Cars in My Life...Part 1

I'd like to introduce to you the cars in my life. Part 1 consists of the cars that carried me while I was a child. Later, in Part 2 I will describe the cars I purchased as an adult.

We will start with a....

1948 CHEVROLET

(In) this Chevrolet...

.......I was carried home from the hospital

......my parents drove me to and from church on Sunday consisting of 60 miles roundtrip, sometimes making the trip twice on Sunday.

.....survived the bitter cold winters of northern Idaho

.....was sold when I was about 1 year old so I have no memory of it at all

1955 BLUE FORD SEDAN

(Mary, Gayle, and me in my mother's arms standing in front of our blue Ford Sedan)

(My two sisters and I sitting in front of the rear tire of our blue Ford sedan)

Our blue Ford....

.....had no seat belts

.....was our only car

...made several trips across the Nevada desert to see my grandparents and relatives in Utah and a canvas bag filled with water was carried on the front bumper in case the car boiled over .

...would carry my sisters and me to the Palo Alto library down the street, and to the duck pond and dump at the end of Embarcadero road

... would be used to move our family to a new house in Los Altos

...would be used to take my my dad to the Standard gas station to catch the train to work so my mother could have use of a car (probably to take us to the doctor, dentist or to Primary)

Dodge station wagon

Looking through the family room window you will see our 1962 Dodge Dart station wagon.

(My brother Paul assembling a car model. The white box like object is an Ironette. My mother would iron our clothes with this machine. She would even iron our sheets. No one can match the precision in which my mother can iron! To the left you will see my open sewing box which I still use. It looks like I am in the process of creating or mending some blue dresses.)

This car.....

... is pink! Have you ever seen a pink car (other than Mary Kay)

....had only two seat belts in the front seat

.....was purchased in 1962 car after my youngest sister Gwen was born. We needed a bigger car that would hold 9 people.

.....had push button gears and we thought that was so modern!

.....had an electric back window, when rolled down, would allow car fumes to enter. I am surprised we weren't all poisoned

.....had a third seat that faced backwards and I would get car sick sometimes (probably as a result of the aforementioned)

...travelled to Northern California pulling a tent trailer where our family camped at Standish Hickey Park

......was used to drive the family to Oakland to visit my Uncle Arthur during the construction of Oakland temple

....would carry the family on day trips to places all around bay area including the San Francisco Academy of Sciences and the zoo

...took the family across the Nevada desert with four siblings laying across the back sardine style (with no seatbelts, no less).

.....was the vehicle in which my sisters, brother and I learned how to drive a car. After passing my drivers test on my 16th birthday, I took my friends out for a ride and almost had an accident

.....travelled back and forth several times each Sunday to church (Priesthood, Sunday School, Sacrament Meeting) and Tuesday for Primary and Wednesday for Mutual and Monday through Friday for Seminary--lots of going to and from church in this car

.....ran into another vehicle (when I was driving) at the stop light at San Antonio and El Camino Real, bending the front right bumper

....was used to take me and my siblings to school (when we missed the bus), dentist, orthodontist, doctor, school shopping, to friend's homes...the list can go on and on and on.

....took my sisters and I to college with all our stuff

This was a well used car!

Stay tuned to Part 2....