A Little more…..

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The next day Dad and I had a great day riding, and then just ’hanging’ and sitting around his place – he loves to talk, and he loves showing/pondering on, and speculating about his “stuff,” all mechanical in nature - hence the connection to this old truck.

.Later in the afternoon as we talked (at some length) and sat on some chairs in his yard, three very large birds flew over – Dad made some sort of ‘Tarzan’ bird call, and to my suprise they circled, then dropped and walked right to us – evidently he has been feeding them since they were chicks (Sand Hill Cranes I think) and they continue to come back for more.

Trip to Dad’s

Ok, so with the help of JP and Melissa (I used their truck/car trailer) I have been able to take the old pickup 800 miles to see my Dad in Florida.  My first plan was to drive it up, but as I rode I figured that I would park just outside of his sliding glass door (where he begins each day viewing the world and contemplating direction) real early – this was the better plan.

So at 7am (and hoping that he would soon be in his chair) I made it to his house and backed the trailer quietly outside of his door – and back into his world.

It was kinda neat because as I stepped out of my tow vehicle (he was at the table) I could heard him hollering to someone else in the house to  “come-look!, come-look at this!“  I figured he either had an eyebrow hair that he needed pulled or had indeed noticed his old truck – it was a good sound, and one of surprise.

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As I looked in from outside I didn’t see a grumpy man of 82 taking his morning punch at the changing world outside, but I saw smiles and through out the morning heard lots of seldom used chuckle’s – as a matter of fact its been that way the whole visit.

I’m not sure how it would be for any of us to see the same vehicle that we had owned and cared for – FIFTY YEARS later, but I can tell you that as a mechanical-minded person, it meant alot to him.

We spent the morning riding in it while driving over to several of his local friends places of business (they had Hot-Rod projects too) and swapping stories – he would always begin by saying “I told you I had one,” and how he had traded that riding mower (which had thrown him off) for it in 59.

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Dad had stories about it all day…….(how he once used it to buy/sell Cadillac engines, how he ran it for two weeks without water (he would just stop and visit with a friend as it cooled – then go on, returning the same way) how he mixed concrete in the back of it) and so on ……. even made me go get the neighbor immediately next door (rebuilding a later model pickup) so that he could tell his stories once again.   It was an active day for Dad until dark, at which time he was worn out (for good reason) and in bed by eight, all was very good.

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Wasn’t a bad day for me either – plus I even found time (during his noon siesta) to take a ride to the nearby marina and walk the docks.

One more day in “Boca-Boca” (all the Seinfield facts are true) and I’ll head home……..

(a little more on the visit)