The wind in my hair

Super Cool Totally Awesome 1964 Ford Falcon

So it's that time of year.

Open windows time.

The time of the year when the sun is out enough to make your car hot, but it's still cool enough that if you roll all your windows down it's sufficient to cool everything off.

There is a small window of this opportunity here in Utah, as it goes from average temps of 60 F to average temps of 80-90 F in a matter of weeks. There's no easing into summer here! Nuh-uh! No way! (I hate it, it's too hot, I'm Canadian)

I love driving with all my windows down because it reminds me of the days that I used to be able to drive with the top down.

A thousand years ago, when I was fifteen and preparing to have a driver's license and dreaming of what kind of car I would like to have, I thought I would like to have a 1960's white convertible. Being as rich as the Simpson's (yes, the cartoon), we didn't have the money for me to have my own car, so I could dream as big as I wanted to.

Red is my favourite colour, but I always liked the look of a white car. I thought it was really classy. I wanted a convertible because they are so awesome. I chose the sixties because that was the best decade in the world. (give me a break, it was 1986, and I was fifteen).

So when I was about 19 or so, I was in the London Drugs parking lot when I saw this BEAUTIFUL white '60's convertible drive up. I stood aghast, in awe. IT. WAS. MY. DREAM. CAR!! While I was gawking, I realized that my friend was driving the car. I ran up to the car, yelling to my friend.

"Where did you get this car? Is this yours?" A guy he worked with that was retiring was getting rid of it and he scooped it up, and yes, it was his. It was a 1964 Ford Falcon - white with red interior. I was deep dark forest hunter green with envy as he was driving the perfect car for me.

At the time I was driving a steel blue 1972 Volvo.

A year later, I was driving up the hill on my way home from work and I saw the car on the side of the road with a "For Sale" sign on it. I sped home and immediately called the owner and told him not to sell the car to anyone else as I was going to buy it. It needed new rings, so the engine was going to have to be taken apart and thus was a very expensive repair, but I didn't care. I. WANTED. THAT. CAR.

I talked to my dad and convinced him to co-sign on a loan, and told Heavenly Father that if He would provide a way for me to have this car, I would sell it to go on a mission.

Yee Haw!! Heavenly Father said yes and so did my dad and I bought the car. I put as much money into fixing it as I did to purchase it, but OH THE TIMES we had in that car!

The trips to the drive-in where we had to bring a boom box in order to hear the sound because the radio didn't work, and we would sit on the hood and lean up against the windscreen and watch the movie.

Cruising Marine Drive in White Rock with my sister. One time we were going so slow that some guys walking by that Mrs. Bowie was flirting with decided to jump in the car and ride with us for awhile.

The tan I had because any time it wasn't raining I had the top down.

The time my muffler fell off and my cousin Craig helped me tie it back on only to have it fall off on the other end, so we put it in the trunk, and then I deafened him when we drove through the Massey Tunnel.

The ease I had getting across the border because I had this long hair in a ponytail tied up with a scarf, the afore mentioned awesome tan, and I was twenty years old.
Border guard: "This your car?"
Me: "Yep!"
BG: "Going to get gas?"
Me: "You bet!"
BG: "Stay out of trouble!"
Me cruising past and waving: "Thanks, I will!"
It was so sweet.

I could go on and on and on...

The first time I went to Disneyland which was the first year I was married, I saw one in the parking lot on the day that we were leaving. (It had blue interior and was a '65) I ran over to it and hugged it.

This other time, my friend who was working for eBay sent me a link to one that was for sale here in Bountiful. It was red with red interior and in perfect condition. Price? $10,000.00. I emailed her back telling her what a jerk she was and where was I going to get ten thousand dollars because I needed that car.

After the Disneyland hugging incident, my DH assured me that I could have another one some day. I can only dream.

O. My. GOSH. I loved that car.

And yes, I sold it to go on a mission. It was the biggest sacrifice I had made in my life at the time.