Tuesday, January 16, 2007

The C's


Corvettes

What can one said about America's favorite sports car, that hasn't been said before? Plenty.

If you haven't been fortunate enough to own one or even just ride on one, get to it before some self aggrandizing politician decides to terminate them.

My love affair with this vehicle came on a spring afternoon, when I was just a little kid of maybe 6 years old. One of my uncles had a shiny red and white 1958, he took me for a ride on those glorious southern roads. You know the kind, the ones where the trees line the streets on both sides and meet high on the middle.

I remember feeling like I could fly. Those were the days before sit belts were "mandatory" and I could actually stand on the tight bucket seat, and extend my arms in the air.

I can still feel the warm wind on my face and making a mess of my uncle's hair.

That very same Christmas I got a model of a '63 white split window. It was like a trophy. My cousins and little friends wanted to play with it but there was no way I was going to let them. Playing with that car, holding it, looking at it, made me visualize my goal and I swore then that someday I would have my very own Corvette.

Many sunrises came and went, I grew up, I got to see my uncle's car traded for a more "sensible" family car. I remember seeing his face fighting tears as his precious baby was being driven away. I also felt a sense of loss when that happened.

Many more moons went by and I was still not getting close to owning my own Vette. I was reading every magazine that featured a Corvette, scheming and planning on how to get one. Finally in 1990 I was able to make that dream come true.

Driving home one Sunday night with some friends, we came upon a small little town in Colorado. In a corner gas station there was a covered car. I knew somehow, that it was a Vette. I got to take a peek and it was gorgeous. A 1982 Eckler's edition (ground effects), two tone, white-silver Corvette!!!

The car wasn't for sale. But as my grandma used to say "You'll never know, until you ask". Well, next morning I called the gas station, got in touch with the owner and as fate would have it, he was also pressed to get a more "sensible" family car. It brought back memories.

A few days later my dream was in my driveway. I finally had a CORVETTE!

Wow, I guess what they said, about visualizing, dreaming and striving for it does make dreams come true.