Happy Independence Day! This is certainly one of my favorite holidays. To celebrate our freedom and independence and renew that sense of patriotic pride that I have for our country is something I really enjoy. Plus, the weather is fantastic, and the summer has only just begun. My summer ambitions are to keep making progress on my ‘89 FLD that I am restoring to resemble one of dad’s old rides. I’ve been making modest gains in preparing it for its new paint job – it won’t be a show truck, but it will make me feel good to see an exact replica of the truck that came from such an impressionable time in my life. As I imagine all of the details I plan to incorporate into this build, it takes me back to the era when dad was in his absolute prime. He had the most fun and energetic enthusiasm about trucking back in those days, and I absorbed as much of the trucking culture from those days as I possibly could. The fancy trucks, the general atmosphere at the truck stops, and the sense of optimism that my young “old man” had back then are what formed my most impressionable years of trucking culture. Echo mics and added noise-toys on the CB were commonplace. Tons of extra lights and chrome, white-lettered tires, and forward-leaning CB antennas were the name of the game. And calling home was a once-a-day thing, usually done from a payphone booth or a tabletop phone, in the restaurants. Nobody had a GPS or a phone in their pocket. Antilock brakes and cruise control were more often only talked about, rather than standard equipment. And knowing how to use a paper logbook (or perhaps more than one) was just the way things got done. I’m not saying that every little trendy thing from those days was admirable. Does anyone remember the neon colored “Kilroy” accessories that looked like a face with a big nose and hands that played peek-a-boo with passing motorists from atop someone’s bug shield? Or the cartoon Calvin character that was depicted to imply personal disdain for another brand of vehicle or point of view? Maybe Calvin could aim his “point of view” onto another Calvin sticker. Some trends are better left in the past. But it doesn’t hurt to reminisce about days gone by. To me, those memories are like little souvenirs, left behind from a time when things were so much fun!
SOUVENIRS
By Trevor Hardwick
I’m a Road King microphone,
Bouncing on a bungee cord.
A “one-forty-eight”…
Cobra with a Connex board.
I’m an echo from the days gone by,
A reminder of how time can fly.
I’m just a souvenir…
From back when things were so much fun.
I’m a prepaid calling card,
Reaching out to touch someone.
That payphone in a truck stop booth,
Connecting when the day is done.
Now you use a FaceTime app,
From anywhere across the map.
But I’m a souvenir…
From back when things were so much fun.
I’m the load board screen,
In the corner of the driver’s lounge.
I’d give false hope,
To the drivers who’ve been sittin around.
I’d trick ‘em every single time,
They’d hear my “new load posted” chime.
Another souvenir…
From back when things were so much fun.
Years… roll… by…
Seasons come, and then they go.
Still… we… try…
To cling onto the things we know.
I’m a fifteen speed,
The kind of gears you like to mash.
A blue thumb switch,
With the big hole up against the dash.
You used to jam those gears and drift,
But now you use an AutoShift.
I’m a souvenir…
From back when things were so much fun.
I’m an atlas map,
With a spiral-bound glossy page.
A must-have tool,
For drivers from a different age.
The GPS replaced the need,
For anyone to learn to read.
Now I’m a souvenir…
From back when things were so much fun.
I’m an air-ride seat,
The kind that El Dorado made.
I’d have your back,
With a little imitation suede.
Now they heat and cool your tush,
With comfort switches you can push.
And I’m a souvenir…
From back when things were so much fun.
I’m a bug shield Kilroy,
loaded up in Gilroy.
Pre-emission, pages missin,
Calivin-pissin, good ol’ boy.
Paper-loggin, scale doggin,
Lights that flicker, tire kicker.
Twin-stickin, tooth-pickin,
No Lot Lizard bumper sticker.
Runnin late and getting later,
Watchin out for tire gators.
Over-thinkin, coffee-drinkin,
Frozen chicken relocator.
A snapshot from the days gone by,
Fading like the setting sun.
Just a souvenir…
From back when things were so much fun.