T100 in early 99 and was happy to drive my 1967 Volvo P1800 for a while. Andrea had a wonderful Mercedes Turbo Diesel sedan. Unfortunately it had no a/c and since we just moved to Redding, it had to go.
Cue the 1991 Volkswagon Vanagon. This didn't last too long. It had a few problems and I was not impressed with the rate of travel it chose to take going up hill. It couldn't get out of it's own way down hill, much less up.
So, late in 1999, Andrea went to stay at her mom's house with Dexter while our new (to us) house was being remodeled. I lived in the VW in the driveway and worked. One day I had had enough. I sold the van and bought my current truck. A 2000 Dodge Ram 2500 Diesel. I couldn't imagine when I bought it, how long, or how many miles it would take me. While I have not visited as many states as some of my previous trucks with the Dodge, I have covered almost as many miles as the other two combined. Last week I just turned 280,000 miles in the Dodge. WOW! How on earth did I do that? With the exception of a few expensive pieces and some inexpensive bits the truck has most of the original parts it left the assembly plant in Mexico with. Sure, I still need a few parts to make it 100%, but the important systems are still functional. A/C, check. Radio, check. 4 wheel drive capability, check. Heater, check. Cruise control, super duper check!
So, while I enter my 10th year of ownership, I realize that I have owned this longer than just about any other car I have had. I only have one other car that I have owned longer. My 67 MGB. Yup. I have owned that car more than half of my life. I have also towed it more with the Dodge than any other vehicle I have had.
I really hope that I am not jinxing myself by spouting goo about my pick up, but just in case maybe I should get the MGB running. I don't think that I could tow the Dodge with it, but I know it would try.
I have a lot of memories of all of my past and present vehicles. Not all fond. Not all based on mileage or miles driven.
I hope that I have at least another 280,000 miles or at least enough to last me until the economy evens out and I can get another car loan.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Airplanes and helicopters oh my!
Airplanes were the topic Saturday morning. Saturday was the Young Eagles Fly Free day in Redding.
All the young children, I don't know the cap on the age, but there were teen-agers there, could take a free flight with a private pilot.
I don't know what types of aircraft we were looking at, except to say there were airplanes and 1 helicopter. The airplanes were different designs and types. The helicopter was definitely different than the CHP chopper that was also there, but not giving free flights.
We went to this last Father's Day and man, the lines, the lines.... Couple that with triple digit temperatures and you have one loooonnnng sweaty, sun-burned day.
This year we arrived much earlier, around 9am.
Apparently not earlier enough! By the time we made it through the line to get a number to wait for a flight, we were number 52 and 53. Dexter and Felex did not want to ride together as they both wanted to be "co-pilot".
Dexter got his wish, Felex did not. Felex took a ride with strangers and got the same "brotherly" treatment from these kids. Although, I don't think that it made a difference to the kids he was riding with. It was just the order that the pilot put them into the cabin.
Dexter of course made friends with the pilot with a lot of "airplane-ese" speak. Instant friends.
We actually made pretty good time. There were at least 7 planes taking kids and of course the helicopter.
Finally our turn came, around 11am. Awesome! We can get out of here before noon! What a break for the parents!!
Or so you would think.
Apparently, Dexter found out that you could also get a ride on the helicopter.
BONUS!, for Dex. Not a bonus for Mom and Dad. Not that we don't want Dexter and Felex to have a ride in a helicopter. It is just that there are other things that need to get done and the fact that we have just had the switch turned from nice 80 or so degree days to getting too close to triple digits in less than a week. No acclimation, no warning, no gentle ramp up. I think that we had a fire in the fireplace about 2 weeks ago. Then all too soon near 100 degree temperature?!!
Oh, what was I thinking, this is Redding. The weather changes daily here. Great now I have to dig out my shorts and put away my flannel lined jeans and wool lined cap. Although I did see a kid today wearing a wool knit cap. No, I think that I will only fry my brain more. Mmmmm, brain... Where was I?
Oh yeah, Kids Fly Free day.
Felex was done. Even though he signed up for the helicopter flight, he did not want to go another minute without food. I took him home and we had sandwiches. I got the phone call to come back and get them as Dexter was next and I should arrive about the time he got back.
More red tape and Dexter was not next.
Luckily, Dexter had made friends with the helicopter pilot and his kids. Dexter WAS on the next flight with the pilot and his children. Not any of the other kids that were waiting.
