Milestone for ‘Old Red’

Fule for Thought

 

We’ve just hit a milestone in the Fule family. Most of you, who know us, know “Old Red.” Old Red is our 1996 Ford Windstar. We bought it here back when there was a different Ford dealership at the present one’s location.  

Old Red hauled around a lot of kids over the years, to all sorts of sporting and social affairs. In fact, it’s kind of scary to realize just how many people know me in “Old Red.”  

It’s pretty much impossible to park anywhere, without people knowing where I am! Well, the old timer is about to be let go. His speedometer just quit working, his brakes are weak, he needs new tires, and he’s got 285,000 km on him. He’s been amazing, and we’ve only had one major repair bill. However, the electrical system is falling apart, and not all the doors and windows work!

“Old Red” had one of the first portable VCR units built into a middle console. In fact, after buying him, we had to drive him to Airdrie to get that installed. All the trips and all the movies eventually caused that VCR to kick the bucket, and we moved on to a DVD player. Old Red just kept on “truckin.” 

He’s driven us all over the place, to Vancouver and back a few times, and once he took us up “Going to the Sun” Highway in the States. I believe I was a bit panicky on that road, with its huge drop-offs and cliffs, and I re-discovered the power of “Prayer!”  

We’ve been through blistering sun, rain and hydro-plaining, kids spilling all sorts of concoctions, snowy blizzards, and the family dog, for the last 13 years! 

In fact, it’s the perfect van for the dog, because it has a tall middle console, where he’s loved to sit and watch traffic, for years. All you have to say to our dog, is: “car ride,” and he goes crazy, ready for cruisin’! Brodie’s always been a good dog on rides … he can go for hours with no problems. It is a bit embarrassing when he scratches at the passenger door window whenever a motorcycle goes by, though. For some reason, he’s always been fascinated by motorbikes, and he has to try and get their attention! Maybe he’s trying to catch a ride … I think he’d have been an excellent motorcycle dog, you know, the ones who actually wear goggles?!

Another reason Old Red is perfect for our brown and white dog/human, is that the van runs with the ignition key out of the steering column. So, on hot days, if I have to run into a store, I can take out the key, and he’s in cool, frosty comfort. In fact, there have been a few times when I’ve seen people walk toward Old Red thinking Brodie’s in heat distress! However, when they get closer and can hear Old Red whirring, wheezing, and its fan blowing, they realize Brodie’s actually cooler than they are! I’ll flop into the van sweating, to be greeted by the coolest dog in Strathmore, his fur and ears blowing in the chilled AC! In 17 years, we’ve never had to do anything to the AC system, it’s as if Old Red is keeping that system running for his furry pal!

When you think about it, a family vehicle is where you spend a great many hours with your kids. Old Red has seen us at our best and happiest. He’s driven us to funerals as we say goodbye to friends or family. He’s been borrowed for birthday parties, for a son at university where some weird neighbour took a bat to his front fender! He’s protected us with his seat belts, dual air bags, ABS breaks, and once his “oh so nimble” steering, helped me dodge a huge evergreen tree that fell off a landscaping truck, right in front of us! He’s even tried hard to be a truck for me, as I loaded him up with bags of dirt, shrubs, and fertilizer. He’s hauled lumber, garbage, and recycling … he’s been a “boss!”

This last weekend, the Fules bought a slightly used truck. I haven’t broken the news to Red yet, but he’s no dummy. In a few days, he’ll see the newer truck, and even though it’s also a Ford, he’s going to be sad. He’s going to know.  He’ll put two and two together in his mini van brain, and realize that we can’t keep all these vehicles. Oh sure, we’ll all be brave, and Red will carry on somehow, in some form. Maybe he’ll be “parted out,” or maybe a kind soul will fix him up a bit for his “golden years!”

There are a lot of young people who snowboard … he’d be an awesome snowboard carrier … and they could have a video player to play their recorded jumps and crashes! If none of that happens, I’m going to try and find him a nice farm, where he can drive around with all the other old Ford Windstars! Yeah, he’d like that.

 

 

(“Fule for Thought” is a slice of life humourous column that appears in the Strathmore Times, written by long-time resident, town councillor, high school teacher, coach, husband and father of two – Pat Fule. If you would like to get in touch with Pat, you can send him an e-mail at Pat.fule@shaw.ca)