2026, Automotive, Business, Food, Gatherings, Kids

Vroom, Vroom…

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Apparently, I am too easy to please.  Despite the State of Minnesota spending a gazillion dollars to entertain me at the fair this year, YA says my threshold is too low.  Why, you ask?

On Saturday, the company that watches over my investments (my, doesn’t that sound grand?) had a Shredding Event.  They’ve done this in the past but I was never free; this year there was space on my calendar so I filled up a bag of papers to be shredded and headed to St. Paul. 

It was an absolutely beautiful day and they had everything well organized; there were a couple of guys directing traffic and parking and then there were a couple more guys helping folks unload their shreddables.  Since all I had was one bag, I was easy!

Something new this year was a “car show”.  It was extremely low-key – about 18 cars, all just sitting out.  Each one had a tag with make, model and year.  Other than that, no other hoopla, although I did find a few owners standing around next to their cars.  I did ask before I took the photos in the header!

I noticed the red things (my car equipment vocabulary is not robust) on the wheel so the two Mercedes-Benz’ that were there.  Luckily one of the Mercedes owners was there so I asked him what the red things were.

He explained, in very simple words that even I could understand) that they were the brakes/brake pads; he even used hand movements to illustrate how brakes/brake pads work.  I asked why they were red and got the answer “because that’s what Mercedes-Benz does”.  Hmmmm.  Sounds a bit like grandstanding to me.  Another MB owner who was standing nearby commented that you can now order black ones.  Guess some MB owners don’t want to stand out? 

After seeing the cars, there was a complimentary food truck, so I had a nice black bean burger with kettle chips for lunch and talked to another couple at my table who were new clients.  Followed that up with some cookies `n cream ice cream and conversed a bit with my two financial guys.  Then I headed home – I was there about 30 minutes.  Have I mentioned what a lovely day it was?

When I recounted my experience, I got a big eye roll from YA with the comment that some folks are easily pleased.  I think that’s better than being HARD to please.  I had a fun time, had good reading time on the way there and back (CD audio book) – what’s not to like ab out that?

Any classic/vintage car stories?  Are you easy or hard to please?

23 thoughts on “Vroom, Vroom…”

  2. When I was a high school senior, my friend, Kevin, got around in a 1953 MG TD model. (This HAD to have been a gift from his parents.) The best I could do was a 1960 Ford Falcon left to me when my brother went off to Vietnam. I regarded his car as absolutely cool, and mine as dumb.
    About 18 months later, freshly back from Vietnam, myself, and with several hundreds of dollars in hand, I went looking for an MG. I got a 1956 MGA, which wasn’t as cool, but still, much better than a Falcon. I headed off to my next assigned station as a soldier, which was in Alabama. The car made it to West Texas before the crankshaft busted.
    But I didn’t learn better. While in Alabama I purchased a 1946 Plymouth (which also looked cool to me, but in a different way), and when that died (in the summer of 1973) switched to another MGA. I was constantly fixing things on that car. I assumed that there was something wrong with the vehicle, but have discerned, since then that the reason that it had to be constantly fixed was because I was my own mechanic.

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  3. Depends on what’s considered a classic car. I drove what had been my grandpa’s 1967 Plymouth when I first moved to Mpls. in 1977… it was a tank, and hard to park on the streets around 27th and Dupont where I lived.

    The ’50 Plymouth mentioned above was dubbed the Tan Bomb, and it was the only car I was allowed to drive at that age. My friends and I would tool around on a Friday night, scoop the loop before going to a movie or someone’s house…

    I am easy to please, except when I’m not. I guess I am picky about how things are done in the kitchen. Thinking…

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  6. I’ve never owned a car anyone would consider cool. As I’ve commented before on the Trail, I think about my car about as much as I think about my refrigerator. The car requires more maintenance but as long as it works it never enters my mind.

    Whether I’m easy or difficult to please depends on who and how one is trying to please me. I have no trouble entertaining myself or finding things or activities I like but I tend to be dismissive of group activities and manufactured entertainments. We’ll travel to another state or even another country to pursue something that interests us but almost never go out to attend local festivals or events. It takes a lot to pry us out of the house, especially at night.

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  7. Sherrilee, when you were in the travel reward business, how did that work? Did the reward recipients get to choose where they went or to specify what they would do? How structured were the trips? Could the recipients just go off on their own? Did they go on their own or were they part of a group?

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    1. Yes to all your questions. Every program was different. If there were an “average” program, it would look like this. Arrival day – group dinner. Then two or three days of activities that the participants choose ahead of time with a group dinner most nights. Maybe one night a “dine-around” – groups of winners sent off to pre-selected restaurants. Or maybe one night with a cash allowance for dinner on their own. Final night big group dinner, maybe awards ceremony.

      But so many variations – big cash allowance and a lot of freedom of choice. More group meals/activities, less options. And yes, there was a way for winners to choose a pre-planned package – this was actually a more expensive option for the client and was handled by a different area. I worked in the incentive area. There is also a meetings area and an automotive area.

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        1. Yes, most incentives programs were promoted for quite some time before the trip. And yes winners could opt out although that was very rare. Most people who opted out had scheduling issues (surgery, death of family member, wedding, etc.) Most companies compensated folks who couldn’t go but it usually wasn’t for the full value of the trip.

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  8. Easy to please.
    My first car was a 1963 Chevrolet Impala four door. It had been rolled and repaired. Red with a black vinyl top.
    Ebay has one for $14.00 plus delivery.
    Classic cars websites have several starting at $45,000.
    I’d go the easy way.

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  9. OT light humor.
    The Gibeonites are the salvation of humanity from AI.
    Joshua chapter 10 verse 2:
    “Gibeon was a great city, like one of the royal cities. It was greater than Ai.”

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  10. I don’t know if I’m easy or hard to please. There are things that other people get excited about that don’t interest me, but there are lots of things I do like. Plop me in a good bookstore and I’m happy. Take me to a sports event, and unless it’s soccer, I’m not impressed.

    My uncle had a Ford Model A with a rumble seat. Not sure what year, I think early 30s. He’d drive it for family outings and picnics and it was a treat for us kids to get a ride in the rumble seat.

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  11. 1972 my drummers mom bought a 72 volvo 1800 great design discontinued 1 year later. i told her to take good care of our car and that i wanted to buy it when she was done with it. she honored my request and sold it to me about 30 years later. i loved that car . i sold it to an oil guy in the uae 10 years later in times of financial need. he sent me a picture of my volvo amongst his classic car collection. i sent a thank you note

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