Flashback Friday #1...

Check out the new meme over by Linda's at Mocha With Linda. This is the very first week and I am sure it is going to be fun!

This week's flashback revolves around our early driving experiences:

How and when did you learn to drive? Do you have any particular memories associated with getting your driver license? How old were you when you got your first car and what was it? Who paid for it?

I think this is going to be a fun meme. Flashbacks, wow talk about flashbacks!

I know you are just dying to read mine. Here it is:

I had Driver’s Ed in High School. If I remember right, we had ½ year of class and simulator, then a ½ year driving. It was quite an experience, especially since my partner had some problems. Our teacher would put a candy bar on the dash and if we made it thru our lesson without the bar being slung off the dash it was ours. Needless to say, I had a candy bar every time, but my poor partner, that candy bar would slide from one end of the dash to the other, just going down a straight road, and when she stopped always ended in the floor.

We lived in a suburb of Chicago, so during the winter it was cold. They would flood a corner of the back parking lot. Our teacher would be in the car with us, and he would tell us to pick up speed, like 25 or 30 mph, then he would slam on his brakes, and we had to pull it out of the skid. Of course he had a steering wheel to if we got in trouble. But all in all I think it was really good practice. I was never scared to drive in winter, I knew you better be careful and if I was faced with problems, could usually handle it.

When I went to get my license, I had a bad feeling when I took the driving test. When the instructor got in the car he knocked his hat off and hit his knees getting in, and I thought ohhhhh great. He was a big man, pretty intimidating for my short self…lol. Everything was going good and we got to the parking. I had to park on a hill. And he told me to do everything except putting it in park and setting the emergency brake. So I did. He failed me because I did not put it in park or set the brake. He told me everything else was perfect. I was so upset, I told him I did what he told me to do, and he informed me that I could not listen to my passengers; I needed to always do it the proper way. Ohhhh I was pissed! I was told they had a quota they had to fail every week. I went back 2 weeks later and did not have any problem.

I drove my mom’s car once in awhile but not very often. It was a Dodge Dart Swinger. Oh I hated that car, I thought it was an old lady’s car. I did not have my own car until I graduated. My parents paid the down payment for my graduation present. I graduated in 1975, and I got a dark metallic blue 1974 Chevy Nova Hatchback. Just what I wanted. My payments were $89.00 for 3 years. My dad gave me a magnet to put inside my car that said, “The quickest way to get back on your feet is to miss a couple car payments.” Several friends thought that was cool and so funny, but trust me, he was not being funny, he was very serious. If he would of ever had to of made a car payment, the car would of been his that month.

I did have fun in my car, a lot of miles were put on that car and a lot of memories were made. Good memories!

Don't forget you can join in the fun too. Go over to Linda’s at Mocha with Linda. And when you are finish don't forget to go back and link up.
This is a brand new meme, and I think it is going to be a lot of fun! Thanks Linda for hosting it.

until next time... nel