Hot Rods Quotes to live by...

My backpack in high school I wrote using a white out pen "a marriage is for a lifetime a hot rod is forever".
That is the only quote I have that is car related oh and one that my father told me that I think dates back to the Greeks 2000+ years ago "You do not own your possessions they own you".

 

in the morning, my wife goes to the gym, I go to the John .....

 

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. The remarkable thing is you have a choice every day regarding the attitude you will embrace for that day. You are in charge of your attitude.”


Hello,

I did not realize that what I was doing with our first hot rod/drag race car would impact me in different ways as we moved on in life. At first, it was listen to all advice coming from an older brother on the right way to do something. Some of it was right on the money and lasted a lifetime. But, other ideas and mannerisms were his own and not for me.

All through being an athlete in elementary school, excelling in all sports gave way to the competition scene in junior high school. A friend I knew in elementary school grew up and into a fierce pitcher for his own junior high school after he moved away. That was the first step in knowing how to approach something not seen before as far as success in sports. The now, older friend had a fastball and curve that I had not seen before he left our neighborhood. It was a confusing time.

Then my skill as a starting guard in junior high school basketball team with tons of success in shooting and running the team turned into mush against the new high school taller players. We had never seen such tall guards that could out dribble me and jump up to block a shot, while guarding me from driving to the basket. It was like a moving wall and with heights almost a foot taller than me. Disheartening and reality both popped up at the same time. My attitude toward those sports still worked, but I had an attitude adjustment coming up and hitting me in the face.

Jnaki

So, with the new found way to look at things, I withdrew from baseball and basketball to concentrate on football. For three years, I was the starter on our championship team, as a linebacker and tight end. But, upon graduation, my attitude shifted again, with hot rods and surfing taking over the daily scene. It was a reality check and a definite attitude change, for the better.

There were more important things than having to walk/drive home from college football practice at 6:00 pm, all tired, beat up along with falling grades. Sure catching a TD pass on the run and scoring was fun, but the daily grind and the future was not my way of direction.

Even after turning 21 and moving on the last college days, my attitude shifted to what is basically a low key look at our family history, where it has gone with a new look at life, my girlfriend/wife and its long future. We are satisfied with how well it has gone to this day. Hopefully, the future college kids will have the same or similar attitude for their futures and not have a look that thinks the world owes them something…YRMV

 

I've got weird brain stuff going on, which makes it hard for me to make sense of words that come at me single file. You can't explain anything to me over the phone and have me understand it. I need all the words laid out in front of me where I can see all of them at the same time. Or better yet, a map, a diagram, a model, even a looping 3D animation, as long as it keeps looping.

 

"A new car is nothing more than a status symbol that looses it's allure within a year but a hot rod transports it's owned back to a simpler place in time and puts a smile on your face every time you drive it" - HRP

 

Doctor says," Martha your looking better, have you been bed ridden " ?

Martha: " Not since my husband died 10 years ago."..

 

(Thx for that...I copied it down so I will remember it)
6sally6

 

“ I want to be 14 again and ruin my life differently. I have new ideas…

 

"To be an inventor you need a good imagination and a lot of junk" ( Thomas Edison)

 

“To give real service you must add something which cannot be bought or measured with money, and that is sincerity and integrity.” – Douglas Adams

" Characterize people by their actions and you will never be fooled by their words."
Anonymous

God Bless
Bill
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...ar-transport-hauling-open-or-enclosed.614419/

 

... and a smile on most people's faces as you drive past - Harv.

Cheers,
Harv

 

“Our number-one value isn’t in any of the skills we have...
It’s that we’re essentially curious.”


Hello,

Ever since we got married in 1968, had our first low cost apartment and were relatively left alone to deal with new found things… we learned a lot. When we knew our parents wanted to see how their kids were going to survive the hectic year, we rushed out to the nearest store and bought a couple of nice looking potted plants. We knew nothing of potted plants, except they had nice wrappings and looked nice.

