Did you know that I like old cars and trucks? I saw this beautiful blue Chevy truck yesterday with a split windshield from the late forties or early fifties. I hung around for a bit to see if the owner would show up so I could talk to him or her, never assume a vintage vehicle is owned by a man. I am still not used to technology and forgot to take a picture of it. I fell in love with the truck and wanted to buy this truck. Now I need another vehicle like I need a hole in my head but this truck spoke to my soul. The lines and the grill were simple yet beautiful and the stance was solid reminding me of a mountain gorilla. I like all the curves and small details the older vehicles have, they are art on wheels. I don’t care about fancy paint jobs! I like the weathered look on cars just like I do on men. The older vehicles are interesting and older men are interesting. Ooh I am starting to see a connection here. What appeals to me about the old cars is the same thing that appeals to me about people.
My daily driver is a Subaru Crosstrek and if you stand and look at the front it looks like an angry bird of some sort. Most of the newer vehicles look angry, weird huh. The world is also full of angry stressed out people. The new cars are all sharp angles and seemingly pointless curves designed to make them more aerodynamic. Not so much rolling art, but rolling science. I have had enough science. Everyday someone comes out with a new scientific study saying don’t eat this, don’t do that, blah blah blah. What the hell has happened to us? We are so bombarded with scientific information it can be a little overwhelming. I have had my new car for four months and there is so much technology I still haven’t figured out how all of it works. At one time I would have read the manual before I drove it, not at this point in my life. I would fall asleep from boredom in about two minutes. Ooh perhaps I just found a cure for insomnia!
I like things that are unique and I like people that are uniques as well. Show me someone who dances to the beat of their own drum and we are sure to be great friends in minutes. I appreciate authenticity, honesty, verbal banter, teasing, playfulness, and individuality. The vintage car people seem to have a culture all their own and I really enjoy the car owners that appreciate an old car regardless of the money spent restoring it. I like the old clunkers without the pristine paint and interiors and I usually like the people who own them. Guess I am that way myself, no fancy paint and a little weatherbeaten. I don’t enjoy car snobs anymore than I enjoy snooty people. We all have to use the bathroom and wipe our own bums! Well unless you have a bidet then that takes things to a different level.
When I get behind the wheel of my 51 Caddy I feel different. I love driving this car! This car was heavily customized and I really wanted air bags so I could sit Lola on the ground but had to settle for lowering her nine inches. The boys in the low rider club said she just wasn’t low enough to be part of the club damn it. I have had so much fun with this Caddy and have met some wonderful people when I take her out for a drive. I just don’t plan a short trip anywhere. Even just stopping to gas up can take an hour or more. People want to know about the car and I had to learn how to not be self conscious when complete strangers come up to me and start asking questions. Because she has no roof at all I can hear the things people say when I drive past them. Now this car has curves and chrome and reminds me of a fat bottomed woman. I always check out cars rear ends and I am always checking out men’s rear ends! I have a thing for bums apparently. I fell in love with her the moment I saw her. The picture at the top is what she looked like before Howard performed his magic on her.
I guess my love of old cars is related to my yearning for simpler times and my love of simple people. Life is complicated and I don’t need complicated relationships or people in it. Don’t dismiss an old rat rod because it doesn’t have the shiny paint or the bling. Don’t dismiss people that don’t fancy it up either. You never know what they have hidden under the hood or inside their heart.
Hug everyone
Spread some joy
Donna
Life in a Slightly Soiled Chair 