When conduting Forties File questions previously.. I attempted different styles. I posted a memory and asked others to respond to the same topic with their memories. This would work if I posted a question one week and allowed answers to come in through out the week for the following week's post.
SUCH AS...
This question was asked... answers came in and I cannot explain what happened next... but it has been sitting in the draft folder archives awaiting this moment! So here it is.
Cars. Transportation. There have been many in our past, and for some more than others. But this question is about the family cars in our childhood days.
Memories of Family Cars growing up.
VALERIE
I remember a long string of station wagons. We would always inherit my grandparents old station wagons. I remember enjoying sitting in the very back which faced backwards. Our favorite things to do as kids in that seat was make faces at the driver directly behind us, and we loved it when they would respond and play back. Sometimes coming home from something late at night, my mother would lean the back seat back and we could sleep on it. She was pretty staunch about seat belts, even before it was illegal not to where them, but on these occasions we could sleep, cuddled and cozy.
PAIGE
- pony mum often forgot to take the emergency brake off and she would be so frustrated with herself when she would finally realize that she had been driving with it on..
- dad's truck he took the sheep away to the farm in it when we took the no fuss bus..
- they were pulling people over for a seatbelt check and mike* didn't have his on in the van
- john had to make a new key for his vw beetle and it took him all afternoon to make it from the blank.. I watched
- Jim drove a mini
- my first car was an eagle summit
- carlos had a brown ford bronco when I met him...
NOVA
I don't remember getting the tan van... but I do remember it... and perhaps I'm thinking of the wrong one.. because the only one I really remember was blue and white. I remember booster seats that had metal arm rests... could have been boosters for the kitchen table too. I remember driving it to Texas but only during straight stretches of road, because that was all dad would allow... until around Wyoming where I guess he liked having a reprieve because he fell asleep a lot... (it is a boring stretch.. having done it too many times to count now).. but for a brand new driver of only 2 weeks!!!.. it was a fabulous stretch... until it started snowing... and blowing.... and there weren't any gas stations as far as I could see and we were getting low!!... whew... I found a po dunk... (probably typical Wyoming town) with a gas station... that's when dad woke up and asked how long has it been blowing like this? That trip was long!... but memorable..
Paige and I braided our hair in tons of tiny braids... I don't remember doing Eden's maybe she had short hair then.? don't remember... we ate out each meal thanks to the company budget!.. and thought we were living high staying in motel 6's every night! we stopped at each welcome to the new state sign for a picture.
I remember getting the pony.. think we had a pony pot.. .we were all hoping for the pony with four legs but we got one with four wheels... but again.. this was a modern and cool car!... I learned to drive in this car. Also had this car for a while in Wyoming. I remember dad's green truck. Likely a very valuable truck these days that would bring sad thoughts to mind for dad since he sold it.. but it parked on the boulevard every day... and it was loud and embarrassing to be picked up in the green truck with rust spots and no seat belts that I can remember and home done reupholstering of the seat and a small hole in the floor just to watch the ground go by underneath you.. The doors were heavy and awkward to close and dad would sometimes be in his overalls and felt hat when he arrived in the truck (probably just to complete the look) I remember getting the new van in Texas... a real tan van... it seemed so new and cool then...
I remember when dad bought the ford in Texas while mum was away with the seatbelts that attack you without asking... and the chip that you need to drive the car in addition to the key. I can remember having to buckle criss cross in the back seat since it didn't have enough seat belts for all of us. I remember driving the ford back to Canada with Paige.. in retrospect ... what a journey for me to undertake at 18! and without a cell phone in those days.. I remember singing 'Amarillo by morning' much to Paige's moaning... since of course we had left red oak around 4 am and were indeed approaching Amarillo by morning. I was pulled over shortly after that for speeding 45 in a 35 zone... of course a maybe 100 yard stretch of 35 mph before it returned to 45mph... I hadn't noticed since I was watching for an exit sign.... the officer was very kind and gave us a warning and instructions back to the correct highway I don't remember much else until we arrived in Wyoming where we stayed for a day at the ranch.... much to more of Paige's moaning... of course it didn't help that she insisted on wearing her cow outfit!... They couldn't stop laughing... we spent a day seeing the sights and visiting and then we were off again... The next memorable moment of that trip would be driving through Boise where paige's moaning and complaining climaxed into threats of "I never wanted to go on this trip, or go back to Canada... turn around and take me back.." (we were driving on the freeway at 65 mph through downtown Boise)... then she threatened to pull out the magic computer chip that the car had while I was still driving if I didn't turn around... or then to just open her door and get out.. again while I was still driving... Obviously... we eventually made it to Canada without her getting out or pulling the chip... don't quite remember how I convinced her not too... I believe it all began because she said I wasn't stopping for enough potty breaks.. which through Idaho there just aren't many and I had already told her I wouldn't get off in any major cities due to big chance we could get lost or mugged!... Boise doesn't seem so big now looking back but then it was..
