On The Road

When I was 12, my older sister Laurie got married. I was her flower girl and my little bro was the ring bearer. She married in June after school got out in her 18th year and is married still. She picked a good one.

After she left, life in our home went downhill a bit. She was the last driver, as my mom never learned. From that point, we had to wait for others to come round.

When I was 15 1/2, my mom took what little money she had from the sale of our family
home and bought a Datsun B210 in a lovely shade of blue. I practiced with my brother-in-law to get the stick down before my test. The day I turned 16 our life improved greatly.

We (my mom, lil bro and I) were mobile again. Freedom! No longer did we have to take buses or wait for the kindness of another family member. Mom and I got in the car that day and went for a long ride to the beach. I don't think we even got out. It was just a matter that we could get there and back on our own.

I still love to drive, love long rides to nowhere in particular. And since my lil Toyota gets 44 miles to the gallon, we get going pretty often.

Comments

  1. Margaret (Peggy or Peg too)August 8, 2019 at 6:02 AM

    What a great story. I too had a Datsun 210. I used it as my winter car. Which growing up in sunny California you may not get that. I had a Nissan 280Z that I drove until winter and the salt on the roads do such damage. I would clean my car, cover my car and not drive it again until spring. Silly looking back. But it kept it in prestine condition and boy I loved that 280Z
    And I too enjoy nothing more than just getting in the car and going no where. I have had some of my best adventure that way!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Linda dAugust 8, 2019 at 7:35 PM

      I get it. I wouldn't want that winter beating up my lil sporty car.

      Delete
  2. Marie SmithAugust 8, 2019 at 11:42 AM

    The freedom a vehicle affords is wonderful! Great memory!

    ReplyDelete
  3. BillAugust 8, 2019 at 12:33 PM

    I always loved driving long distances. Moving to Alaska was fun with our two dogs and four cats in the bed of the truck. :) Now I ride the bus and love it. It's convenient and we can catch it at the end of our lane. Bus drivers here will go out of their way to get you where you need to be. It's a social meeting place for lots of seniors who live in the rural villages. Fun to listen to their stories and laughter.
    Nice story of you and your family getting a car. My family didn't have one, we always walked and didn't mind at all.
    Enjoy your day!

    ReplyDelete
  4. anne marie in phillyAugust 8, 2019 at 2:41 PM

    my first car was a ford pinto, a high school graduation gift from the parental units. I was a college commuter student.

    ReplyDelete

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