HOT ROD

 

I just found out something I dreaded, but knew was coming... my friend Rodney had passed. 

I've known Hot Rod for almost 40 years. He was always good for a story and a LOT of laughs. He had the most interesting life, and was a rough-around-the-edges kind of guy. He loved cars, especially old Fords, Middletown football, and bringing a smile to your face. 

I met him while on my first real, full-time job. He befriended me easily, and even though he was over 10 years older, I saw him as the brother I never had. He knew a lot about a lot of things. He could paint a car or a home. He could fix the plumbing and fix your radiator. He could build you a house, or repair just about anything. He shared his knowledge of history in and about my hometown, and we went to car shows and swap meets along the way. 

He had a tough life, but always persevered. He had been to exotic places, fought in a mindless war, lost many close friends in the passing years, but always managed to laugh about almost everything. When the flood of '72 took almost all of his possessions, he just worked harder to get new stuff. We added up his biggest assets once, many years later, and he couldn't believe that it made him a millionaire. His story was truly, started from nothing and ended up a much beloved and successful man. 

As a small business owner, he had story after story of folks taking advantage of his generosity. He would get mad at himself for allowing people, even ones he knew for decades, to screw him in his wallet. But the thing was, his kindness always extended to those that needed it. Even if he knew he wouldn't get paid. 

I once brought him a customer, who was VERY much in need of a car repair. He told me the job required him to take out most of the interior and would justify a $1500 bill. He only charged her $900, which she immediately complained about and didn't pay. I felt guilty enough that I paid it for her, but it affected our friendship going forward. That was ok. I DIDN'T want to risk my good friend Rodney thinking anything bad of me. 

When he first got sick, he told me his wish was to get past 70 years old. He knew he was lucky to have experienced way more than his share of cool things, so he wasn't greedy. He got his wish plus a few years. 

I think I will go cry now and miss my friend. He was one in a million, and there's no replacing his humor, his support of my sometimes questionable decisions, and his endless stories of the lunacy of the human condition. 

I luv you man.... hope to see you again. I miss you already.

(ALMOST)COAST TO COAST - WEEK ONE

8500 miles. 15 states. 565 gallons of gas. 35 days. It was quite a journey! 

Sitting in PA on a Thursday night, I decided it was time to finally cross off a major item on my bucket list... driving cross country. Why now? 

Mom is not going to be better than she is today. Her decline has been consistent and relentless. If I imagined her a year from now, I couldn't see us making this trip at all. 

The problem with a trip of this length is usually one of two - money or time. We had the time and could deal with the financial ramifications later. If I'm working, there's no way to take off a month or so at a time. So it seemed now or never. 

We chose now. 

I spent Friday packing and prepping for the haul to Arizona, making the decision to use our truck, instead of the car that is only 48 years newer. The hope is, that all the new parts we replaced would mean a trouble free drive. How would it end up? 

The OTHER reason to go now was the weather. Snow was coming and I hate snow, only a LOT. Seems funny to still be living in PA, since winter is such a downer, but the "new normal" is much more tolerable than the cold and snow I had as a kid. As I looked at the the next week or so country-wide, I saw a window of opportunity that was just too inviting. Not a hint of rain or snow all the way if we go thru the southern route, including Texas. Good to go. 

Day 1: I can't believe we are actually doing this. Driving thousands of miles in our old pickup truck, searching for sunshine and warmth. It isn't too far down the road that I realize this was a GREAT idea. 500 miles to go to the first night of many on the road....

Day 2: Snow. On my truck. THIS wasn't part of the forecast!!!! Ugh... At least our destination was more hospitable, with the great company of our Econoline Family. A bit over 400 miles and we are there. A nice dinner, and a lousy Super Bowl to watch, my mind was on the next week or so of travel. This certainly was a good way to start though. Unless you were a Chief's fan.

Day 3: We arrived at Sulpher Springs, Texas, after 450 miles of bliss. The weather had improved and made driving the miles much more easy to take. So far so good....

Day 4: The site of our first Palm trees... Van Horn Texas. It was an almost 600 miles away and it was the first day of feeling tired of driving. A nice quiet little stop on the loooong passage through the state. At least the speed limit was 80! It was pretty cool to be able to go that fast without worry of a ticket! I had decided to get to the Phoenix area a day earlier than planned since we made good time the entire way. So far, the lack of creature comforts wasn't noticed that much, since the joy of cruising in a classic has it's own rewards! 

