20070522

A 1932 Dodge Coupe and Old Man Cole: The Storyteller Remembers

Wife Carole's mom and dad have been married 63 years and lived in the same house for almost 60 years. (Carole says she stood in the same spot at the end of their driveway for 12 years to catch the school bus.) Her dad is a gifted musician and storyteller. He’s done with most of the music, but he still loves to reminisce, and we love to listen. He recalled recently that his first car was a 1932 Dodge Coupe with a big motor and a rumble seat.

"I didn’t have it long," he said. "I remember trying to drive it one time in the snow, but got it hung up, so I had to hitch up the mule and pull it back into the barn."

He said his neighbor, Old Man Cole, asked him for a ride to the market one day.

"It was raining hard," he said, "and the windshield wipers didn’t help. Directly, I came up on a Model A Ford stalled in the middle of the road. Well, before I could get stopped, I ran into the back of it. Both doors of my car flew open and Old Man Cole rolled out onto the runner board and into the road. I remember the ambulance came and took him away. Well, then I worried, but later found out the old man was okay and only had to have a few stitches to his head."