Bluebonnet time in Texas

Spring is here officially and this is the time of year when God graces us with bluebonnets.

What’s better than an old truck and a field of wildflowers?

Classic Cars

Yesterday was Motorhead Sunday at our church; two of our church members showed their cars alongside the ones from the classic car club, the chaplain of the car club preached, their quartet sang, then we had a bar-b-que dinner on the grounds.

It was a fine October day spent with excellent company!

Buick Riviera

1930 something Ford

This owner has a sense of humor.  They tow a trailer made to look like a classic car.  Access is through the hood, and a photo of a cat is in the window.

1959 Chevrolet.  What a beauty!

Incredible leg room back then,

and a clear view all the way around.

 

1931 Ford Pickup

Towards the far left center (as you enter through the front door) at the LoneStar Antique Mall, there sits a beautiful example of American engineering – an 1931 Ford pickup truck.

It’s displayed with some vintage looking Mobil oil signs, oil cans, etc.

Remember when they were called “service stations” and they really were full service?

“Check your oil for you?” the uniformed man would say as he was cleaning the windshield.

Sigh.

I digress. You can go here for the Wikipedia article on the 1927-1931 Ford Model A.

Because of so many other items surrounding it, I couldn’t get a good photograph of the whole truck.

If you can’t go to the LoneStar Antique Mall in Haltom City, Texas, you can go here to see a nicely restored one.

This vehicle is on my fantasy wish list.

Oddity

Yesterday Joe saw a Rolls Royce pulling into the gas station at Wal-Mart. He said the car was one of the vintage ones with the fancy grill on the front.

That’s Texas for you.

Eccentric millionaire? Chauffeur? Thrifty person who can afford a hand-built automobile after a lifetime of conserving money?

Obviously, not a snob.

Boy, would I like to know the rest of that story!

1963 Riviera

Every time we see a vintage Riviera, my husband always thinks about his Aunt Betty, who drove one out in Orange County, California.

No one in my neighborhood even owned a Buick.

The above photo is taken from the June 18, 1963 issue of LOOK magazine.

The magazine cost .25.

The car’s base price was $4,333 and with options ran up to $5,000 according to the Wikipedia article, which has some nice photos and the history of the car.

The average salary was $5,807 that year. Can you imagine buying a car that equaled your income?

For a list of other interesting facts and price about 1963, as well as a cool youtube video of Johnny Cash singing “Ring of Fire”, go here.

Vintage Pickup Trucks

1933 International Model D-1 truck

1946 Dodge truck

1950 Chevrolet pickup truck

1958 Ford Styleside truck

1968 Dodge Adventurer truck

Bucket seats, 1 383-cubic-inch V-8, and “car-type air conditioning”

1978 GMC

“Civilized in town as a car”

I apologize for the low quality of the pictures when enlarged. Even scanning them at the highest level didn’t help much.

Items from this post are from American Heritage magazine, November 1996.

Mobile Home

Isn’t this the cutest thing?

My sister and I were on our way to Sparks Fly Studio in Skiatook when I spotted this little house on the road last May. Fran very kindly pulled over so I could get the photos.

Main Street, Skiatook, Oklahoma

It would’ve been great to have talked to the guy and gotten the story: what was it built for, where did he get it, what was he going to do with it?