We put them on the front door porch and when we had visitors, they all agreed that the plants looked marvelous. We were happy and our parents actually looked pleased with the plants and decorations. At least they realized we were not going to fall off of the face of the earth as 20 somethings…

I grew up in a house that was part of very early history in Long Beach. Before any houses, the Los Angeles River ran wild from it source deep in Los Angeles territory and meandered to its ocean exit on the shores of Long Beach. Along the way, the river deposited valuable, nutrient laden, top soil everywhere on its trip to the ocean. We live about a two mile jaunt to the ocean river mouth after many years of development.

Our house was unusual as anything we planted, grew instantly while gathered a full body and height like no other. It was the topsoil that was in every house yards and the whole neighborhood. Plants could be inserted anywhere and they would grow to be full, tall and in need of trimming within weeks. We did not have a weekly watering schedule. We watered when we remembered to water and it was fine. We lived in that house from 1953 to 1998 and did not have one plant die on us.

Jnaki

Now in the current state, in clay ridden soil high up on a hill, we developed a series of planting techniques to keep plants growing with daily/weekly care. Yes, we had to put in soil amendments and use a vitamin shock preventing additive to keep the plants alive for the first week or so. But, through experimentation and many years of dealing with different soil types in different OC neighborhoods, we learned a trick or two to keep our plants healthy and survive the water rationing every summer.

Every house we lived in had difficulties. We learned by experimenting, despite the classes and information we gathered in our sources. Soil in the big OC just is not as good as back in the Westside of Long Beach, along the flowing L.A. River. We have to work to keep things alive. Curious as we were, our last house has earned the tending of plants from two old folks that have learned a lot over the years. YRMV

Note:

Plant shock from garden growing businesses to the garden shops in little pots is initially, fine. Same soil, daily watering and shade if necessary. But we are all not living in shade, so those plants have to be hand cradled to their respective holes in the ground and given a chance to survive the environment.

One thing we learned was that if a hole is dug, it needs good soil amendments and water to fill up the hole, first. Then as it settles, the plant can now be put in place with more amended soil added to finish off the planting. Then a little more water on top to soak it one last time until the weekly watering system takes overs. This system works and our yards are a wealth of greenery, color, and uses a low watering system.

Note 2:

In our Long Beach neighborhood, it took a hole, insert the plant, cover with the same dirt and water. Then watch it grow fast as it can. Nothing to do to baby it to mature status. It is the soil from past history of the L.A. River that has its qualities like no other. We have tried many different styles and methods and finally found a way to keep plants alive in our current, funky soil environment.

 

just because you can doesn't mean you should

 

They call it the Good Old Days because we weren't good and we weren't old.

 

the biggest problem of our world today
isn't artificial intelligence
but natural stupidity

 

It takes me all night to do what I used to do all night!

 

“To the world, you may be one person, but to one person, you may be the world.”

Hello,

In high school, the new kids we met were from different junior high schools, as 4 schools fed the big high school campus. The instant togetherness was there as we were all the lowest rung of the ladder. In our classes, we all talked a mile a minute and did get some comments from the teachers if it went on too long. But, we were all just getting to know one another.

The playing field just got a little larger and the new kids were just as friendly as we were. So, it seemed like it was going to be a nice high school adventure. The sports teams brought others together in unity as the high school varsity teams. Friends persisted as the practices drew us together. But, it was hanging out in the “quad.” An open place central to all students enclosed on all 4 sides by the classroom buildings. Between classes, people met and stopped as long as they could. at the break and lunch, everyone poured out of the classrooms and gathered until the first bell.

Chance encounters during those gatherings led to other classroom friends and so it went on for the rest of the semesters. As young as we were, it seemed like this was it. We were supposed to make choices in these 4 years and hope it was the right one. So, as we expanded our involvement in the activities, we thought it was what everyone else was doing for the future. What ever that was supposed to be.
1962
The counselors did little to shove us in the right direction, other than tell us our grades were not going to get us into college. And emphasize that your “permanent record” was the key to success and post high school life. Ha! We had heard that one before…

Jnaki

So, as we had tons of fun in high school, it was a different outlook after graduating. Some of our friends were gone out of state and we never saw them again. Others were still around in the summers and friendships became new challenges with the folks we saw as freshmen and sophomores in our own college curriculums.

As we got older we still learned new things, experiences with other “new” folks from other areas and tried to create a path to what we wanted to do with the rest of our lives.