Dexter got the co-pilot seat in the helicopter as well.
1 happy kid! I think that Felex may be considering a career in flight as well. They got certificates, bracelets, pictures, memories, and maybe even a little sunburn.
All the young children, I don't know the cap on the age, but there were teen-agers there, could take a free flight with a private pilot.
I don't know what types of aircraft we were looking at, except to say there were airplanes and 1 helicopter. The airplanes were different designs and types. The helicopter was definitely different than the CHP chopper that was also there, but not giving free flights.
We went to this last Father's Day and man, the lines, the lines.... Couple that with triple digit temperatures and you have one loooonnnng sweaty, sun-burned day.
This year we arrived much earlier, around 9am.
Apparently not earlier enough! By the time we made it through the line to get a number to wait for a flight, we were number 52 and 53. Dexter and Felex did not want to ride together as they both wanted to be "co-pilot".
Dexter got his wish, Felex did not. Felex took a ride with strangers and got the same "brotherly" treatment from these kids. Although, I don't think that it made a difference to the kids he was riding with. It was just the order that the pilot put them into the cabin.
Dexter of course made friends with the pilot with a lot of "airplane-ese" speak. Instant friends.
We actually made pretty good time. There were at least 7 planes taking kids and of course the helicopter.
Finally our turn came, around 11am. Awesome! We can get out of here before noon! What a break for the parents!!
Or so you would think.
Apparently, Dexter found out that you could also get a ride on the helicopter.
BONUS!, for Dex. Not a bonus for Mom and Dad. Not that we don't want Dexter and Felex to have a ride in a helicopter. It is just that there are other things that need to get done and the fact that we have just had the switch turned from nice 80 or so degree days to getting too close to triple digits in less than a week. No acclimation, no warning, no gentle ramp up. I think that we had a fire in the fireplace about 2 weeks ago. Then all too soon near 100 degree temperature?!!
Oh, what was I thinking, this is Redding. The weather changes daily here. Great now I have to dig out my shorts and put away my flannel lined jeans and wool lined cap. Although I did see a kid today wearing a wool knit cap. No, I think that I will only fry my brain more. Mmmmm, brain... Where was I?
Oh yeah, Kids Fly Free day.
Felex was done. Even though he signed up for the helicopter flight, he did not want to go another minute without food. I took him home and we had sandwiches. I got the phone call to come back and get them as Dexter was next and I should arrive about the time he got back.
More red tape and Dexter was not next.
Luckily, Dexter had made friends with the helicopter pilot and his kids. Dexter WAS on the next flight with the pilot and his children. Not any of the other kids that were waiting.
Dexter got the co-pilot seat in the helicopter as well.
1 happy kid! I think that Felex may be considering a career in flight as well. They got certificates, bracelets, pictures, memories, and maybe even a little sunburn.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Phones and hope
Big excitement today.
New phones for the kids.
Soooo many phones, so little in my price range, for the kids that is.
Of course they both gravitated towards the most expensive phone type that they were interested in.
Dexter wanted a Blackberry Storm, just like dad.
Felex wanted a very nice Verizon G'zOne. Looks like it was made by Playskool. You know the company that made weebles? They wobble, but they don't fall down!
When the dust settled. The boys each ended up with a nice CHEAP phone and holster. I know the only reason that the liked the phone cases is because I called them holsters. You know like you would carry a gun in, but this one is for your phone. I know that Dexter will attempt to obtain as many different varieties of holster that are available and try to fill them one day. For now he happy with his phone and his phone holster.
Andrea chose a nice new cover for her Voyager. A cheap attempt to "un-ghetto-ize" her phone.
All I want is some hope that there will soon be a software upgrade for my Storm. The salesman was very nice and gave me a glimmer of hope.
Salesman: Will that do it then?
Me: Well, I do have a Storm. Do you think that they will be coming out with a ...?
Salesman, interrupting: Software upgrade?
Me: Yes, how did you know?
Salesman: I get that question a lot.
Me: So...?
Salesman: I have heard that they will be issuing an upgrade in the next few weeks.
Me: Great. How will I know?
Salesman: It will be automatic.
Me: So I will just one day notice a marked improvement in my phone function and performance?
Salesman: Uh, yeah.
Me: Thanks.
An hour and a half. 2 new phones, a phone cover and hope. All for the low, low price of about $70 after rebates.
New phones for the kids.
Soooo many phones, so little in my price range, for the kids that is.
