me so hot that it lost the retread. Stopped at the next town and replaced it. No big deal. Well today Mom and Dad are in front of me while we drive home. Dad knows the way so its just as easy to follow him and I don't have to worry about driving too fast for him. We have just gone over the Delaware Memorial Bridge and were going through Newport, PA when a caravan of military vehicles approached coming towards us. The kids were excited to see all the jeeps and covered trucks and I naturally had to sneak a peek also when all of a sudden I looked ahead and Dad had stopped. I jammed on the brakes. BAM!! I ran right into the back of Dad who had stopped for slow traffic. "Holy S#*t!" I yelled. "Why did he stop so fast?" I said. "Maybe because the car in front of him stopped, also," Carol said. Well, we both pulled over and I saw I had broken a taillight on the left side of the Merc. I had minor damage also, but everyone was fine, so we continued home. I told Dad when we got home I would take care of the damage for both cars and we didn't have to call the insurance company. Fine with Dad. In a few weeks everything was back to normal again. And ....... the next year when we went to Sea Isle City, I paid better attention!! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
The "Why did he stop in front of me so fast?" Story
It was an ordinary day. Carol and I are headed home from Sea Isle City, NJ after a great two weeks at the shore with our 3 kids and my parents. Mom and Dad always enjoyed going along and we loved having them because they became instant baby sitters. We are driving our Buick station wagon which is built like a boat while Mom and Dad are in their 1965 Mercury Convertible. Their car has a neat history behind it. I purchased it shortly after I sold my 1958 Chevy Impala. The Merc was bright red with a black top and had great power. Extremely smooth ride. Had it for maybe 6 months and the insurance and gas were taking their toll, along with the fact that Carol and I wanted to get married, so I sold it to Mom and Dad so I could buy a smaller, more economical car. They loved it. I don't ever remember them putting the top down and going for a ride in it, but then again, I didn't keep that close an eye on them. In 1968, in our second year of marriage, we borrowed the Merc and drove it to Florida for a vacation. Great trip in a comfortable car. We did have one minor mishap while driving it. We drove for about 8 straight hours in brutal heat and the right rear tire became so hot that it lost the retread. Stopped at the next town and replaced it. No big deal. Well today Mom and Dad are in front of me while we drive home. Dad knows the way so its just as easy to follow him and I don't have to worry about driving too fast for him. We have just gone over the Delaware Memorial Bridge and were going through Newport, PA when a caravan of military vehicles approached coming towards us. The kids were excited to see all the jeeps and covered trucks and I naturally had to sneak a peek also when all of a sudden I looked ahead and Dad had stopped. I jammed on the brakes. BAM!! I ran right into the back of Dad who had stopped for slow traffic. "Holy S#*t!" I yelled. "Why did he stop so fast?" I said. "Maybe because the car in front of him stopped, also," Carol said. Well, we both pulled over and I saw I had broken a taillight on the left side of the Merc. I had minor damage also, but everyone was fine, so we continued home. I told Dad when we got home I would take care of the damage for both cars and we didn't have to call the insurance company. Fine with Dad. In a few weeks everything was back to normal again. And ....... the next year when we went to Sea Isle City, I paid better attention!! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
me so hot that it lost the retread. Stopped at the next town and replaced it. No big deal. Well today Mom and Dad are in front of me while we drive home. Dad knows the way so its just as easy to follow him and I don't have to worry about driving too fast for him. We have just gone over the Delaware Memorial Bridge and were going through Newport, PA when a caravan of military vehicles approached coming towards us. The kids were excited to see all the jeeps and covered trucks and I naturally had to sneak a peek also when all of a sudden I looked ahead and Dad had stopped. I jammed on the brakes. BAM!! I ran right into the back of Dad who had stopped for slow traffic. "Holy S#*t!" I yelled. "Why did he stop so fast?" I said. "Maybe because the car in front of him stopped, also," Carol said. Well, we both pulled over and I saw I had broken a taillight on the left side of the Merc. I had minor damage also, but everyone was fine, so we continued home. I told Dad when we got home I would take care of the damage for both cars and we didn't have to call the insurance company. Fine with Dad. In a few weeks everything was back to normal again. And ....... the next year when we went to Sea Isle City, I paid better attention!! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
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