Today, Friday, as I was taking my walk at work on my lunch break I watched a dad and his daughter in the parking lot in what looked like an old Buick of some type. The dad was giving his daughter driving lessons. She was doing fairly well too I might add, but she seemed really nervous. I was a little nervous myself as my car was parked in this lot. It took me back in time to when I learned to drive; however, my dad was not the one who taught me to drive. My dad was in no hurry to teach me to drive in as he really didn't believe woman needed to or should drive. He's come a long way over the years since then. He sort of had no choice seeing as how his only daughter was somewhat of an independent soul. He probably would have eventually taught me to drive, but my brother stepped in to do the job before he could. I remember the car my brother had. It was so funny how I had joked him when he went looking for his first car that he would get a rusted out old junker to drive. He sort of did. He had a 1975 Mercury Comet. It was yellow and actually in decent shape except for the back fenders which were pretty much rusted out. I loved that car. It was a beater car, but I loved it just the same. My brother took me out on an old country road and we would just drive. Eventually he sold that car and got a 1979 Oldsmobile Omega. It was blue and was a really nice car. I liked it but not as much as I did that Comet. My brother was a trooper though and kept giving me lessons until one day I was ready to go get my drivers licence. I remember that day so well. First let me start by telling you that my brothers Olds had an issue with dying if you cut the wheel too hard. On the morning my brother and I drove to Ossian we made sure we were there right as they opened. I remember I was the first one going out. I had missed one question on my written test. All that was left to do was to pass the driving test. The lady got in and inspected the car. She told me that she had not had her morning coffee yet and that we would need to get this done so she could get back and get her coffee. At that time there was only one red light and about three or four stop signs in Ossian. I had been down there and practiced the driving route a few times. I was not very good at parallel parking though and was not looking forward to that part. Finally she found a spot with a car and asked me to parallel park behind it. I pulled up to the front door of the car that would be in front. Just as I had rehearsed over and over at a park in Waynedale between logs. Every time I would cut the wheel to try to get parked behind this car though the engine would die. I tried over and over and each time it died. Finally the woman got out and told me to scoot over. I did as I was instructed. She got in and expertly parallel parked my brothers car behind the one she wanted. She looked at me and asked me if I thought I could do that. I nodded. She goes OK lets go on to the next point. When we got back to the licence branch she marked my score as a hundred percent. She put I had passed with flying colors. All I remember is her mumbling something as we got back about finally being able to get her coffee. I am thankful to my brother for teaching me to drive and I am thankful that I still have the memories to cherish. So for me watching that dad and daughter practicing driving today took me back in time for a little while. Back to a more innocent time when my brother first taught me to drive. So for a while tonight you might say I took a drive down memory lane.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Driving Down Memory Lane.
Today, Friday, as I was taking my walk at work on my lunch break I watched a dad and his daughter in the parking lot in what looked like an old Buick of some type. The dad was giving his daughter driving lessons. She was doing fairly well too I might add, but she seemed really nervous. I was a little nervous myself as my car was parked in this lot. It took me back in time to when I learned to drive; however, my dad was not the one who taught me to drive. My dad was in no hurry to teach me to drive in as he really didn't believe woman needed to or should drive. He's come a long way over the years since then. He sort of had no choice seeing as how his only daughter was somewhat of an independent soul. He probably would have eventually taught me to drive, but my brother stepped in to do the job before he could. I remember the car my brother had. It was so funny how I had joked him when he went looking for his first car that he would get a rusted out old junker to drive. He sort of did. He had a 1975 Mercury Comet. It was yellow and actually in decent shape except for the back fenders which were pretty much rusted out. I loved that car. It was a beater car, but I loved it just the same. My brother took me out on an old country road and we would just drive. Eventually he sold that car and got a 1979 Oldsmobile Omega. It was blue and was a really nice car. I liked it but not as much as I did that Comet. My brother was a trooper though and kept giving me lessons until one day I was ready to go get my drivers licence. I remember that day so well. First let me start by telling you that my brothers Olds had an issue with dying if you cut the wheel too hard. On the morning my brother and I drove to Ossian we made sure we were there right as they opened. I remember I was the first one going out. I had missed one question on my written test. All that was left to do was to pass the driving test. The lady got in and inspected the car. She told me that she had not had her morning coffee yet and that we would need to get this done so she could get back and get her coffee. At that time there was only one red light and about three or four stop signs in Ossian. I had been down there and practiced the driving route a few times. I was not very good at parallel parking though and was not looking forward to that part. Finally she found a spot with a car and asked me to parallel park behind it. I pulled up to the front door of the car that would be in front. Just as I had rehearsed over and over at a park in Waynedale between logs. Every time I would cut the wheel to try to get parked behind this car though the engine would die. I tried over and over and each time it died. Finally the woman got out and told me to scoot over. I did as I was instructed. She got in and expertly parallel parked my brothers car behind the one she wanted. She looked at me and asked me if I thought I could do that. I nodded. She goes OK lets go on to the next point. When we got back to the licence branch she marked my score as a hundred percent. She put I had passed with flying colors. All I remember is her mumbling something as we got back about finally being able to get her coffee. I am thankful to my brother for teaching me to drive and I am thankful that I still have the memories to cherish. So for me watching that dad and daughter practicing driving today took me back in time for a little while. Back to a more innocent time when my brother first taught me to drive. So for a while tonight you might say I took a drive down memory lane.
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wow....i still dont paral park under any conditions. even in stuttgart germany. i would park at the cemetary down the hill and walk about a block up the hill. the germans laughed at me. i was freaked out to move a car on an inclined parralled parked butt to butt. my ex had to do his job and move the car. he parked it he moved it. i dont know of a place to teach the parking percedure to my kid. wow. we still need to learn how to use the brake better. and trust me we are all scared behind the wheel when she is sitting there.
i personally have never had an on the road test yet. and i will never look forward to that in my life.
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