Shiftless
Well-Known Member
So here I am just a tick over 3 weeks away from being retired for 15 years!
I thought I would share this event that happened to me and others here last Friday.
On Friday I usually join a local Hot Rod group and meet up at a buddies house, talk a little on watz happnin, then fire up and go lunch somewhere. Stay at Home has crushed that event for weeks now. Usually 1930’s, 40’s, 50’s and 60’s cars of all different set ups and or all original patina rides show up. I would say 300 to 700 HP is the range of most. It has grown to bring generally 15 to 22 for lunch each time. All together 45 to 50 of us. Youngest is a semi retired 37 year old with the oldest of us who is now 84 and still races (hires a driver) but almost does all the work on his cars!!
Friday comes!
We are all jazzed as 30 car’s show up. We are meeting up because we have cancelled the last month of Hot Rod Friday’s and have decided to go cruise the area we live in so we can rattle windows and give all the “Stay at Homer’s” a little eye candy, and some serious thumpin! Yes, believe it or not we had to counsel a few 70 + year old punks not to do crazy burnouts at least on this day!!! As we started this idea, one of the wife's got in on it, took control off the route,and made a special arrangement that would just BLOW ALL OF US AWAY! We meet up and everyone gets the route which is a follow the leader type thing. Our friend's wife sets up on the local Facebook page”What, Where and When” we would be driving by their streets if they wanted to watch.
Starting out we are greeted by families on lawns, families on corners, waving holding signs like “Thanks for something different” was one of them. Chalk signs on corners thanking us for including them. It was VERY COOL! It goes on like this for an hour plus driving thru the local neighborhoods.
BUT THIS BLEW ALL OF US AWAY!
One of the Gal’s got us into a multi level care retirement home that handles everything retiree's could ask for to final stages of life care. You can have a home with a garage all the way to a full on Alzheimer wing at your disposal living here.
We were told we could cruise thru the place, just can’t stop and get out of your car. We pull in and there are signs everywhere you “CAN NOT” come on property “NO MATTER” who you are including Family! These people have been on lock down for over 40 days! No Friends, No Family, they get to see “NO ONE” but masked care givers in all areas. They stood resident’s outside their homes, apartments, stood on sidewalks, looked out of large panes of glass from buildings and in wheelchairs to watch us drive by while caretakers held or steadied the people. All clapping, waving and shouting their best shout they had!
The response was extremely humbling! We may be retired, but for some of us this is in our future! If that becomes my end days? I sure hope something similar to this brightens a day for me too! The last guy I see is a 92 year old, old time hot rodder I have not seen in over 15 plus years (thought he moved away) and here he is barely holding his thumb up the best he can while he is pumping his hand thumbs up with all his vigor left in his 92 year old limb. As I looked into his eyes and I wave my hand back at him I realized that this little cruise thru the Valley has meant the world to him, others and I get lucky to also be part of this! This was way more than I ever expected!
If you get a chance to do something similar hope you join in!
I thought I would share this event that happened to me and others here last Friday.
On Friday I usually join a local Hot Rod group and meet up at a buddies house, talk a little on watz happnin, then fire up and go lunch somewhere. Stay at Home has crushed that event for weeks now. Usually 1930’s, 40’s, 50’s and 60’s cars of all different set ups and or all original patina rides show up. I would say 300 to 700 HP is the range of most. It has grown to bring generally 15 to 22 for lunch each time. All together 45 to 50 of us. Youngest is a semi retired 37 year old with the oldest of us who is now 84 and still races (hires a driver) but almost does all the work on his cars!!
Friday comes!
We are all jazzed as 30 car’s show up. We are meeting up because we have cancelled the last month of Hot Rod Friday’s and have decided to go cruise the area we live in so we can rattle windows and give all the “Stay at Homer’s” a little eye candy, and some serious thumpin! Yes, believe it or not we had to counsel a few 70 + year old punks not to do crazy burnouts at least on this day!!! As we started this idea, one of the wife's got in on it, took control off the route,and made a special arrangement that would just BLOW ALL OF US AWAY! We meet up and everyone gets the route which is a follow the leader type thing. Our friend's wife sets up on the local Facebook page”What, Where and When” we would be driving by their streets if they wanted to watch.
Starting out we are greeted by families on lawns, families on corners, waving holding signs like “Thanks for something different” was one of them. Chalk signs on corners thanking us for including them. It was VERY COOL! It goes on like this for an hour plus driving thru the local neighborhoods.
BUT THIS BLEW ALL OF US AWAY!
One of the Gal’s got us into a multi level care retirement home that handles everything retiree's could ask for to final stages of life care. You can have a home with a garage all the way to a full on Alzheimer wing at your disposal living here.
We were told we could cruise thru the place, just can’t stop and get out of your car. We pull in and there are signs everywhere you “CAN NOT” come on property “NO MATTER” who you are including Family! These people have been on lock down for over 40 days! No Friends, No Family, they get to see “NO ONE” but masked care givers in all areas. They stood resident’s outside their homes, apartments, stood on sidewalks, looked out of large panes of glass from buildings and in wheelchairs to watch us drive by while caretakers held or steadied the people. All clapping, waving and shouting their best shout they had!
The response was extremely humbling! We may be retired, but for some of us this is in our future! If that becomes my end days? I sure hope something similar to this brightens a day for me too! The last guy I see is a 92 year old, old time hot rodder I have not seen in over 15 plus years (thought he moved away) and here he is barely holding his thumb up the best he can while he is pumping his hand thumbs up with all his vigor left in his 92 year old limb. As I looked into his eyes and I wave my hand back at him I realized that this little cruise thru the Valley has meant the world to him, others and I get lucky to also be part of this! This was way more than I ever expected!
If you get a chance to do something similar hope you join in!
