Thursday, August 24, 2017

Feelin' Pretty Lucky

I was in my work truck yesterday finishing up my last stop, about 45 minutes from the office and another 15 minutes from home when I got the text from Meg: "Houston, we have a problem!" I kept trying to reply to find out what was going on, but the message wouldn't go. And the pictures she was trying to send along with that message weren't coming in. I started to make my way back and finally got enough of a signal to receive this photo:



I pulled over immediately and called. She was out and came home to find that the huge tree had fallen and was not only blocking most of the driveway but also the front door, and the back slider was locked. She managed to get a ladder up to the back of the front/side porch and break enough branches to get in the house. Very thankfully, neither of us was home when it happened. There would have been significant vehicle damage and almost certainly severe injuries if either of us had been here and either going to or coming from the car. No damage to the house either. We're extremely lucky.

Then, of course, my attention turned to the truck. I couldn't tell from the first photo if it had been hit, and had no idea what I would find when I made my way to the other side of the tree...



The good luck continued when I discovered that other than a small dent in the roof, the cab was fine, as were the front fenders, hood and the bed. The larger branch missed the front of the cab by about 18 inches. The S10 that will provide the new chassis is at the other end of the driveway and was completely untouched.



If the body had still been sitting on the old chassis, the truck would have been completely destroyed. I have to think that Mom had something to do with the tree falling just the way it needed to so the truck would be spared. Once again very lucky and appreciative, especially for the friends who showed up with their chainsaws and manpower to help get the driveway cleared. Thank you so much once again, Jason, Stewart and Michael.

Here's a short Facebook video clip I posted yesterday. I realize these are just old trucks to most people, but this one means the world to me. I can't look at or even think about this truck without also thinking of Mom, which is why this project has always been dedicated to her memory, and why you hear the emotion at the end.



Can't express how relieved I am to still have a reason for readers to keep stopping by. Thanks, as always. See y'all down the road!


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Saturday, August 5, 2017

Dream Prep Rolls On

The rain falls as I type at 6am, thankful that I got the lawn done last evening but hoping it stops so I can get out in the driveway and spend the day working on the S10. Today's goal is to get the rear portion of the chassis sandblasted and ready for paint. If time allows I'll also pull the hood and front fenders for access to the front part of the frame, and use a heavy canvas tarp to keep the engine covered. The cab will stay in place, probably until the truck goes down the road to Custom Conversions here in New Milford (CT) for the body swap. We'll finish the chassis cleanup there and the remaining S10 body parts, which are in very good shape (the 26 year old truck was obviously well taken care of) will be sold off.


Two trucks in the driveway will be one before long...


One week from today we'll gather on the family farm in New Matamoras, Ohio for our 49th reunion. For readers who may not be familiar with the story, the goal is to drive this thing coast to coast next summer and roll in to our 50th reunion next August, returning the truck to the place I saw it for the very first time as a teenager in 1981, in loving tribute to Mom, Dad and all those family members who have passed on but are surely always there with us in spirit.


1st reunion, August 1969 - Yours truly second from left, front row


Please see the various links to the full story on the right side of the page here. If you are so inclined to help this overgrown boy live the dream, I would be truly grateful. Thanks as always for stopping by. See y'all down the road!


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