National Mustang Day

On April 17th. 56 years ago, the Ford Mustang was introduced to the world. From that day forward, the Mustang was an automotive game changer, and started setting sales records for the first couple years of production that have never been equaled to this day.
I have been a Mustang fan from the first time I saw one as a teenager, and have owned many in the years since. My mom came home with a shiny new 66 V8 Mustang coupe, and I was lucky enough to get to drive it once in awhile. That made a lasting impression on a young South Dakota farm kid that still affects me to this day.
On April 17th, five years ago, we took delivery of our new 2015 Mustang GT, on the 50th anniversary of the Mustang introduction.  As with all the Mustangs I’ve ever owned, it brings a smile every time I drive it.

Our current pride and joy, 2015 Mustang GT, over looking St. George.

Time to Read a Book

Lately we have found ourselves with a lot more time on our hands. When we have exhausted all the many jobs around the house that we have been meaning to do for years, maybe we have some time to read a book.
If you are an automotive enthusiast, why don’t you check out my book. It’s easy to do, just follow this link and take a look, and you can even read sample pages,  Click on this link; Grab Some Gears

Spending Time Alone

With a worldwide virus attacking us from every direction, the medical advisors are telling us to stay away from people to help us stay healthy. For many people, spending time alone is hard to do. For me, it’s just the opposite, I’m a loner, and always have been.
I’ve never had a problem finding something to keep me busy when spending time alone. Maybe the time has come for me to share some ideas with the rest of the world. Many “car guys” already know what I’m talking about.
Spending time in the garage, with your favorite car, can be very relaxing and time well spent. There is always something that can be accomplished, even if it’s just a little cleaning and lite detailing. Just put on your favorite music, pick up a clean towel and a bottle of spray detailer, and time will slip away.

Good place to spend some time. 

Saint Patrick’s Day

Everyone is anxious to show their green today in support of Saint Patrick’s Day, whether or not they have any Irish in their ancestry. That is also true for many of the car enthusiasts who post on Twitter and Facebook. There is no shortage of green vehicle photos on social media today.
I have to admit that I’m part of that group. There is no shortage of green cars in my Twitter posts today. One of those photos is one of my favorite, and not just because of the color. I’m proud to share it here today on my blog.

Beautiful green Cobra (Twitter photo). 

Our Place in Life

How many years have you spent doing whatever needed to be done, to have a good job, to build a good life for your family, and all the time wishing you could be some place else? Maybe there is a great vacation spot, that you wish could be your permanent home. Maybe it’s a place you travel through occasionally, and wonder what it would be like to live there every day.
That was my situation ten years ago, and we bought a vacation home, and started planning for the day when we could retire, and make it our permanent home. Six years ago, everything fell into place, and it became a reality.  Now, as I look back, it seems that every thing that happened through out my life was just working to get to this place in life.  
I greatly appreciate this beautiful area of the world that we have come to live in.  I love the climate, and the landscape of this part of the country is something out of a travel magazine.  I’m very happy with our place in life. 

The kind of views we can enjoy in our place in life.

A Very Good Year

When I was 17, it was a very good year.  “Sounds like words from a very old song”  But, for me, these words are true for several reasons.
That’s the year my mom came home with a new Mustang. It was a white 66 coupe, with 289 V8 and automatic transmission. It was late enough into the year that the 67 models were already starting to hit the dealerships, so they probably got it for a good price. Though I had been driving on the highways for about three years, getting an occasional chance to drive the new Mustang was quite a treat.  A high school friend of mine already had a 65 convertible, so I was already a fan.
It was some time during that year that I saw the first 67 Shelby GT 500’s.  It was love at first sight. I must have spent over an hour walking around those cars, admiring them from every angle, and memorizing every beautiful detail.   The 67 Shelby GT 500 remains my favorite Mustangs to this day.

The 67 Shelby GT 500 has been my favorite Mustang for over 50 years.  (Twitter photo)

The Year of the Tiger

No, it’s not this year, but I was born in the “year of the tiger” 1950.  According to Chinese astrology, your year repeats every 12 years. The next tiger year is 2022.
I first became familiar with the Chinese zodiac signs about 20 years ago, and did a lot of reading on the subject at the time. Looking back across my life, I was amazed at the significance of the life events that have happened in the “tiger” years all through my life.
The first was 1962, I was 12 years old, and spent the summer with my grand parents in Pennsylvania.     All the young neighbor girls would spend the afternoons listening to music on their porches. It was a real awakening in my life.  I discovered the popular rock music of the era, which is some of my favorite to this day.  And, girls.  All of a sudden, I started noticing girls in a completely different way.  That “year of the tiger”  changed my life.
Looking back through the years, major life changing events have happened in every tiger year.  I had not thought of these things in years, until a interesting tiger photo caught my eye last week, and I started looking into it again.  What I discovered was amazing. The last tiger year, I hadn’t even realized, also held major life changing events.  Now, I’m looking forward to 2022 with much anticipation.

The tiger photo that caught my eye last week.  ( Twitter photo )