It wasn't always like this - 1949 Buick Fastback Sequence 3
June 30, 2004
I must have really annoyed Bob, because he was nowhere to be seen yesterday, not even in the Bar.
I took it as an opportunity to drivr down to Big River. I had taken some photos on my digital camera of the old Buick and put them onto my laptop. There was no internet link in Bear mountain, so I could'nt email the photos out to Jenny, or anyone else. I thought that I could get a few of them printed if there was a camera store in town, which there was.
They had said that they would have them ready for me today, so I'll have to find a time to go in and get them. No bother. The road from Bear Mountain to Big RIver was an excellent drive, with fantastic views, if a little windy with steep drop-offs.
When I had driven down yesterday I had noticed a sign to a lake with campsites, further up one of the tributaries to Big River. If I have time, I will have to check it out on my trip today.
Afternoon
I hadn't gone into Big River yet when I ran into Bob. He muttered some apology for not seeing me yesterday. He said he had some things he had to take care of.
This time Bob didn't seem to be interested in 'favours' of the whiskey kind. He seemed a better mood, though kind of distand nonetheless.
Bob said that he couldn't remember where he was up to in the story of the Buick. I reminded him that it was for sale because Doc Charleson was headed to Texas.
"Oh yeah, thats right. $450. Well, that was still a lot of money back then for a 9 year old car, so not many of the men at the mine would have it just lying around. It was obvious though, that a few of them were interested, and had, perhaps, gone and seen Daniel Marks."
"There was, however a young kid named Damien who thought he had a point to prove. He had seen that Bucik drive past next to every day for half his life. He knew that it was much more than a car - it was like a golden carriage, proclaiming that the occupants were a rung or three above those they drove past. he also knew that he wasn't the only person in town to think that. Any girl over 16 and under 30 thought that the car and its owner could be their ticket out of town and on to bigger and better things."
"Damien had his eye in particular on a girl in school, Ellen, two years younger than he was, but only a grade behind, on account of her smarts. She was also a looker too. Damien had finished school the summer before, and had taken a job running errands at the mine until he found something better to do. He knew that Ellen had the looks and brains to get a college guy, and that once she had finished school, she would want to see a wider world."
"Damien set his hearlt on getting that old Buick to prove that the wider world included a street-smart and fancy wheeled version of Damien."
I had to interupt - " Did he get the girl?"
"No, we're not up to that part yet. First he had to get the car. Cause he was too young to drink and didn't have a car of his own yet, Damien was able to save up most the money he made in the mine. Until now he didn't have anything particularly in mind, though a car was high on the list. He didn't have enough money yet, but after he had spoken with Daniel and agreed to take on a more arduous job in the mine, he agreed to let Damien buy the car and pay off the remaining owing as he worked."
"Well that kid was as happy as Larry. He almost spent his whole pay for the next week on gas, driving that Buick along just 'bout every road he knew. e also made sure he drove past Ellen's house about every half hou he wasn't at work just in case she was there to see and he could show off the car."
"And?" - I said.
"And, he did get to show of the car to Ellen. He asked her if she would like to take a drive out to the lake after school on Friday. She said that she thought that would be nice and that they could go swimming. Well, that earned another tankful of gas of driving around for the hell of it."
"And?" - I said again, not able to stop myself.
"Well, they went out to the lake, went swimming and all that. But once Damien thought his opportunity was there, adn tried to kiss her, she pulled away and said that she had met a Junior from State University at the icecream bar in Big River and that they had been going steady for a month now - not that people in town knew about it, and that she planned to go to State next year."
"Well that made Damien mad. He stormed off for about an hour, and walked around the lake to blow off some steam. Poor Ellen thought she might be stranded, and got changed and was wondering what to do next. Damien then came back and said that he would frive her back home. He also said it was 'just swell' that she was going to State, and he hoped she had 'fun - filling her head full of books'."
"So, then what happened?"
"With Ellen? Nothing. She went off to school and got married at the end of the year when her boyfriend graduated."
"And the car?"
"Well thats another story. Damien still had to pay off the remainder of the money to Daniel Marks, and he also spent much more than he had expected on gas. In the end had didn't really have the kind of income that the Buick deserved to keep it humming and in the ned he blew the motor due to a lack of mechanical care and maintenance."
"Oh shit!" - I said, not able to stop myself.
"Sorry. That came out wrong. Was he able to get it fixed?"
"Yes and no. Damien got it patched up a few times - but that proved to be expensive too. Damien wasn't a complete fool though, and knew the car still represented something to the people in the town, particularly the miners. So when he had had his fill of fixing the rotten thing, he parked it up again, by the rail ine to the mine advertising it for sale or for parts, knowing that someone may want to turn it into a hotrod in spite of the blown motor."
"So were there any takers?" I asked.
"Well, there was some interest, but mos of the miners knew that Damien hadn't taken good care of the Buick and that they would be better off spending their money somewhere else."
"So was that the ned of it? Did it just die there?"
"No. There is more to the story. But you will have to ask me tomorrow. I have someone I have to go and see."
"But I only have two more days here and then I have to go back home. I still need a plan to get the car down." I pleading, sounding a bit like a spoiled child.
"Well, you'd better think smart and come up with a plan you get your pretty car off that mountain."
And with that, he ambled off in his slow, mountain kind of a way.
No time to look at the lake I suppose. But I still want to go and get the photos and see if there is a recovery service of something that I can hire from Big River.