Day 5: We landed in Chandler, Arizona, in the early afternoon. Almost 550 miles passed under our wheels, allowing us to get unpacked and organized, in advance of surprising one of our Econoline brothers nearby. The routine of loading/unloading the truck and eating, maybe walking a bit, then getting settled in for the night, worked out well for Mom. She slept very well and enjoyed the long rides of course.She seemed to enjoy talking to her own reflection in the mirror, so at least we weren't alone. I couldn't help but think, "Why haven't I done this drive before?" 

The surprise of Jeff, our fellow Econoline owner, was a good one. He didn't have a clue we were going to be there. He was gracious host for a few hours, and allowed us to prepare for the NEXT surprise...

THAT one didn't go so well. 

The inspiration to go to Arizona has been almost lifelong. For decades, I wanted to visit the Southwest, and see the sites that I only saw in pictures. For THIS trip, Ivanne was what inspired me to finally check this off my bucket list. She is special, and we talk every day. I had many ideas on how I wanted to reveal our arrival, and the final version involved getting her to drive to Jeff's house to "pick up some parts". I figured this would be a GREAT way to let her know we were in town. 

It WOULD have been...

If only I didn't go for a walk with Mom while we waited for Ivanne to be on her way. It seemed simple. Just go around the block, enjoying the sunshine and the exercise. What I didn't discover (until it was much too late!) was that the "block" was short on one side and LOOOOOOONG on the other. When we finished the first one in a few minutes, it was quite logical to just go for another and then we would be done. I should have checked the map a little closer, because we didn't get back to Jeff's house before Ivanne arrived, and Jeff had to let her in on the joke. Ugh... So much for the grand surprise. 

One of the things I found difficult was being dishonest to Ivanne along the way. While we were driving, I couldn't take any phone calls unless I pulled over. Dester was much too noisy, and it would give away what we were doing. The guilt was quite a load to bear, despite the good intentions. The best thing about getting there early was the fact I could stop lying a day sooner!  

Day 6: Finally, a day of somewhat rest. No driving hundreds of miles, no loading the truck, no searching for dinner. It was a relaxing and completely perfect day, just cruising around in 70 degrees and sunshine. One of the biggest sources of joy in our lives is driving Dester on a nice day. We were getting our fill and loving every moment, even as the weather back home turned awful.

Day 7: One of the first stops I wanted to make was to visit the Fat Fender Garage. They build some of the coolest Ford pickups you will ever see, and their enthusiasm for Dester was apparent right away. It was such a good time to speak to Jason, the owner, as he is the face of their company on YouTube. His passion for trucks comes thru the video every single time. They even fixed my exhaust leak, which developed in Texas during the hours of maintaining that 80 mph across the state. Fun has it's price, right?? 

The things going on in my mind were many and unending. 

Could I relocate here? Would I want to? What are the summers like? Would Mom enjoy it here? Could I find any other Econolines while we were here? What sights should be we see while we were here? Should we go to California, since we were so close (a days drive)? Was I going to be broke after this epic journey was over? 

Week two to follow soon... 

50,000

50,000. That's a lot of money, people storming Congress, or fire ants crawling on your arm. I could NEVER imagine that many VISITS to this site over the years. I think I've said this same thing on EVERY level reached. But it's true. 

So yep, we are here.

I usually take the time to review how in the world we got here....

I wrote about previous levels - 5000 was the first, posted [here] that was short and to the point. No analyzing, no comments, just a wonder how so many people stopped by.

6000 was next, posted [here] because I didn't have a clue how many visits were a LOT. hahaha I went into detail about the posts and some thoughts. 

12,000 was the next post, found [here], that filled in some details. 

I waited till 25,000 to post again on this topic, [here]

30,000 is [here] and 39,000 is [here]. 

So what should we do for this new level? 

Well, this time-frame started in January 2018. I didn't write anything until February, as usual, about Valentine's Day. In the next 38 months, I posted 26 times. The most popular ones, of course, involved Mom. 5 of the top 6 were either an update on Mom's condition or how her illness has changed me. 

