vikprez

If you are good enough to come in second place, you are good enough to be disappointed by it.

My parents are heading down to California this week to pick up things left to my Mom after my grandfather's death a few months ago, so those memories are starting to come back to me and my parents.

The only good thing is we (i.e. me) will be the new owners of my grandfathers truck, a 1939 Dodge pickup in beautiful condition. My grandpa taught me how to drive a stick shift in that truck, so I am really looking forward to being able to drive it.

When my grandpa was very young growing up in Irvington, CA. he always saw this delivery truck painted bright orange from an asian market in town. He said when he was older he wanted to own a truck just like that. Well, because of life and whatnot, he was not able to buy his dream truck until he was almost 60. He started looking for a Ford from the late '30 and did not find one he was happy with. He then saw an ad for a dodge in upstate CA and went to take a look at the truck. He loved it and decided to buy it. Once he cleaned it up, had it photographed for Classic Truck Magazine, and took it to several shows, he decided to research the trucks history. After following previous owners, tracking numbers etc...

He discovered that he had bought the exact same truck he saw as a young child. He even found photographs of that truck as a delivery vehicle in photos of downtown Irvington.

I will love this truck. It is one of my best memories of him and me. Taking drives to play pool together, teaching me to drive, washing the truck in front of his house.

I love his truck.

I miss my grandpa.