20 years ago today

I have a tendency to hang on to things. Goodwill has been quite the beneficiary of late due to this habit. However, there is one thing I do not regret buying, as it has been an integral part of my life all these years.



Me and Blue, when we were young and full of ourselves. When I first bought her (yes, it's a "her"), there was no such thing as an SUV. It was rated a commercial truck and I had to pay weight fees. I found I loved off-roading, and she's seen her share of mud. This was back in the day when a 4x4 AND a stick shift might be too much for a girl to handle. Well, it was handled very well.

I've driven through urban floods.

I've towed a Cadillac out of Monument Valley.

I've been on the fire roads in the hills above Monterey.

We went face to face with a Buffalo in Yellowstone Valley. The Buffalo was almost as tall as the car.

I've been to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.

I've spun out in a down pour on an oil slick off ramp.

I've gone ice skating on black ice in a snow storm.

I've had two blowouts - driver side rear tire in 1992, passenger side rear tire 2006. Both on Interstate 5 going home to Northern California.

I brought my precious girl, Heidi, home in this car. I took her and Fen to their final rest in it as well.

I brought my Dad home after hip replacement surgery. He had an easier time stepping up into the car as opposed to sitting down in his.

I moved all my stuff from South to North, either towing a trailer or filling her to the brim (she can hold a lot).

I have had 2 speeding tickets - 1990 going downhill on I40 on the Navajo Reservation, 1993 on the I5 going home. My top speed has been 90 - and that was quite a few years ago.

I have been rear-ended 6 times - 5 women, 1 man, all sedans, all had damage to their hoods or grills. A trailer hitch can do a lot of damage.

I have hit no one. I did hit a brick post. Parked in that same space for over 2 years and one day I came at it too fast and took a bad bump off the rain water diverter. Had to remove the end cap from the bumper because I couldn't turn the front tire to the left. That happened in 2005.

She has no air conditioning. Didn't need it living in Orange County. Can't say the same for Diablo Valley.

I can still remember the days when I could come out of a store and see the top above all the other cars. Haven't been able to do that for years.

She still has the tightest turning radius of any car I have driven.

There is nothing like taking her down Lombard Street. It feels like you are going to fall out the front window. Scares the crap out of anyone sitting in the front seat!

I guess it just comes down to all that I have seen and done, all the places I have been, all the experiences I have had from the seat of that vehicle. And when people see her, they know it's me, because she is one of a kind. We're one of a kind. I love my Blue. The joke around here is that I'll probably be buried in her!

Happy Anniversary, Blue!