I had a death in my family this week, a cousin, one of my favorites and like most families do after a funeral, we all got together over at one of the immediate families homes, in my case my cousin's sons' house.... We all sat down in the living room, the kitchen and dining room and had something to eat and then started telling stories of my cousin who passed away Friday, stories that made us sad, stories that made some of us cry, stories that made us laugh and well stories......and we told stories of other family members passed, some more recently and some many many years ago....and one of them was my Aunt Bella and I thought I needed to write a little story about her......If you find time to read it, I hope you enjoy it and again like always, thanks so very much for letting me post my stories up here and share them with you......I appreciate it.
http://web.mac.com/sinai/Site/Blog/Entries/2008/6/23_Entry_1.html
Paul from Alabama
Aunt Bella
Paul, again I enjoyed your story! My Mother was a driver kind of like that. She explained to me one day that when she started driving there was no such thing as taking a driver's test to get your license. Like w/a dog license you just asked for one and you got it and it had to be renewed from time to time. At that time you didn't have a picture on it. Also, a lady never would reveal her age so of course there was no DOB on there either. Mother never could get close enough to keep her foot on the gas so she would point her toe and we would shoot forward and then she would take her foot off and we would slow down, drastically. It never occurred to her to move the seat closer to the steering wheel. God love 'em. Those unwieldy machines were nothing like the cars today that you just have to touch a button and away you go and barely have to touch the wheel and it turns and all the good stuff like that. Now, I'm the little old lady driving her red car around. Makes you wonder.......
Ann
Yes, Paul - you got me laughing again.
Sorry for your loss last week, but glad it provided more grist for your "writing" mill.
You are correct, I'm sure, that others have memories of some "drivers" from our past.
I remember growing up in northern Minnesota - 15 miles from the nearest town, and the roads were narrow dirt trails that the county would grade several times a year, but not often enough to remove ruts created after rains. And many had a wash-board area what would rattle a car something fierce. And then there were some old tractors with steel wheels and lugs that occasionally added to the distruction of a smooth surface, too.
Anyway, (like you - I went off on a tangent - just to give some backround to my story), there were many lakes and resorts along the roads. One of the finest was owned my a wealthy couple - the Steins. Mrs Stein was famous, like your aunts, for her driving.
There was a commonly known rule on those roads - if you were approaching a blind curve or hill, if you blew your horn, you had the right of way.
Well, you could hear Mrs. Stein at least a mile away where every she was driving. I have no idea haow many horns Mr. Stein had to replace, but it probably was a bunch even though he traded in both cars every year.
She did not just give a toot ot two, but would lay on the horn up and over a hill, or all the way through a turn.
Oh, and one more thing, if she was on the road, there was only one lane - right down the middle!
Heard her coming one day, and my stepdad, just drove into a farmers field to avoid a head-on with her. She was still on the horn as she passed and traveling probably twice as fast as we were.
When riding my bike or walking to a friend's house, I would leave the roadway completely if I heard her coming.
Bubba. sounds like we are near the same age only I know I'm eons older than you. We do seem to have the same type of sense of humor. Ain't that nice!
Ann
Ann, I just look young - LOL!!
Ann, my Aunt Bella and Aunt Sophie were both 'height challenged'.....:)
You know Bubba I forgot all about her use of the car horn......Her motto was, When I Doubt, Blow It.....:)
Paul from Alabama