I used to drive a car that you stopped and looked longingly at. First there was the 1968 Pontiac Tempest, dark blue with a Hearst shifter. Duncan, my big brother, bought it for me for my 16th birthday. The shifter was old and worn and though from the black leather cabin of the cavernous beast it looked very virile, it jammed and the local mechanic finally blessed me with a piece of cardboard and a wrench, teaching me to crawl under and release its linkage from reverse.
There was the new, fire engine red, Alfa Romeo convertible. We managed to rig up an early iPod-type device (it used cassette tapes) to the radio so I had music of my choice beyond the noise of the wind and the engine.
Later, it was a Corvette for Jeff and a Jaguar for me. The truck was the work-horse of the farm though in fact she was named Lady Vader. We custom ordered this truck from Dodge and it was the Ferrari of trucks in its time.
Years and vehicles came and went. One memorable vehicle was the long-suffering Tahoe that crisscrossed the country many times for both Lex and Hanni. I settled into my version of “one car poverty” when the girls were really gone. I traded my second Jaguar and an F-150 pick-up for the last amazing truck. She was a combination of Jaguar elegance and pick-up truck utility. Horse trailers, kayaks, loads for the dump, all rode quietly behind me as I commandeered the road from her heated/cooled Captain’s chairs with my choice of music and a back-up camera. Saturday mornings were reserved for errands in the “Big Truck.” I have driven down the road for years, never seeing myself coming from the other direction. I always made a statement.
Today, I picked up a Twilight Blue, base model Subaru Outback. It doesn’t have leather seats, It barely responds to my commands and I am now a member of the legion of Subaru’s coming toward me on any given road. I am anonymous. Well, I would be if I didn’t post these photos.
And being anonymous is so very right for me now. I am happy to swim in the sea of the un-noticed, those who are not trying to make a statement with the skin of a vehicle that moves them from point A to point B in life. It’s the moving that makes me different…
Therapeutic Misadventures 
Congratulations! An impressive list of formerly owned vehicles ( the highlight of my formerly owned was a 1970 Mustang) I’m sure you’ll come to love the fuel economy of the Subaru and the ease of finding a parking spot to fit in. Enjoy…now all you need is a roof rack for the kayak and you’ll really blend in!
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Hadn’t even considered the parking dilemma! Yes, but without back-up sensors or a camera, it will take some getting used to!
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You’ve gone native
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Indeed, or perhaps just old…
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Yea! As one gearhead to another, we have crossed over…. I traded my last “It car” for a Hyundai Sonata.. Cant say I don’t miss those gearhead mobiles though. But, laughing all the way through the lines at the gas pump! Got a name for him/her yet?
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Blue Moon, as in “once in a…” so far anyway. Love that you and I have shared some classics – the green Fiat that was discarded in exchange for the huge Pontiac convertible to be able to take our dogs with us!
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I’ve heard they’re very reliable cars, and they don’t look bad either.
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So far, I’m happy and impressed with the customer service, meanwhile, daughter #2 is trading her elderly Outback that crossed the country at least 6 times for her, for a Toyota truck. Girl after my own heart with a truck.
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I am so useless at identifying cars they might as well all be the same. In my world they’re either big or little and the colours are the only thing I really notice. I like the blue. Now if we were talking motorcycles it might be different. I owned a Triumph tiger cub and a BSA Bantam in my youth and could tell a bike from the noise of the engine. Not so much these days as they’re mostly all generic Japanese things that sound like irritating insects but those old British bikes had some character.
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You are a lady of many talents and surprising tastes! How cool are you!!
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Bikes were my thing back in my teens and early twenties. Then I had children. Hard to strap them on the back when they’re babies so the bike got sold 🙂
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