Oh...What Might Have Been

 The family and I climbed aboard our minivan this morning and headed to an event called "Hay Days." It's a chance for the people of our community to gather and enjoy each others's company as well as celebrate the wonderful little town we call home.

Plus, there's a car show.

It's not the biggest car show, but it seems to get bigger every year...this year included. There were many classic American cars, corvettes, trucks, what have you. And they had one Volkswagen Beetle, my favorite car. It was a beautiful car. I took pictures of it as I always do. Every time I see a bug these days it reminds me of my earlier years, back when you could buy a bug for $500 and the bug ran and it was (semi...) reliable transportation.

Too bad those days are gone forever.

I have a picture of my first car. It's a 1965 VW Beetle (we lovingly called "Greenie"...), original 1200cc engine, top speed - 50 m.p.h. unless you drove downhill, or behind an 18-wheeler. 

What if I had kept that car instead of basically giving it away...

Oh, what might have been.

I've thought about this several times over the years. Using the advantages of age, I know keeping that car would have been a terrible idea. Just finding a place to park it would have been a nightmare. Plus, I don't know how long it would take me to get it running and if I did, would I dare drive it anywhere far from my home? 

That car, in the condition at the time I got rid of it, in today's dollars would be worth many thousands of dollars...a far cry from the $500 I originally paid in1982. That sounds great, but I would have paid for that appreciation in other ways. No, my logical mind understands not hanging on to that car was the best decision...

Just my heart doesn't share my brain's reasoning.

Oh, what might have been...I only hope someone took car of Greenie. I'd love to see it at a car show one of these days.

Give Thanks...Community

 We experienced Tremonton City Hay Days for the first time. We had a great day. Since it was a new experience for us, we didn't know what to expect. Well...that's not entirely true. We came from a close-knit community and they had a community celebration, too. Pretty sure all communities have do this. It brings the residents closer together. It's important.

And I'm so grateful that it happens.

We started the day at the park enjoying a free breakfast. We saw vendors and several classic cars. We also saw a baby contest and diaper derby. Since we have attended the same type of event in Farmington for decades, I expected things to be pretty much the same. They were, and they weren't. The biggest change was the number of people enjoying the events. In short, we were able to find a parking spot close to the park and walk around without being surrounded by people.

One of the coolest parts of the day is when we went to the Bear River Museum where they put on a quilt show. The quilts were amazing (I found MY favorite...), but I loved seeing all the other things, the recreation of a pioneer school, a dentist's office, a doctor's office, and a typical home kitchen. I've seen that kitchen before...at my Grandpa Knight's house.

The evening ended with a fireworks display. It's been a while since we've been to one that close. It wasn't the best display we've seen, but it didn't need to be. It was a way to close the day by the city saying, "thank you" to its residents with beautiful lights and exploding booms that echoed across the valley.

Even though we know hardly anyone here, it didn't matter. We felt welcomed as we walked the park and the museum and watched the pretty colors in the sky. It felt like home.