When Logan and I walked the dogs last weekend we came upon this truck parked in the lot of a gasoline wholesaler’s office just off the greenbelt. I am pretty sure that they don’t use it any more. It is up on blocks and all that. I love it. Old gas trucks like this always bring back a memory from my childhood.
Back in the 60’s we were on a family vacation and we were in Nevada. I forget just how, but Dad discovered that we had a gasoline tank leak. He found out while we were in the middle of nowhere and Nevada has lots of nowhere spots. In fact there is more nowhere than somewhere. So, to keep from getting stranded Dad stepped on the gas. Back then Nevada didn’t have posted speed limits. I don’t remember how fast we were going but it was fast.
We got to whatever little town was next and Dad swung into action. We went to a motel and got checked in and then he went to a gas station. I tagged along with him. Remember gas stations back then. They could actually work on your car way back when. They put the car up on the lift and removed the gas tank and found where the leak was. If I remember right it was in one of the welded seams. I can’t swear to it.
(Geocaching last summer with my Dad and Sister. The shadow is world’s greatest BIL and photographer, Irv.)
The owner of the station couldn’t repair the weld but knew somebody who could. The owner had a gas truck much like the one pictured and he just gave Dad the keys to it. We loaded up the gas tank in a small box at the back of the truck and Dad drove it to the welder’s shop. The fixed it up pretty quickly and then we took it back to the gas station and they put it back on the car. Can you imagine such a thing these days?
Dad at Geronimo’s gravesite, Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Yes, he is smiling. He and I have the same smile. You should see his frown.
Anyway, that is just one reason that I think my Dad can do anything.
Do you know somebody who can do anything? Who?
Our parents generation had a gift for fixing nearly anything. My dad was much the same way…if it had a moving part he could repair it. And yes, gas stations had one, two, or three bays of garage space because they did indeed work on cars. Have a blessed week-end Yogi.
i was amazed by my Grandfather Pop-Pop’s way of things. he was a master craftsman. i was shocked to see his gifts & other shop made items. he past on many gifts to his 4 boys. my Dad being one. so i guess i have a bit of his gifts too, i see is workmanship. it continues to amazes me even after the many years that he has been gone.
guess you could say – they don’t make them like the use to. do they? i wonder how we change that? bring it back again? ( :
I have one son-in-law who seems to always know how to fix anything. Around here we mostly know a phone number for who to call when something needs to be fixed.
The DX station that used to be at about 34th and Peoria was our go-to place for everything car related when I was growing up.
My brother-in-law can fix anything!
I’m married to a person who can pretty much do anything he wants to do. Don’t know how he hooked up with me — I can’t do anything.
I have no recollection of that story, was I around yet? Dad could fix anything!
Ah those were the days. The person I know who can do anything is my 93 year old father-in-law. I am always amazed at his knowledge in fixing just about anything.
I wonder if your parents’ generation had the mindset that they could fix it because they had to. So maybe it never entered their minds that they couldn’t. That could be dangerous thinking.
My great uncle could do anything from build a house to roast a squash. He was a reader, and he believed if you could read, you could do anything.
Great story. You’d never be able to do that today. I thought all Dad’s could do anything. Mine could.
I enjoyed your memories of the gas leak. Yeah, times were different back in the 60s. Your dad does have a smile remarkably similar to yours!
My dad was good at fixing lots of things but not everything.
I like that old orange gas truck! Where did you go geocaching in Minnesota?
I love these good old stories! Keep them up!