Chris, I thought of you......

[electra225]

I ran down to the local Circle K to get gas for the week. A guy pulled up next to me in a red Ford Ranger truck, single cab, standard shift. I know this because he stirred the stick with the door open, then set his parking brake. I approached the man, complimented him on his nice little red truck. I asked him if he wanted to sell it. "Lord no. They don't make trucks like that anymore. 4-cylinder, five-speed, standard cab with a bed you can still haul stuff in. Just put a clutch in it for the first time. Air still works. It has power steering and power brakes with crank windows and a radio with knobs. It has 230,000 on it. It's a 2000, bought it brand new at Earnhardt's. They will haul my box to the cemetary with this truck". I told him I had a friend in Michigan who was looking to replace his that was rusty but still ran good. He winked and wished me luck........

[TC Chris]

That's exactly my truck, 5 years older but out of the rust belt.

I visited another Toyota dealer today. Was going to wear my work clothes and then head boat for sanding & varnishing but then decided it was better to look a bit more prosperous so I dressed up a bit. 2-door Tacomas are scarce. All have 4 doors and come in black, white, or silver. I told the sales guy that if I wanted an SUV with a tiny back porch, that's what I'd buy, but I was looking for a pickup truck. He will look around. At least Toyota makes a few 2 door models. All the ranger are 4.

I am resigned to having a stupid screen staring at me and a stupid automatic transmission doing all the work.

Last weekend I encountered what I will call the curse of the second coat. The first coat of varnish looked almost perfect, but the mahogany needs two coats. The second day was warm and the varnish did not level or keep a wet edge. Today I sanded again in 40+ degree temps and applied a 3rd coat and it is lovely.

Chris Campbell