PATRICK
we had lots of different trucks my mom had a car but mostly we drove the trucks... perry and connie gave me a ford galaxy 500... a big boat of a car... I had it before I went on my mission and then I bought a dodge daytona which I had until the day after I was married! I installed a huge speaker stereo system in it and it was a really loud cool car.
JILL
I remember a few different cars.. a white rambler station wagon, a pink 50's car from auntie Adele, an obnoxiously long brown wood paneled ford LTD station wagon, with the big door at the back that opened up wide, and the pop up seats in the very back.. back then you could cram as many kids as you needed to in order to get them to primary class at the church on wed after school, no seat belts, car seats, i was made to sit on boys laps, that i was not related to, and to this day I still here Dereck Deitzes voice complaining about my bony bottom!!! too bad I couldn't have kept that bony bottom!!
and of course, the bus!! there was the meachum bus from next door, that we used first,, borrowed , bought? I don't know.. and then there was the landmark bus which graced each driveway where we lived, and served as our vacation limo and several occasions.. oh if that bus could talk!!
and of course dad's old 57 chevy truck green and ' red primer ' colour.. 3 on a tree shifting system which amazed me everytime I watched dad shift gears... but then my amazement swiftly moved into the emotion of.. shear embarrassment to be caught dead in this vintage but not yet cool hunk of junk... and did i mention the passenger door?!! the one that didnt latch no matter how hard you would slam it.... it was a second nature reflex for dad to reach over and grab hold of our clothing everytime he made a left hand turn , so that we wouldn't fall out on to the street when the door would fly open... and it did fly open almost everytime!! i would beg him to drop me off a couple of blocks before the school,, he usually ignored my pleas... and would stop, clunkedy clunk... right on the corner where everyone was hanging out... he and his truck seemed insulted at the ungrateful passengers.. and then it was just as embarrassing getting out,, trying to slam the door hard enough to maybe latch it this time,, and then it seemed to take forever for him to pull away from the curb,, with me standing there,, and everyone watching as he glugged and chugged away.. oh sweet memories..
and then there was the blue and white mega van... the dodge econoline,, i believe.. the car i learned to drive in, took my test in, and passed with flying colours... I swear I am an excellent parallel parker to this day thanks to learning on that van!! that van also saw many trips,, mainly to Portland, , 6 hour stops at yard birds... i recall seeing dad outside underneath it late at night on several occasions.. always fixing it....
the pony was after my day.. and i wont even begin to mention the scores and scores of vehicles belonged to by john and Jim,that littered the driveway and the boulevard, and grandma's driveway!!
SPARKY
When I was born the Dodge Van was purchased. It was blue and white and seated many people. I remember trips to Portland in the van with lots of people and, on the way back, lots of meat and canned goods and no leg room.
I remember the purchase of a 1986 Hyundai Pony. I saw it again in Wyoming in 1997.
In Texas we bought a Plymouth Voyager. It was a nice upgrade in comfort from the then 15 year old Dodge van. Dad also purchased a Ford Escort with no air conditioning. It still serves him well in San Jose CA.
While in Texas I purchased two cargo van to resell. I used and drove them some and they were my first vehicles. My next vehicle was a Ford Escort that Dad had acquired from a colleague at work. I flew out to San Jose and drove it back to Utah.
Val had a Chevy Berretta when we got married. We drove the Berretta our first year and then sold it and drove the Ford. When the Escort was on its last leg Chris Wignall and I drove it to Tijuana, Mexico and went from mechanic to mechanic until we found someone who wanted to buy it. I got $220 for it. We ate street tacos and then walked back across the border and then took the trolley back to San Diego. It was a fun day.
Another Ford replaced the Escort. I bought the day that Audrey was born. It was a white Mercury Sable wagon. It was comfortable and served us well for over two years.
Our current car we purchased from the San Diego California mission. It is a silver Toyota Corrolla. The senior missionary who sold it to us was Elder McLaren. He and I became friends and we have gone to hear him play in his blue grass band at the Fuddruckers in Chula Vista.
