Dad: Unedited IX

(After reading this, you may wonder about Dad's license plates.  Each one is a different type of registration:  Passenger, Commercial, Motor Home, Trailer, and Antique.  He's so clever.  Enjoy!  -- Tracy)

Tracy and Lew left for choir practice a while ago and I was reminded to do the guest blog for tonight.  I must admit I knew about it as I write every Wednesday.  I thought about it a couple of times today but Tracy's reminder gave me a jolt.

My tonight's topic is the purchase of and the first trip in the 1939 Bantam which still lives in my trailer 65 years later.

The year was 1945 (give or take a year or 2).  Times were good.  Dad's store was doing well and his Yankee trader persona was thriving.  It was summertime.

One day Dad stood in front of the store (maybe looking for another rabid animal to kill) as a small green/white automobile drove by him.  Dad, always looking for something new, yelled out to the driver:  "What will you take for it?"  The driver smiled, waved and continued on.

The following Saturday the guy returned.  My dad bought the car from him.  What he paid I never found out.  Why I never asked Dad the price is a mystery to me.

At the purchase time our family was at the cottage in Old Orchard Beach, Maine (about 30 miles from our hometown of Sanford).  We stayed there every summer.

Dad decided to driver the little car to OOB that night.  Dad has a history of embellishing stories so I'm not sure the following happened.  Dad stood by his story until the day he passed away.

When Dad reached Biddeford he had to travel on U.S. Route 1.  As he approached a stop light (at the bottom of a rather long hill), he noticed he was directly behind a large Greyhound bus.  As he was waiting at the light he claims he heard the air brakes of a vehicle behind him.  He claims it was another Greyhound.  There he was between two Greyhounds in a very small auto that is about as high as the top of the wheels of the buses.

True story or not?  I do not know.

We were all excited upon seeing the Bantam.  I painted the car with a brush once.  I blew up the engine also.  In 1997 we had the car restored so it is now presentable.  We have travelled as far as Missouri with it for two shows, as well as going to several other national meets.  Of course it travels in an enclosed trailer.

I might add that we have the following vehicles licensed to travel:
1.  Auto
2.  Pickup Truck
3.  Motor home (new addition)
4.  Trailer
5.  Bantam

All license plates read "BANTAM."

So if you see any vehicle from Maine with "BANTAM" on the plate -- give a wave and a honk.

Catch you next week.

Toodle Pip --  Derf

(Postscript:  Tracy here.  I am including a picture of the car, of course!  My sister Kim is driving, and Mom is her passenger.  Photo taken Summer 2008.)