A new discovery was found with brother

My brother, David, called me yesterday and asked what I was doing. I told him I was playing solitaire and watching television. He wanted  to go to a car show and didn’t want to go alone. His wife was on a trip with friends and David was by himself for the weekend.

I have mixed feelings about car shows. On one hand, it makes me feel old as I remember when some of the models were advertised as the newest and best things on wheels. On the other hand, cars are transportation and I rarely give them a second thought.

I did notice that Gremlins, Vegas and Pontiac station wagons almost never show up at these exhibitions. We had owned a Vega at one time. It was the first year they were on the market. It was a pretty car but it spent a good deal of time in the shop. It made me vow to never, ever buy a car in its first model year.

The Pontiac was a good, reliable car, or at least it was until I tried to mate it with an old Chevy. Someone had motioned me out and I didn’t see the Chevy dart out from the other lane until it was too late. Oops.

Thankfully, I never owned a Gremlin. But David and I saw examples of cars we had once owned. Novas, El Caminos (the car, not the restaurant), and more were displayed for our enjoyment. Then there were the vehicles I had not known existed. Car-boats, boat-cars, amphicars, whatever they were called, they were some of the most unique modes of transportation I had ever seen.

They looked like cars made in the 1950s or so except they were much smaller and all were topless. One car sported a huge umbrella to provide some shade. Another towed a boat full of what appeared to be grandchildren. All of the drivers and passengers wore smiles as the amphicars slowly paraded through the crowds. They drove down a ramp and into the water. Some of them drove slowly and carefully but the ones who garnered the most cheers were the ones who plowed into the water and produced a splash much taller than me. Thankfully, David and I weren't close enough to get wet.

As each car lined up for its foray into the lake the announcer asked the drivers where they were from. It turns out that almost every state was represented. How can this be? Am I that sheltered that I had never heard of amphibious cars outside of a James Bond film? Are there really that many people who have enough extra money to spend on something so frivolous?

Next year I’ll see if my hubby wants to go. I think it is something he would enjoy. The only thing that proved problematic was me trying to get in and out of David’s truck. It felt like the step was waist high. I was very close to asking for a boost while David laughed and said, “Really?”

Finding something that I had never known existed was a delight. Going with my brother was an added bonus. Who knows how many other surprises life holds? Sometimes getting out of our usual routine is a good thing. I’m glad David wanted company on a sleepy afternoon.