I See Dead People

First, some background: Older Daughter asked me to try to find pictures of Jeeps, specifically ones with her late father who owned too many several of them. (As Yoda said, "There is no try...") Little Guy adores Jeeps and identifies them easily as they're driving down their busy street. My daughter, who knows nothing about vehicles (nor cares), has learned that a child's passions somehow become your own, whether it's diggers, geese, construction sites, etc. Consequently, as most of you realize, in delving into old pictures, one album led to another, and one photo to many more. 

I used to call this (late) dog Mrs. F. since she loved to ride shotgun in whichever vehicle my husband was driving. Kiwi was a mix of Blue Heeler, Australian Shepherd and Dingo. He was probably the smartest dog we ever owned, but oh, my, was he naughty!

There were many reasons why I didn't enjoy jeeping, like dirt and mud everywhere.

I hated getting stuck although many of the other guys had winches. But look at what I had to step down into. 

Beach driving wasn't so bad, right? Unless someone buried the axle in the sand. The guys liked to problem solve these self-inflicted issues whereas I was usually ready for another coffee or a bathroom by that time. :)

The snow was much cleaner than the mud or sand, but taking the Jeep up those steep, slippery, high logging roads was terrifying for me. And it was COLD! 

Looking for Jeep photos, I encountered several shots of one of my late brothers. His natural Afro was quite something; other than that abundant hair he looked so much like my much younger (bald) brother and my late father. 

I also discovered this old picture of my parents. I do think I resemble my dad much more than people think. 

Although he's not dead to my knowledge, the relationship certainly is! This is my first boyfriend and fiancé, Tony. I have many fond memories of going out, skiing and having fun experiences, although the engagement ended very badly. We both later married and had children and successful careers; our two years together remain distant and thankfully hazy. 

My first car was this 1974 Celica which I dearly loved. However, it was a manual transmission, and I didn't know how to drive one. Tony had to teach me, and let's just say, I wasn't the nicest or most patient of pupils. (same for the ski lessons he gave me) The photo is from 1980 and the car, in spite of numerous washings, is covered with Mt Saint Helens ash. After sending a multitude of Jeep and other pictures to Older Daughter, we remarked upon the history of the eruption. We decided that anti-science Harry Truman who died on the mountain because he didn't believe that it would erupt should NOT be so famous. Instead the true hero was David Johnston, a young volcanologist, who also died on May 18, 1980 because he was monitoring the volcano. "Vancouver, Vancouver! This is it!" Although it was controversial and people (the same stupid ones as now probably) pushed back, geologists like David got the area around St. Helens closed, thus saving thousands of lives. Let's not get me started on how ignorant some people are regarding science and how self-centered and heedless they can be. Although this post revolves around dead people/dogs/relationships, I don't want it to be too much of a downer. 

Comments

[Jenni Elyse]

Reading about the Mount St. Helens eruption and Harry Truman who refused to leave because he didn't think the volcano would erupt made me think of Dante's Peak, lol. I, of course, knew about the eruption in 1980, but I was only 2 when it happened and I didn't know this Harry Truman person was famous for dying on the mountain because he didn't leave. I looked it up and Dante's Peak was based on the Mount St. Helens eruption.

[Anne@HeadFullofBooks]

What an emotional walk through memories with assists from cars. Have you ever tried to find your X on Facebook, just to look at current photos. I've checked out my old beau. He is married to a lovely woman so I hope he is happy.

[AC]

I remember the eruption but I don’t remember HT.

[Jay]

My husband is friends with a scientist on the mountain when it erupted. He took one of the famous sequence of shots showing the side blowing out. Story is he was answering nature's call and everyone else in their group was scrambling into cars, which he did as well a few seconds later, snapping frames as he left.

[Debbie]

What great photos! I never took enough pictures and the ones I had mysteriously disappeared from their storage place in an old chest my mom had- along with some other things. Seeing yours was like a trip back in time for me. The cars, the clothes, the hair, the mustaches...

[Susan]

I love trips down memory lane and this post was most enjoyable. The big hair. Riding wild in jeeps or motorcycles. Old boyfriends. Good times and mostly good memories.

[Joanne Noragon]

Not a downer, David Johnston excluded. Your brother was a handsome fellow, so was your ex. As for the jeep, I remember some frightening dirt bike rides.

[Maureen]

Lovely pictures, especially of your parents. The past can be such a comforting place to visit, and only occasionally cringe inducing.

[Ed]

I had to do a google search to learn about Harry R Truman and not Harry S Truman whom I was pretty sure didn’t die on any mountain.

[Arkansas Patti]

Pictures really can take us on a memory trip. Can see why you aren't fond of Jeeps as they took you where you had no desire to go.
I think you do favor your Dad.
Harry Truman was a memory jog for me. I had almost forgotten about him and David Johnson. One a fool and one a hero.

[Doug M]

That's a great picture of your brother, Margaret. Very handsome and love that hair! I know it's difficult for you to talk about your brothers, but I'm glad you shared. 🙂

[kayak woman]

Late comment... We only had one Jeep Wrangler (1992 and lived for at least 17 years). I would not have enjoyed the winching or slippery high logging roads. We have plenty of logging roads in the Great Lake State and they get slippery but most of them are pretty flat. Our Jeep's claim to fame was teaching underage kids how to drive stick on an abandoned air base in the yoooperland.

Saw that you landed! Have a great time! No snow this time :-)

[kayak woman]

P.S. I soooo remember the St. Helen's eruption! And Harry Truman.

[Zazzy]

I remember the first time I read this post - was it only a week ago? - I immediately wanted to offer you a picture of my jeep and a bunny but then, as I read, realized that these jeeps were full of your memories. What a trip down memory lane, even back to Mt. St. Helens and the ash that probably was permanent on that car and the similarities of people not wanting to believe the science. Thank goodness science won out on that occasion and saved thousands of lives.

I think you look a lot like your mother but then, I'd need to have side by side pictures.

[Tonya Watkins]

I looked at the Jeep photos with a bit of PTSD. My first boyfriend had a (very nice) Jeep and I'd accompany him on his Jeep Club adventures. So much muck and mud. So much getting stuck (he did have a winch). There were aspects that were pretty fun, but I absolutely HATED the CB radios. Constant static, constant stupid talk, just eye-rolling. I have never missed it for a minute.