For me, it took several years and finally in the last two years of college, met someone. I knew this was the one and the characteristics told me she was friendly, accepted me for who I was and what I liked to do, (surfing, hot rods, photography and late night conversations), was also extremely smart and good looking to boot! Along with an appetite for $.10 cent coffee with double cream/sugar from those incessant coffee machines, scattered all over campus, it was the start of a lifelong experience to this day.

I was just one person, but to her, I was the world. It was the same in reverse. There were many opportunities and conversations with various class mates, but never one so intense. I knew! On our long road trips up the coastline to the San Francisco Bay Area, in a small enclosed El Camino cab was perfect for those two parts of the conversations to go back and forth, solidifying our relationship.

 

"If theyre trying to run you out of town pretend it's a parade." Sausalito madamn Sally Stanford

 

“Create fun, a little weirdness, and some mystery… We never really grow up, we only learn how to act in public.”

Hello,

While growing up, we all learn the basics about being nice to others. No one ever gets to a point in life without being nice along the way. “Do unto others, as you would have others do unto you…” or something like that. It is a fact of life.

So, with that in mind. A little different approach to life can be used to create a life well lived within the boundaries of what society has set for all of us. Not that we are sheep, following the leader. We are those that take a different step one way or the other to do what is simple and easy to move along in life’s situations. Money does not always have to be the main course of action. Life as a simple process, living within your means and not going too far overboard it one way to get along.

This guy helped me through thick and thin, long surf road trips, week long vacations, daily high school grind with friends, and a reliable old car that no one else had or gave a hoot about. It was a daily driver and took me everywhere without any major problems. Reliable, Heck yes…!!! The only bad looks and doubt came from the parents of the girl classmates we knew, that wanted a ride to and from home on our road trips to the beach. You're going in what??? to the beach?

Jnaki

Hopefully, what we had told our granddaughter things as she was growing up with us 5-6 days a week will help her look at her future in a simple and less complicated way to live. Her safety and well being is a given. Looking ahead is all we can do to see if anything stuck as we just had fun, while looking at the world in our own funky way. Rules are important and we follow what helps us move along. YRMV

 

“Early to bed, early to rise, makes a couple of old folks very wise…” to paraphrase an old quote…

Hello,

My wife and I have always been late activity folks since our 20s something days. When our son arrived, then it was early to bed as we were completely overwhelmed, until we learned a trick or two. Then as the years move on to the next phase of our simple lives, a little newborn comes along to throw us for one of the biggest, but, best thing to happen to us in a very long time. Sure, we were just getting used to a simple adult lifestyle with the normal thing we all worry about and adapt to in time.

This one little girl made us reevaluate our own lives and decided to put our full attention to raising this wonderful addition to our family. Her parents were 30 somethings with new jobs and all of the problems in getting organized and functioning. But, throw in a wonderful child and all hell breaks loose with those two going crazy with their responsibilities.

Step in a couple of old folks to the rescue. We saw how everything was functioning smoothly for us and how much our son and his wife were struggling with everything… new house, new jobs and a new addition to the family that was going to take over everything for the next 18 years…!!! What am I saying… the next 50 years+++… But, the new direction we were now going, made us 30 years younger, with the daily early morning walks, up to a couple of miles, visiting parks and beaches.

Since 6 months, our granddaughter has been staying with us 5-6 days a week. In the beginning, we got up early and drove to their house to stay with the little baby all day. But, it was wearing on us, too. So, we all agreed to allow our granddaughter to stay with us during the week and actually live with us, so we did not have to get up and drive over to their house daily. It was a relaxing way to be “in loco parentis” or in the place of parents…

Jnaki

We had a wonderful experience with our granddaughter from 6 months to the time she started school and to the graduation of high school last June. So, what does she do for a Father’s Day surprise for me? A grandfather? She thinks of me as her 2nd father and surprised us with this classic gift.

We had a wonderful experience with our granddaughter from 6 months to the time she started school and to the graduation of high school last June. So, what does she do for a Father’s Day surprise for me? A grandfather? She thinks of me as her 2nd father and surprised us with this classic gift.



