From: GOTAM35 (gotam35@sc.rr.com)
Date: Fri Nov 15 2002 - 20:53:01 PST
This email contains the following:
A brief update on my blowed up engine.
A wonderfully entertaining tale of my adventures in our Veterans day parade
in Columbia, SC.
A few lessons learned the hard way.
A moving story of childhood innocence that will bring a tear to you eye and
a snot bubble to your nose.
Hit delete now if you want.
First: I did get my head put back on in time for last weeks festivities (am
I talking about the truck?). I TURN THE ENGINE BACK DOWN A LITTLE. I plan
to put a picture of the wrench I made on my web site sometime before Easter.
I won't brag about how well it worked until I put a few hundred miles on the
truck. I am watching the gauges very closely.
Next: Last week ends parade and show. That may be the most fun I have ever
had. The truck is a real conversation piece. I'm not a people person, but
I have met lots of total stranger with the truck. I did feel a little out
of place in the parade. We got separated from the rest of the MV's. We
were in the right place, they got in ahead of us. It worked out OK because
we fell in behind a group of Vietnam veterans that were walking in the
parade and we looked like we were with them. I didn't serve in the military
and I felt uncomfortable being in with these guys. They were real cool and
seemed happy to have us behind them. I moved slow and as loud as possible.
The kids seem to like loud stuff. After the parade we went to the air field
for the week end. Met lots of people and learned a few thing. Met several
people here from the list and several from the NCMVPA. For the next show I
will bring a sidekick and a chair. I got tired of standing and not having
someone to hang out with.
Next: Not all people will treat your stuff like it was theirs. Actually
they will treat it like it's theirs, not yours. I was amazed at the number
of children, with parents in tow, that would climb into my truck and start
pulling and twisting everything they could get their hands on. I can report
nothing was damaged, but it is a deuce. They're not known to be fragile.
Some one did sit or stand on one of the rods that hold the top off your head
and bent it. It was easy to straiten. These kids climbed all over it. I
was concerned someone would bet hurt more than anything. Sure enough I
watch one kid swing the gun around and whack another kid in the head with
it. He was so happy it didn't phase him. I had to unhook the battery even
though I have a key to keep it from cranking. I walked up to it Saturday
and could hear the horn solenoid clicking.
And finally: My thought provoking question of the day.
Please, this is a "A" or "B" question. No essay questions here. Is it
better to:
A. Let the children have a run on the truck and do what every they want as
long as no one gets hurt or nothing is damaged or,
B. Keep them on the ground, look at it only, don't touch.
Of course with "A" they get to enjoy playing on an Army truck. They do
enjoy pointing the gun at their friends and pretending to shoot them. They
think this is cool. Their parents don't seem to mind.
With "B" they don't get to pretend to kill other people. They won't talk
about the really cool truck with the gun on it they got to play with. They
may not even remember the truck in a few weeks.
I wanted to let people, including children, touch the truck. All the
pictures in the world can't take the place of seeing. And looking can't
compare to touching. We like to sit in the drivers seat. We like to
imagine we're someplace fascinating doing something incredible. It's called
dreaming.
I was a little disturbed at how the children would grad the gun and point it
at someone. That's not the kind of thing I wanted them to day dream about.
I'm not sure if I will let anyone else get in the truck.
I leaned a few things from these experiences and I'm not sure I would care
to share these lessons. If you don't learn every day you're not growing.
All in all I really enjoyed this past weekend. I do appreciate all the help
and advise you folks out there in "list land" give. I realize now why some
of you don't get back to me. Sometimes it's so many things going on here
it's easy to forget something. I just cleaned out my inbox and found about
10 people I forget to get back to.
Time for bed. Thanks again everyone and if you are expecting anything from
me, do email me again, I probably forgot.
Joe Trapp
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