My Father

Today, I saw my father's old car in Mill Valley, CA.

Well, it wasn't really the EXACT one that he owned.

But, it was just like the one he drove when I was growing up.

It was called a 'Volkswagen THING', and it was boxy, and ORANGE.

My dad got it when my twin sister and I were in private kindergarten, when we went to The Lawrence School.  My dad would drive us back and forth every morning, and when it was carpool day for him, it was lots of fun!  He would take off all the doors and windows, and put down the roof.  He would strap all of us in with the seatbelts, and away we'd fly....in the ORANGE MACHINE!

We'd all love being hauled off to swim team, or various other activities with the wind blowing in our hair.  One time, one of our neighborhood friends spilled an entire gallon jar of caterpillars in the backseat when Daddy was driving.  That was a creepy crawly experience for sure, and Daddy had to pull over so we could scramble to catch all of the slithering furry gross insects.  I'm not sure who did it, but it was either Craig Cain, Cam Morin, or Holly Chichester!  Oh yes, one of you DID TOO!

One time, Daddy was driving us home from kindergarten, and the top was down.  My twin Carson and I had made kites that day in school out of tissue paper and crepe streamers.  They looked like beautiful fish.  Well, as we drove across the Rappahannock River Bridge on the way home, out flew the kites, and we cried and hollered!  Daddy promptly turned around the ORANGE THING, and went back to help retrieve our wayward kites!

Daddy had a mischeivous streak too.  Often when the THING was loaded with the neighborhood kiddos, he'd drive up the BIG HILL that was the entrance to our neighborhood, Argyle Heights.  The THING had a manual shift, so he'd put the car in neutral........and look back at all of us in the back seat with a worried look........and he'd say "Don't worry kids, but I just want to tell you that I think I am having some trouble with the brakes, but everything is going to be OK", and slowly........the car would start rolling BACKWARDS.......and it would pick up steam.......and all of us kids would start SCREAMING BLOODY MURDER!  I can just imagine what the neighbors (especially the MOTHERS) thought, when they saw an ORANGE BLUR go streaking down the hill BACKWARDS....no door, no windows, top down, filled with screaming kids, and my dad smiling coolly in the front seat!  What a rebel!

Another memory is that my dad would sometimes tie sleds or toboggans to the back bumper, and he'd slowly drag us around the snowy and icy streets in our neighborhood during the Virginia winters.

All of those memories came flooding back to me today, when I saw a big VW ORANGE THING parked in Mill Valley, CA this afternoon when I went to go have lunch.  I had to stop the car.........get out..........and snap a picture.  I actually stopped traffic, because it is RARE that you see a VW ORANGE THING these days...especially in mint condition!  I almost had to look for my Dad!  He is no longer with us, but whenever I see a big VW ORANGE THING, I cannot help but think he is somewhere nearby, grinning mischievously, and wanting to go driving all day with the doors and windows off, and the top down.

Here's to you, Daddy.  We all miss you.

Playlist:  "All of Me" by Willie Nelson......one of Daddy's favorite songs.  I know he loved this version, and he also loved the one sung by Louis Armstrong.

VW ORANGE THING

My Daddy