Category: Autos

I’m Back!

Please note: When reading this, try to imagine someone speaking in a slight southern accent; like I do. It will help to make it sound funnier. 

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As I told you all, I went out with my Dad today. I went with him to his retirees meeting at the UAW Local that he is a member of. It is in Southwest Detroit, where I grew up; a bit closer to downtown Detroit, than where I lived. However, because I want to continue to live in this house, I will not get into the specifics of what happened down there.

What I can tell you is this:

  • It rained. As in, it rained hard; by the time we got to the union hall, I thought we were going to have to ditch the truck and grab a canoe! My Dad was nice enough to drop me and Dad’s friend Irvin off at the door; and you should have seen me come out of that truck! I come out of that truck, like a lost cat that realized that he had wandered into the dog section of the animal pound —- around lunchtime. Yes, it was like that. Ever watch Scooby Doo? You know, when he stumbles upon a ghost and get the wits scared out of him? Yeah, like that. It came complete sound effects too, with “ooh’s eek’s and aah’s.” Oh, it was a wonderful time. I also, when I made it inside, kindly informed the people in the office that whomever was doing the rain dance, really needed to stop. Because the rain was here, in buckets!

So, finally the meeting was over. My Dad stopped at Vernor Coney Island and picked up some Coney Dogs for lunch for Him and Me and rest of the family here. So, I grabbed me a Diet Pepsi out of the fridge, came back down here to what my Mother calls my dungeon, and proceeded to devour me a couple of coney dogs and catch up on what was happening in the political world, while I was out cavorting with the organized labor movement. (Please Note: When I say cavorting, I don’t mean screwing. Hell, they were a bunch of grey-headed old people. Mostly men, and I do not swing that way, sorry. 😉 I mean hanging around them. It is an attempt at humor. Please, laugh. 😀 )

So, anyhow; I ate my dogs and fiddled around, and putted around and read a little here and little there. The next thing I know, an hour had passed and I realized that I was getting rather tired. So, I figured I would grab me a little nap; and nap I did….:

For Six Long Freaking Hours! 

I woke up, and rolled over at looked at the iPod touch and said aloud, “7 o’clock?!?!” I got up, and stumbled around; and went up stairs. Mom was fixing TV dinners. My Father, ever the funny man; greeted me with the normal greeting: “Well, Hello there, Sleeping Beauty!” I grinned, mumbled a little and went to the bathroom. Six hours of sleeping adds up to lot of urine storage. (Yes, I know, yuck. But, hey, it’s all true.)

So, there you have it. What I have done for most of the day. I hope you have enjoyed this rather funny story, as much as I have writing it. It is all true; my parents will verify it. I like going out with my Dad and his friend Irvin, I could write a book, about those two, when they get together. As well, as the funny stuff that goes on, when my Dad and his fishing friends, get together. Someday, I might write about that stuff. now, I live here, and I do not really want to get sued.

Till next time!

-Pat

 

 

 

 

Detroit’s Autorama is in town

Now here is something that makes me get a bit nostalgic:

Now that Detroit has had a month to bask in the future of what the automotive industry has to offer, the Motor City will now take a look at its past.

The 60th annual Autorama begins noon Friday and runs through Sunday at Cobo Center, One Washington Blvd. in Detroit.

Around 100,000 people are expected at the annual car event, which will feature about 1,000 exhibits with celebrities, attractions, beer and — of course — more than 700 hot rods, classic cars and customized vehicles.

via 2012 Autorama Detroit: Motor City revs up for ‘America’s greatest hot rod show’ | MLive.com

When I was a little kid, my Father and I would always head to Cobo Hall in Detroit every year to go to this show.  It was like a year religious pilgrimage for us.  Some years, like back in the 80’s, my cousins, my Mom, and her sister and hubby would trek down to the show.  Back in the 80’s stars from shows like “The Duke of Hazzard” would be there.  People like Tom Wopat, James Best — who played Roscoe P. Coltrane — were there.  What I remember the most, was the walking; we would walk that entire show, all rooms, upstairs and downstairs of that hall and look at everything.  We used to go to the auto-show as well; it was fun time.  I remember getting my picture taken in the car from the T.V. Series “Knight Rider,” You know K.I.T.T.?  I got it taken in the car from the first season and I believe the second season.  It was a Polaroid, and it cost my Dad five bucks.

My Dad, because he worked at General Motors, used to get free tickets to all of those shows.  I miss those old days; they were the “magic years” for me as a kid.  Sadly, we stopped going to those shows, mainly because it was such a pain in the rear to get down there and the walking was not easy on my Dad or me, as we both got older.  In addition, in addition, we started hearing about incidents happening at those show, shootings, robberies, and so forth, so we just quit going.  I went to an Auto Show once, by myself, back in the days when I was actually working.  I actually found a good parking spot on the roof of Cobo, I went inside, and the place was heavily crowded.  I went and looked at a few cars, fought my way through the crowd; and finally got disgusted and left.  After that, I never went back.  In addition, people were rude, and one person even hurled a racist remark at me, for simply being in his way.  Naturally, he was black and I was white; so in that City, this was considered normal.  This was, for what it might be worth, in the 1990’s.  Things changed in 10 years, I suppose.

The bottom line is this; if you do not mind crowds, rude people and want to see some nice classic cars, this is the show to see.  The cars, of course, come from an era when Detroit was on top of its automotive game.  Like good, moral women —-they just do not build them like that anymore.