Impalas
Since I cannot really write much about the less savory aspects of my day-to-day at the moment, I thought it MIGHT be interesting to write a bit about the various memories and various flights of fancy that I steer my mind towards to mitigate some of the stress.
Even though the colors were a bit different, the above three images show three vehicles I remember well from my adolescence. My family (both immediate and most relatives) tended to be quite General Motors focused in terms of vehicles purchased. If I were to think back across my father's vehicles....all but ONE were a General Motors vehicle, from his earliest vehicle.... from his first which was a used 1930s Chevrolet all the way to the last vehicle which was a 1980s Buick. The ONE exception was where in the mid 1950s he had (briefly, less than a year) a Ford.
The three Chevrolet Impalas above show the variations in the three types of Impalas that I was quite familiar with in various ways from riding in each, to working on some basic mechanics of each, and of course in driving each.
The 1963 Impala Super Sport (SS) was a huge favorite in the neighborhood. It was considered almost a "muscle car" of its time, even though my Dad did not buy it specifically for that reason. He actually really liked its Cordovan Brown color..... both exterior and interior.
The 1971 2-door Impala was my Dad's replacement for the 1963. The 1963 ended up being the primary vehicle of one of my sisters for a lot of years after he bought the 1971. The 1971 Impala was a very beautiful (for the time) Russet Sunfire color which was sort of a "burnt orange" color. It sort of exhibited a "Halloween" theme for the era as it also had a black interior.... not a common exterior/interior color scheme back in the 1970s. This vehicle also sported a very "trendy" brown vinyl roof!
I also remember fondly how the above two Impalas also kept the lingering aroma of my father's pipe tobacco, even after he no longer drove the vehicles in favor of their replacements.
The 1972 4-door Impala was another favorite as it was owned by my favorite Aunt and Uncle. Its color was an interesting color that was almost a perfect match for a slice of processed American Cheese. It was a milky, creamy, light orange color. And, this Impala sported a white interior and a beige vinyl roof!
My aunt was quite meticulous in terms of cleaning generally (her home was always spotless). This cleanliness also extended to her and my uncle's Impala My aunt and uncle's Impala was always scrubbed clean on the inside by my aunt using her favorite "Spic-and-Span" water. Spic-and-Span used to be a powdered cleaner, and my aunt loved it for ALL manner of cleaning..... inside her home, in the car, as a laundry detergent, and pretty much anything. Her Impala always had the aroma of Spic-and-Span.
By today's standards, each of the above vehicles is a huge behemoth of a machine. But, back in the day the were fairly standard, full sized vehicles. They were each fun to drive in their own way. But, I distinctly remember the first time I drove a friend's small car..... a VW Beetle.... and I immediately recognized how much MORE fun (and of course economical) a small car was to drive.
* * * * *
- Ran my typical 10 miles this morning (~16km). Ran indoors due to lack of light and rainy weather.
- I pulled out of my den at home this morning, a pouch of Arrowhead Pipe Club pipe tobacco. It is difficult to describe, but it has such a pleasant pouch aroma. Even though, of course, it has been a while (too much of a while, I think) since I smoked a bowlful of this delightful aromatic pipe tobacco.... just its pouch aroma brings back memories of its beautiful smoking properties and flavors. I have been carrying it around in the pocket of my sport coat as I teach and research today. Several times I have allowed myself to pull out the pouch, open it and breath in its earthy, aromatic splendor.
Talking about happier things, even if they are memories only.... has put me in a better mood than anything else has when I was just focusing on the day-to-day b*llsh*t. And, thinking about and imagining smoking a bowlful of Arrowhead Pipe Club makes me feel happier, even though "thinking about" is not as exciting as would actually doing so. :)
3 Comments:
I think the lady that I once carpooled with had an Impala. She was a GM kind of person.
Love those cars. Beautiful to look at.
I remember muscle cars! I loved Camaros and there were a few Impalas with big tires that looked "tough." My parents were GM people too. The last car they bought though was a Hyundai.
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