A Tribute to the "Red Truck"...

This is what my friend Cliff likes to do for fun. He is trading his camper top from his Blazer for another guy's cap top (these photos show the finished products). A man Cliff connected with through a Chevy Blazer message board (yes, there is such a thing) drove all the way from Pittsburgh to make the trade (apparently he has 29 Blazers at home). It took them about 7 hours to remove & switch. What looks like tiring, tedious work to me, was like the Fourth of July and Christmas all rolled into one for Cliff! He was in "truck heaven". Cliff has this old red Chevy Blazer that, next to his wife & foster son (I think), is his "pride & joy". Now, I know for some it doesn't look like much & maybe we don't understand his attachment, but to Cliff, he's never happier than when he can be working on that truck. He spends many hours on e-bay or perusing countless magazines looking for just the right parts in attempts to once again get it up & running, returning it to its original glory. He also won't hesitate to drive many more hours to purchase some part that he needs. To watch him & his new friend from Pittsburgh, you'd see that this is more than fixing up a truck, this is love. Again, this is what Cliff does for fun. The red truck pictured here is Cliff's, he's had it since he graduated high school & even towed it all the way from Texas to NYS when he moved here. You see, Cliff was born & raised a Texan. I believe that his attachment to this truck is reminding all us "Yankees" of just that. It's his little piece of home, if you will. While I think Cliff got the better end of the deal here, the man from Pittsburgh drove away happy. What do Deidra & Zackary do for fun while Cliff's "playing with his new friend," check it out...









They are a beautiful & unique little family & I love them all dearly. Even when the "red truck" is parked in front of our house unmoving for months on end, even when people from Pittsburgh spend the day in my driveway, I love this quirky Texan family! They are also 2 of the most generous people you'd ever want to meet. To Cliff, everything is "no problem", whether its fixing your car, driving you somewhere, or dog sitting, you can never inconvenience him. Deidra loves to cook but has this crazy ability to only cook in large quantities. It's a pain for her, but its always a blessing to my hungry family. I've learned to appreciate green chili stew, corn bread, fried okra, anything Mexican & even biscuits & gravy! I know that their time living here at the "M&M Compound", as we like call it, is limited. They, like the red truck, need to return to Texas. I can't blame them, there's nothing like being close to family. But they have become my family & I will miss them tremendously. I will miss their friendship, playing cards, eating enormous meals, and dare I say it, even miss the red truck. What landmark will I tell people when trying to find my house?? So, there it is, a tribute to a red truck & to the family that owns it. Who's your favorite now Cliff?? ;)