It wasn't always like this - 1949 Buick Fastback Sequence 3
June 30, 2004
I must have really annoyed Bob, because he was nowhere to be seen yesterday, not even in the Bar.
I took it as an opportunity to drivr down to Big River. I had taken some photos on my digital camera of the old Buick and put them onto my laptop. There was no internet link in Bear mountain, so I could'nt email the photos out to Jenny, or anyone else. I thought that I could get a few of them printed if there was a camera store in town, which there was.
They had said that they would have them ready for me today, so I'll have to find a time to go in and get them. No bother. The road from Bear Mountain to Big RIver was an excellent drive, with fantastic views, if a little windy with steep drop-offs.
When I had driven down yesterday I had noticed a sign to a lake with campsites, further up one of the tributaries to Big River. If I have time, I will have to check it out on my trip today.
Afternoon
I hadn't gone into Big River yet when I ran into Bob. He muttered some apology for not seeing me yesterday. He said he had some things he had to take care of.
This time Bob didn't seem to be interested in 'favours' of the whiskey kind. He seemed a better mood, though kind of distand nonetheless.
Bob said that he couldn't remember where he was up to in the story of the Buick. I reminded him that it was for sale because Doc Charleson was headed to Texas.
"Oh yeah, thats right. $450. Well, that was still a lot of money back then for a 9 year old car, so not many of the men at the mine would have it just lying around. It was obvious though, that a few of them were interested, and had, perhaps, gone and seen Daniel Marks."
"There was, however a young kid named Damien who thought he had a point to prove. He had seen that Bucik drive past next to every day for half his life. He knew that it was much more than a car - it was like a golden carriage, proclaiming that the occupants were a rung or three above those they drove past. he also knew that he wasn't the only person in town to think that. Any girl over 16 and under 30 thought that the car and its owner could be their ticket out of town and on to bigger and better things."
"Damien had his eye in particular on a girl in school, Ellen, two years younger than he was, but only a grade behind, on account of her smarts. She was also a looker too. Damien had finished school the summer before, and had taken a job running errands at the mine until he found something better to do. He knew that Ellen had the looks and brains to get a college guy, and that once she had finished school, she would want to see a wider world."
"Damien set his hearlt on getting that old Buick to prove that the wider world included a street-smart and fancy wheeled version of Damien."
I had to interupt - " Did he get the girl?"
"No, we're not up to that part yet. First he had to get the car. Cause he was too young to drink and didn't have a car of his own yet, Damien was able to save up most the money he made in the mine. Until now he didn't have anything particularly in mind, though a car was high on the list. He didn't have enough money yet, but after he had spoken with Daniel and agreed to take on a more arduous job in the mine, he agreed to let Damien buy the car and pay off the remaining owing as he worked."
"Well that kid was as happy as Larry. He almost spent his whole pay for the next week on gas, driving that Buick along just 'bout every road he knew. e also made sure he drove past Ellen's house about every half hou he wasn't at work just in case she was there to see and he could show off the car."
"And?" - I said.
"And, he did get to show of the car to Ellen. He asked her if she would like to take a drive out to the lake after school on Friday. She said that she thought that would be nice and that they could go swimming. Well, that earned another tankful of gas of driving around for the hell of it."
"And?" - I said again, not able to stop myself.
"Well, they went out to the lake, went swimming and all that. But once Damien thought his opportunity was there, adn tried to kiss her, she pulled away and said that she had met a Junior from State University at the icecream bar in Big River and that they had been going steady for a month now - not that people in town knew about it, and that she planned to go to State next year."
"Well that made Damien mad. He stormed off for about an hour, and walked around the lake to blow off some steam. Poor Ellen thought she might be stranded, and got changed and was wondering what to do next. Damien then came back and said that he would frive her back home. He also said it was 'just swell' that she was going to State, and he hoped she had 'fun - filling her head full of books'."
"So, then what happened?"
"With Ellen? Nothing. She went off to school and got married at the end of the year when her boyfriend graduated."
"And the car?"
"Well thats another story. Damien still had to pay off the remainder of the money to Daniel Marks, and he also spent much more than he had expected on gas. In the end had didn't really have the kind of income that the Buick deserved to keep it humming and in the ned he blew the motor due to a lack of mechanical care and maintenance."
"Oh shit!" - I said, not able to stop myself.
"Sorry. That came out wrong. Was he able to get it fixed?"
"Yes and no. Damien got it patched up a few times - but that proved to be expensive too. Damien wasn't a complete fool though, and knew the car still represented something to the people in the town, particularly the miners. So when he had had his fill of fixing the rotten thing, he parked it up again, by the rail ine to the mine advertising it for sale or for parts, knowing that someone may want to turn it into a hotrod in spite of the blown motor."
"So were there any takers?" I asked.
"Well, there was some interest, but mos of the miners knew that Damien hadn't taken good care of the Buick and that they would be better off spending their money somewhere else."
"So was that the ned of it? Did it just die there?"
"No. There is more to the story. But you will have to ask me tomorrow. I have someone I have to go and see."
"But I only have two more days here and then I have to go back home. I still need a plan to get the car down." I pleading, sounding a bit like a spoiled child.
"Well, you'd better think smart and come up with a plan you get your pretty car off that mountain."
And with that, he ambled off in his slow, mountain kind of a way.
No time to look at the lake I suppose. But I still want to go and get the photos and see if there is a recovery service of something that I can hire from Big River.