Spring 2014 Kingwood Car Show Memories
The car show in Kingwood this past weekend turned out to be a great event. The weather was agreeable -- no rain and not too hot -- and Town Center Park is an awesome location. I managed to spot a couple of DeTomaso Panteras (one was even the right color to fuel a green addiction). The oldest car at the show was a nicely restored 1909 Ford Model T. Then there were the MVs. There was a CUCV that can pull a 5 Ton out of a muddy bog, and my M35A2 that I'm too chicken to take in the mud.
The best part for me was enjoying good company, visiting with the older gentlemen that wanted to reminisce and seeing the eyes light-up on each child when I said they could climb in the truck. It was great to hang-out and have lunch with OL AG '89. A number of gentlemen stopped by to tell me about the countless hours they spent in the back of a Deuce. I even had one retiree tap my shoulder to tell me that he spent a 30+ year career in the Army as a mechanic. He had been out for better than two decades and enjoyed a trip down memory lane while looking over my truck. Of course, I told him he was more than welcome to come-over and turn a wrench anytime he wanted!!
I really got a kick when a young girl (6 or 7) had so much fun behind the wheel that she didn't want to get down when her dad said it was time to go. I started laughing when she said, "But daddy, I want to keep it!" There's a future SS'er in the making!!
Of the stories to share, my heart was truly touched late in the afternoon. Two boys (I'm guessing 6 and 8ish) were playing in the truck with smiles that said they were having a great time. I was talking with the young gentleman that I presumed was their father. In our conversation, he explained that he was their stepdad and in the process of adopting the two boys. Their father lost his life in Afghanistan while serving our country. My heart goes out to those boys and the too many more like them. I do not have the words to express how sorry I am that they lost their father, nor to express how grateful I am for those men and women that honorably serve this nation. This is not a memory I expected to have from a car show, but one that I believe is worth sharing.
Here are a couple of pictures from last Sunday:
I plan to be at the car show in Conroe this Saturday (May 3) and hope to see some other MVs there.
-Michael
Of course, you are always welcome to come even if it's not in a MV.
