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Title: Deirdre's 40th Birthday
Category: Full of Life
Blog Entry: Back when I was trying to find out as much as I could about my newly purchased Ghia, I read an article in a VW magazine telling how folks could get "birth certificates" for their cars. The Volkswagen factory in Osnabruck, Germany, has records of all the Beetles, Ghias, and Buses they produced; one had simply to submit the VIN and a fee of --back in 2001-- fifteen Euros.The document is a clean certificate with the factory logo done up in the traditional blue and white VW color scheme. A bit larger than a letter-sized piece of paper, it describes when the car was put together, the day it rolled off the factory floor, what features it had (interior and exterior color, engine serial number, etc), and even its port of entry to the United States.Friday, then, was Deirdre's "birthday." The romantic that I am, I would like to think that, in the afternoon of June 27th, 1968 (a lovely summer day --pleasantly warm, but not hot), a shiny new Karmann Ghia rolled off the assembly line. Shimmering in her Regatta Blue paint, white sidewall tires gleaming, she was tenderly rubbed down with a chamois and parked in an enclosed lot to await her departure to the shores of California.I didn't do any formal "party" or buy "gifts"... that's just crazy-talk!! I did take the opportunity to run Deirdre up the Rims (a high cliff that overlooks from the north side of town) with the gang from the Blondy's diner. We had about a dozen cars drive north through town and up the hill on Thursday (the usually scheduled night for the cruises). I was honestly concerned that the old gal might not make it to the top; running in third gear, I maintained 40 MPH while keeping a close eye on the warning lights and a nostril standing ready to detect any whiff of disaster.Despite my fears, my 40-year-old beauty reached the top. The wife was kind enough to join me and share in the "glow"; we sat atop the Rims for a while, enjoying the view and cool breezes. Personally, I was relishing the fact that I'd succeeded in reaching my personal goal for the summer!