I can’t remember my phone number, my SSI number, heck, I can’t even remember my age, but, by golly, I can remember the license plate of my Grandmother’s 1960’s Volkswagen Beetle. I had no idea at the time, how cool it was that my Grandmother drove such a car. One December day, when I was in the fifth grade, she picked me up from school in that car, and promptly pulled over before we arrived home to have a talk with me. I thought I was in trouble because she started with the words "Karen, I’m worried". I won’t say what she said to me because some of you may still believe in Santa Claus and I do too! But that was what was worrying her. At least, I wasn’t in trouble. We then drove through Kentucky Fried Chicken, one of our favorite Grandma/granddaughter things to do. I loved that car. It was tan in color and she let me drive it once or twice before she turned it in during the 70’s for a more Grandmotherish & forgettable Ford sedan with an equally forgettable license plate.
Before that V-dub bug she had an early 60’s, powder blue, Ford Falcon that I also loved. We drove around town (which was Sierra Madre, California – a California version of Mitford for all you Jan Karon Fans) I rode not on the seat, but laying on the back windowsill, not exactly safe but, oh so, wonderful and fun for five year old me. In the 90’s, when my hubby was searching for a used car for me & I let it be known that I wanted a 1963 Ford Falcon, remembering that charmed time with Grandmother, that’s exactly what he found for me. My Falcon was cherry red instead of powder blue and, alas, I could no longer fit into the back windowsill (besides it is hard to drive from back there) but I LOVED THAT CAR and wept when we sold it. I sulked for days. People were complimenting me on my new, NEW, car (the only NEW car I’ve ever had) &, a new BMW at that! How stupid did I appear, as I pined away for a 1963 Falcon with an ultimate driving machine in my garage? Very stupid, I know. I kept it to myself as much as possible.
These days I’m driving a 1998 used Ford Expedition, with over 200,000 miles on it and it has jumped to the top of my all-time favorite car list. I absolutely, positively adore that big rig. It has a sun and moon roof, a six c.d. changer in the center console and everything I could ever need or want in a vehicle. It is a cup holder on wheels, among other things. The only thing is I have no idea what my license plate is…I’m considering a vanity plate and, you guessed it, WJP098 seems to be the plate I can remember…
