First car I remember?

I don't really remember it at all - but when I was about three my Dad was seconded from the Aussie Army to have a stay with the Canadian guys.
That meant a family trip to the good Ol' US of A, and a road trip.
You see the parents decided that since they were going that far, there was no way they weren't going to see some of the stuff, so we flew into LA - I think. I was only three.

Somewhere along the way we saw Disneyland, The Badlands, the Rocky Mountains, Yellowstone National Park, and a lot of other places I am sure - sorry the detail is a little bit lacking, but I was only three.

We lived somewhere near Ontario for about 18 months - not sure exactly where, but I do know it was cold at least some of the time, and my mum still has the skate the bought for me - although now they wouldn't fit big toe - but at the time I was only three.

I'm not sure where we left from when Dad's time with the Canadians was up - after I was only.... you get the idea!

But I do remember one thing from that time.
The car that Dad and Mum bought for the trip was a Ford Fairlane compact.

That always makes me laugh, because there was 6 of us!
Just the concept of six in a compact is laughable - that's what we did with the little cars that we had in the last year of school - but that is for another day.

The thing that has to be kept in mind here is that we are talking AMERICAN COMPACT - and that has a totally different meaning to anywhere else in the world - especially in those days.

I assume it looked something like this:

But in fact I am not sure - don't even know what colour it was, or what motor it had.
The look feels about right - but what would I know - I was only......

I do remember being told that all six of us ( I am the youngest!) and all our travelling gear fitted into it.

That would be my earliest memory, and the most prominent thing from that is the Fairlane Compact - oh that and the fact that I have been to Disneyland, but can't remember it - as my OLDER sister delights in reminding me!

Have a good one,

Skelli.

She married me for my cars.

I often have said that I should write a book about the cars that I have known, loved, and at times hated, but always chosen with my heart.
I will, over time, list the cars and events that have punctuated my life, and share the stories of my cars.

I am sure that many people have far more interesting stories, but it seems that almost every memory of my life has cars somewhere involved.

Some people are car people, and some are not - you may remember all sorts of other things with your memories, but almost every memory I can think of involves cars in some way.

For instance - I remember the day I asked my wife's Dad if I could marry her.
We picked them up from the airport after they had just been to Bali, and drove them home - the thing is, we came in My wife's mother's 1973 Ford Fairmont (Which was dark purple with a white vinyl roof), and I was already nervous as, with the question that I had to ask that night.
We met them at the airport lounge when they came through the gate, went down to the carousel to get their luggage, which I then carried to the car, opened the boot, put the bags in, then went to hand the keys to my unknowing future Father-in-Law. He said, "No Dave, you drive home. I'm not ready to finish my holiday yet."

So, now I have the nervousness of driving the future in-Laws' car as well as the nervousness I already had.
I have never had a more nerve wracking drive - I was so worried about doing something wrong, somehow breaking the car, or -worst of all - getting some sort of ticket for speeding or something stupid like that.

We got home safely and without event, and after parking the car - also safely - and unloading it, going inside and getting a coffee for everyone, I asked to speak with him privately and asked him if I could marry his only dearly loved daughter. He said yes!

And we have now been married for almost 23 years!
But I will never forget that Purple Fairmont.

(This is not the right colour by the way - when I say purple, I mean a dark rich purply purple!)

Ah the memories.

More to come.

Skellibert.