Of course they both gravitated towards the most expensive phone type that they were interested in.
Dexter wanted a Blackberry Storm, just like dad.
Felex wanted a very nice Verizon G'zOne. Looks like it was made by Playskool. You know the company that made weebles? They wobble, but they don't fall down!
When the dust settled. The boys each ended up with a nice CHEAP phone and holster. I know the only reason that the liked the phone cases is because I called them holsters. You know like you would carry a gun in, but this one is for your phone. I know that Dexter will attempt to obtain as many different varieties of holster that are available and try to fill them one day. For now he happy with his phone and his phone holster.
Andrea chose a nice new cover for her Voyager. A cheap attempt to "un-ghetto-ize" her phone.
All I want is some hope that there will soon be a software upgrade for my Storm. The salesman was very nice and gave me a glimmer of hope.
Salesman: Will that do it then?
Me: Well, I do have a Storm. Do you think that they will be coming out with a ...?
Salesman, interrupting: Software upgrade?
Me: Yes, how did you know?
Salesman: I get that question a lot.
Me: So...?
Salesman: I have heard that they will be issuing an upgrade in the next few weeks.
Me: Great. How will I know?
Salesman: It will be automatic.
Me: So I will just one day notice a marked improvement in my phone function and performance?
Salesman: Uh, yeah.
Me: Thanks.
An hour and a half. 2 new phones, a phone cover and hope. All for the low, low price of about $70 after rebates.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Interesting journey to the odyssey of the mind
This weekend we took an odyssey. No, not following the epic of Homer. We took a different kind of odyssey.
The odyssey we took was of the mind. Dexter and his team won a spot to go to the state odyssey of the mind. They did a skit/play on superstition. Their superstition, bear in mind that it was 5 boys all in the 5Th grade, if you play a video game too long, you will get sucked into the video game.
Wow, what a great imagination they have. I have never heard of that happening. Of course I am from a different generation and grew up with "Pong" as the dominant video game. I don't think that it was possible to play Pong long enough to get sucked into the game. I usually lasted about 10 minutes.
When we got bored of Pong, we could play hockey or racket ball! Both of which were very cleverly disguised versions of Pong. If you were really feeling cocky you could play on expert level. What that did was instead of giving you a paddle about 6 times bigger than the digital ball, it made it almost the size of the ball. Meaning that made it harder to hit the actual ball as you had to be that much faster and accurate!
Back to the odyssey of the mind. The boys made up the superstition and a play. Some of it made sense, some of it did not. They had everything. Fake backdrop with a clock, a TV, and, I think, some sort of refrigerator looking thing. Lots of action. Lots of mumbling. Lots of laughs.
Although I did not understand some of what they were doing, they did. They did it with such conviction that you almost believed it was a real urban myth!
Of course if it were true, Felex and I would be stuck in Lego Indiana Jones as we played it for 4 days straight after Xboxmas this year.
A good weekend spent with the family. Grandma flew up to join in the fun as well.
An interesting journey to the odyssey of the mind.
The odyssey we took was of the mind. Dexter and his team won a spot to go to the state odyssey of the mind. They did a skit/play on superstition. Their superstition, bear in mind that it was 5 boys all in the 5Th grade, if you play a video game too long, you will get sucked into the video game.
Wow, what a great imagination they have. I have never heard of that happening. Of course I am from a different generation and grew up with "Pong" as the dominant video game. I don't think that it was possible to play Pong long enough to get sucked into the game. I usually lasted about 10 minutes.
When we got bored of Pong, we could play hockey or racket ball! Both of which were very cleverly disguised versions of Pong. If you were really feeling cocky you could play on expert level. What that did was instead of giving you a paddle about 6 times bigger than the digital ball, it made it almost the size of the ball. Meaning that made it harder to hit the actual ball as you had to be that much faster and accurate!
Back to the odyssey of the mind. The boys made up the superstition and a play. Some of it made sense, some of it did not. They had everything. Fake backdrop with a clock, a TV, and, I think, some sort of refrigerator looking thing. Lots of action. Lots of mumbling. Lots of laughs.
Although I did not understand some of what they were doing, they did. They did it with such conviction that you almost believed it was a real urban myth!
Of course if it were true, Felex and I would be stuck in Lego Indiana Jones as we played it for 4 days straight after Xboxmas this year.
A good weekend spent with the family. Grandma flew up to join in the fun as well.
An interesting journey to the odyssey of the mind.
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