Name:
Location: Palm Beach County, Florida, United States

Recently have been told I look like Mary Ann from Gilligan's Island. I hadn't heard that in years, but that is a good place to start as to what I look like, although she had a better bod. I have three boys and have been married for 13 years. Born of a Navy family, in Hawaii, one Mom, one Dad, one sister and one brother. The eldest of three children. BS in Applied Mathematics. Consider Pensacola my home town although I moved every 2-3 years of my life growing up. Currently work in the aerospace industry in an engineering position while being a Mom. Of Celtic heritage and very proud of it.

Saturday, December 04, 2004

Talk About Driving a Tank...

My best friend from High School called me today and left a message on my voice mail about some 85 year old woman she witnessed attempting a 3 point turn in a parking lot while on her cell phone. It was a very funny rant. Very very funny.

Now I can’t top that, but I can add to it a story I heard today.

I was at a meeting for a woman’s organization I am a member of and I was sitting next to a dear friend of mine who is 80 and whose husband is 88 and a retired Army officer. (3 stars to be exact.) He served in WWII as a young Lt, under Patton. She and I were speaking about all the active people we know that society would just as soon throw away or assume to be too old to be worth anything, just because of an arbitrary number...age. (That annoys me… a real peeve of mine… but that is another rant in itself.) She says, “You know… many of the men who served under my husband are older than he is now and they are just as active as he is. Why Bob so-and-so is 100 years old and is still running his big family business. He owns a Winnebago and just travels wherever he wants to…”

At that, I stopped her and said, “He is 100?”
My friend: Why yes he is.
Me: He owns a Winnebago?
My friend: Yes he does.
Me: He drives?
My friend: Oh yes, he goes everywhere.

I sat there looking at her somewhat speechless and finally I said, “E., I don’t know what to say. I think I’m just really disturbed that there is a 100 year old man in a big Winnebago on our roads somewhere. Good Lord.”

Wow. Thank God he’s not down here in S. FL.

2 Comments:

Blogger Pammy said...

I lived on the southwest gulf coast several years ago. We moved there in July, so the 'snowbirds' hadn't appeared yet. I swear, they all appeared in one day, come November. For every 100 year old driving a Winnebago, there were 6 85-year olds driving Buicks. Very slowly.
Never in my life have I seen so many 'driverless' cars. You'd swear there wasn't anyone in the drivers seat, only to pull up beside them and see a tiny, white-haired woman who could barely see over the steering wheel...or peering BETWEEN the steering wheel and the dash. Bless their hearts. They scared me to death.

1:24 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Can't see? Reflexes shot? Sure, give 'em a license!
An state examiner once gave me three guesses at passing the eye test (I DID need new glasses). If he's gonna give me a break, you KNOW he's gonna give that nice old lady who looks like grandma a break.
Bravest guy I ever knew was a driving instructor in West Palm Beach. His students were 80-year-old widows from New York whose hubbies drove them or they used the subway and had never driven a mile in their lives. He didn't last long, his nerves were shot. -- George

12:10 PM  

Post a Comment

<< Home