I have a soft spot in my heart for Dodge as my very first car was a 13 year old Dart that was supposed to get me through my final year in college and never driven above 40 miles per hour. Its floor was rusting through in spots; I could see the road rushing along underneath my feet as I drove. That was occasionally disconcerting. One door did not close completely and so I needed to securely tie it off with rope on the inside in order to prevent my passengers from falling out. I drove that car for several years and often above 60 miles per hour. As long as I fed it oil on a very regular basis, it ran fine. I have many, many fond memories of that car and of those days.

At a gathering this past weekend, I met Bill for the first time. He was our gracious and soft spoken host. Toward the end of our time together, he asked if I wanted to see his cars, 1933 and 1941 Dodges. I grabbed my camera and followed him out to the garage.

Bill came to life, excitedly telling me about the two restorations, which he largely completed himself, and about the fine workmanship of those who assisted in the project. He described the fact that his very first car, a fixer upper, was the same 1933 model. The restorations were clearly a passion project, a labor of love, and a beautiful reminiscence.

This made me wonder….

… wonder whether there might be a pale yellow 1969 Dodge Dart somewhere out there needing a bit of love.