Category: cars

Car Shows, Men, and Elvis

Posted in beer, Carmel, cars, dogs, Elvis, exercise, humor, memoir, Monterey Bay, Pebble Beach, relationships, Spain, Study abroad, wineLeave a comment

(re-run) It’s funny how memories of one thing lead to memories of other things happening in the same time period. Like the Twin Towers falling, or JFK getting assassinated. Or Elvis dying. Today is the anniversary of Elvis Presley’s death (August 16th). Forty-five years ago, I was stepping off an airplane from Spain (by way… Continue reading Car Shows, Men, and Elvis

DUI Date

Posted in California, cars, dating, drinking, firsts, friends, guardian angel, humor, nature, relationships, roommate, Stockton, tennis, worstLeave a comment

(re-run) Lesley was a college freshman at UOP in Stockton when a big football player type guy asked her on a date. Lesley had already met his roommate, so she thought she was safe with Chad and said yes. Chad took Lesley to a party, but when his roommate came up to say hi to… Continue reading DUI Date

The Thrill Gene

Posted in bears, bicycles, Big Sur, cars, cliffs, gene, mountain lion, Orinoco River, peer pressure, roller coasters, scuba dive, waterfalls, zip lineLeave a comment

Because two climbers scaled the Empire State Building today . . . (re-run) I have never liked roller coasters. I puke on the teacups ride. I don’t like to dive, and I brake hard on steep hills on my bicycle. I have figured out that I don’t have the thrill gene. Of my three children,… Continue reading The Thrill Gene

Belly-up Beetle

Posted in alcohol abuse, beetle, California, cars, dating, drinking, drugs, guardian angel, high school, marijuana, memoir, relationships, Volkswagen, worstsLeave a comment

(re-run) Curtis drove the Volkswagen, 1969 vintage Beetle. Smoking George, his wing man, brought the weed. They’d met their dates at a party. Stacy and Camille went to San Leandro High. Curtis and George went to Castro Valley. Curtis liked Camille. George got Stacy. They all partied at a friend of a friend’s house in… Continue reading Belly-up Beetle

It’s Not your Year, Prius ‘o’ Mine

Posted in cars, contractor, HOA, landscaper, luck, memoir, physical therapy, PriusLeave a comment

(re-run from 2022) First, it was the log lying in the fast lane, parallel to the lane markers as I drove over it.  It became impaled on the undercarriage of my Prius V (the big one) as I headed home from a hike and went twenty more miles. The Triple A guy told me that… Continue reading It’s Not your Year, Prius ‘o’ Mine

Belly-up Beetle

Posted in alcohol abuse, beetle, California, cars, dating, drinking, drugs, guardian angel, high school, marijuana, memoir, relationships, Volkswagen, worstsLeave a comment

(re-run) Curtis drove a1969 vintage Volkswagen Beetle. George, his wing man, brought the weed. They’d met their dates at a party. Stacy and Camille went to San Leandro High. Curtis and George went to Castro Valley. Curtis liked Camille. George got Stacy. They all partied at a friend of a friend’s house in Oakland until… Continue reading Belly-up Beetle

Worst Thanksgiving Eve Ever

Posted in California, cars, doctor, drugs, elevator, firsts, girlfriends, guardian angel, humor, memoir, mom, relationships, worstsLeave a comment

I had to go to the doctor’s office the day before Thanksgiving. My finger was infected. I was lucky to get an appointment. I had eleven people coming for dinner the next day. I had no sitter and no luck of getting one, and no local relatives, so I loaded the three kids in the… Continue reading Worst Thanksgiving Eve Ever