Speaks volumes, huh? hahaha

I wrote about finding positives in a negative situation. I admitted to writing unsent letters, and how that old habit came back. I revealed how George and Gracie had formed my hopes in relationships. In retrospect, it wasn't a good trait to have. I can't argue with the utter failure in the results. 

I wrote about why I am still single. It took TWO parts! No real answers except I was stupid a number of times. No surprise there. 

10 of the 26 posts involved Mom in some way. Makes sense, since that is my world for the last 4 years. 

I wrote about Elvis' life since death, Dester, The Waltons, dealing with life's challenges, an open letter to a Congressman, abused women and the utter failure to help a few, death and what my absence would mean, and being given a moment to teach a young college student what I consider my most valuable thought. 

All in all, a productive writing block that wasn't prolific, but meaningful to the life I am currently living. In 2018, I only wrote from February to May, taking a long break that lasted a year, then only posting once, followed by another 8 months of nothing. In 2020, I started in February again, then 15 more posts through September. 

Not exactly a schedule that will inspire regular readers, no doubt. That is one of the reasons I enjoy just writing for myself. if anyone else can enjoy them, all the better, but not required for me to find satisfaction. 

I can honestly say, I haven't been more satisfied with the words flowing. I just wish for more flow! 

If you haven't enjoyed reading past posts, I hope you find a few minutes to see if you do. 

INTERESTING (AND DISAPPOINTING!) REACTIONS

 

I had a light bulb go off over my head the other day, I figured I would reflect here.

With all the social media available, it's easy to get a more realistic image of a public figure these days. You see what they comment on, what they are going through, and what they believe in. 

I think it's cool to be able to share our views, to let the world in on who we are and what is important to us. The UNcool part is when we get an opposing view and all of a sudden, we get angry or offended. In a PUBLIC forum, that is hilarious. 

What inspired this thinking was an exchange I had with a local TV news reporter, whom I had great respect for, that didn't go well at all. 

She had posted something about Kamala Harris that was nothing but positive, which was clearly because she was a graduate of the same college. Because I admire the local news folks waaaaay more than their national counterparts, I made a comment that I hoped would provoke thought. Something along the lines of "don't look deeper, because you would be disgusted". 

I was trying to be nice about it, since I am aware of Harris' record as a prosecutor and her political rise, but not trying to judge, yet trying to open the eyes of someone who CLEARLY didn't see the truth. Despite her mentioning "truth" in her post. That's prolly what made me reply, to be honest. It's one thing to be a fan, ignoring some awful things about that person, but to outright lie is an action that we all should react to and not just pass by. 

The "friend" responded with, "this is not the place to put negativity, and if you do, you will be blocked". 

Well, it's not a surprise these days that folks are thin-skinned and react without thinking. I considered her position for a few seconds and replied to her reply, "It's ok, I'm out. Obviously 'truth' is a very fluid subject here". 

I always consider tone and perspective when I write on any public platform or even in regular conversation. Those that know me well know I am respectful and polite, even if we are complete opposites in our ideas. 

The part that bothered me was the fact that here was a smart, educated, well-positioned young lady that had the means and the tools to KNOW the truth, yet she ignores it based on skin color and gender... and the fact they are fellow alumni. That doesn't seem right, especially in these heated times. 

By calling her out on it, she chose the easy and least conflicted way out. Just delete the person who put her in position to react to the REAL truth. That is how MANY folks handle issues these days, and it's not shocking to know that the issues don't ever go away or improve. 

Will I miss seeing posts of this young lady? A little, since I enjoy the life experiences of a diverse crowd. Mostly, I feel sorry for her, since she will one day, if she is lucky, be faced with the reality of just who she puts up on a pedestal. It will be a sad time for her, but a good one if she learns to look a little deeper into those she admires...there are sooooo many deserving people out there.

If we ever get back to the days of mutual respect and seeking out real conversation, the world would be a far better place. We could learn more about what we don't know about, and have more informed opinions on the things we THINK we know. We could avoid the anger that comes from our own insecurities, and be friendly to those that agree to disagree. We could embrace our differences instead of fearing or hating. We could end wars before they start, and understand the challenges of those that come from far far away. 

That sounds like a world I want to live in. How about you?