She is a wonderful teenager with her whole life ahead of her. Her friends are rock solid, no outlandish actions. What we think as normal teenagers working out their lives during the whole pandemic situations with computer screen school education was impressive. The learning aspect and accolades garnered led to the actual graduation this past June. They all adapted well and was a kick in the bucket for these new teenagers. Congrats and thanks for thinking of me…/us.

She has always liked our response to old cars, hot rods and of course, flames.

Now, her first semester of college studies starts this next coming week, with move in and orientation. So, it will be interesting long road ahead… YRMV

 

"Inside me lives a skinny teenager crying to get out. But, I can usually shut
him up with a chocolate chip cookie, a char broiled hamburger, and real Coca Cola."


Hello,

For years, we had been using a 12 inch by 12 inch outdoor grill that my mom bought at a specialty store. It was easy to carry and could be put on a backyard table for upright grilling with real charcoal briquettes. A squirt or two of liquid fire starter and in minutes it was ready for the best flavor ever.

Then it was up to us to coat it with whatever condiments to make the perfect hamburger. It was a common thing being a little kid and then by the time we were in elementary school, our mom allowed us to be the “fire starters” and cook our own char-broiled burgers. Real charcoal with the original smell of smoke permeating the air and what was on the hot grill.

As avid a deep sea fisherman our dad was, he also knew to take the family to the local beaches of Orange County to the South for his surf fishing adventures. Sometimes, if it was not going to be the rocky outcroppings of Corona Del Mar or Laguna Beach shorelines, then a nice sandy beach was perfect for our mom to watch over the two brothers playing in the sand. When we were old enough to hold a tall surf fishing pole, then we each had our own.

While we were fishing and our dad had his catch in the bucket, our mom started the small portable grill to cook the fish for our lunch. As little kids, sandwiches were easier for us to eat while sitting around on the sandy beaches. So, our mom prepared the newly caught, fresh fish grilled to perfection on bread for a great meal.

Jnaki

Our family, like most families at the time had some sort of backyard barbeque set up. From the small grill mentioned above to use at home and to be able to take along on road trips or family picnics. Our first real home had a backyard barbecue along with a cool custom incinerator to burn our trash. The barbeque was a simple concrete box with the grilling bars on top and a drop through ash container down below.

But, the small portable unit was the work horse from the time they hit the market and continued on until we were teenagers. We tried to get our folks to buy a larger one, but our mom like the portability of the small grill that could hold multiple items for grilling. Plus, our dad liked taking it on those road trips.

So, by the time we were teenagers, this local restaurant near our house was the first to incorporate the idea of charbroiling their products for a different flavor for the customers. When they opened, the former favorite burger place that used olive oil on the flat plate grill to cook all of their products was now relatively empty during the lunch hour.

The local hot rod guys and drag racer business workers usually could be found at this oil infused take out spot. Now, with the new sensation taste and flavor, the new restaurant was the local hangout and popular spot at lunch time any day of the week.
thanks, @themoose
Once the new guy, Golden Star Char-broil Restaurant opened, the original neighborhood top dog’s sales went down at least 50 percent. The new flavor hit the spot and instantly, became the “Best in the West.”

Note: When we left on a long road trip to our Northern/Southern surfing destinations in the morning, we stopped to get our share of the new charbroil burgers and fries. Most of the time, we saved them for our lunches, but other times, the aroma was too overpowering and a mid morning snack was part of our moving itinerary heading for the beach locations. Growing teenagers and all that goes with it...YRMV

 

A great outlook for an individual…Ha!

Hello,

Our yard and house have gone through some big changes while we have been living in this last house move for us. It is time to enjoy what we created in the environment and hope it compliments our lifestyle. Our hot rod building days are no longer primary. The times in this old house are revived from a song by Joni Mitchell.

“And the seasons, they go round and round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We're captive on the carousel of time
We can't return, we can only look
Behind, from where we came
And go round and round and round, in the circle game…”


“16 springs and 16 summers gone now,
Cartwheels turn to car wheels through the town,
And they tell her, take your time, it won’t be long now,
Til your drag your feet to slow the circles down…”

Jnaki

At first, in our other 25 year long residence, the song was for our son, growing up and moving away for college. Now, it is 18 years later and our history is dragging us into the next phase of our extended family. Our granddaughter is now headed to college and looking forward to her future, as it points to a certain direction.

She is the last one of all of her friends that is headed in her own direction. All of the others have scattered all over the USA from a small town in Missouri, to San Francisco, to the University of Pennsylvania, and one friend went to one of Paris's design schools. (her family was originally from France.) So, different outlooks from different ways to the future.

It is for us, something that happens and we are just here to accept the direction of change. (Seasons do change as in So Cal, as thousands of kids are already back in school.) And the best thing is that she is a happy kid heading off on her own adventure and experiences… The summer still has a few weeks to go, but everyone is off on their next level of adventures... YRMV

 

“Pain has always been the price”

Hello,

We are fortunate to have lived a happy life, so long. Together, my wife and I have been through plenty of adventures and not so liked experiences. Our family histories are like some with a strong central core. But, we both could not wait to “get away” from the influences our families were trying to impose on our lives and future lives.

It was a simple life, coastal influences from our long time affection for the beach/ocean. But, in looking back, the play of teenage years and up to 30 something times were a little rough and tumble. Sports activities of all kinds, just made me want to keep playing forever. The thrill of competition and the satisfaction of a job well done in the games and afterwards was hopefully, never ending.
working scene in the pits 1960

But, having an injury during the teen years + 20 something years, should have given me a clue as to what was ahead. What do teenagers know about being old, living a lifetime of work/play and developing skills? Ha! Who would have thought that we would end up as a grandparent? Or as teens called our status back then… “really old folks.”

Jnaki

As we are getting along in this current lifestyle, we just have to accept that “things” happen and an old injury or injuries can come back to bite one in the rear. Old folks having fun, being able to laugh at the younger folks and their situations we have all gone through, is satisfying. But, an injury that took a week or two of recovery, now takes almost a month of aches and pains to get over.

Is it fair that we go down hill as we get older? Or should we be able to have the 20-30 years of physicality to last the long future activities making it fair? Well, at least we were able to adapt with more knowledge along the way to the present old age time period...YRMV

 

NOBODY EVER PRIED OPEN AN OLD GARAGE DREAMING OF FINDING A 50 YEAR OLD HYUNDAI.

 

If I ever take up Golf have me put to sleep!

-Willard H. Palmer (My dad)
​

 

ALWAYS KEEP A LITTER BAG IN YER CAR, IT DOESN'T TAKE UP MUCH ROOM,

and IF it fills up, you can Always pitch it !!!!!

 

The more I learn about people, the more I like my dog

 

In my lifetime, I have found the average dog better than the average human.....

 

“A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory…My opinions may have changed, but not the fact that my own history is right.”


Hello,

Yes, it sounds like a conflict of interest in everyone’s head. As we moved along in life, there was no one thing more important that family. Friends come next and then the family dog. Ha! Our history is steeped in things we all did, but for some of us, it was somehow given a direction into hot rods, drag racing, motorcycles and surfing.
1957-58
Some were allowed to move along with our lives and history, but others were left “on base” and disappeared into oblivion. Only memories bring back those days of active hot rod/drag race building, new ideas and lots of fun. So, why is it not prominent in our lives?

We all learned to grow up with what we liked and experienced. When one thing or another goes our way due to diligence on our behalf or it was just the way of someone pointing in that direction, who knows. It just happens. We learned at each step of our history, but at the time, it was just how we all dealt with what was hitting us in the face at the time. The core of ourselves was still there. The ideas and philosophy was also a part of our growing up and melding into society’s ways to get along.

Jnaki

Well, some of us made it this far and others wandered off of the path. We learned along the way, to get along with others, as was socked into us back during the elementary school kid days. I guess, it worked in its own funny way. Hot rods, drag racing, motorcycling and even surfing was a direction that influenced us in many ways. We learned and profited from the experiences. That made us stronger. So, some of those things are not as important, NOW, but were part of the road that led us to our happy and satisfied lifestyle in the current years.

So, how well you adapt to change along the way, how you rebound from slight roadblocks and learn to get along with family was the path we were all led to believe was the right way. Here we are, in our grandpa/grandma era and it is a great place to be, other than being in the “old age” category. YRMV