Get Your Motor Runnin'

Our two oldest granddaughters, Katie & Madeleine, spent the night with us a couple weekends ago. They do that occasionally for no particular reason. We just get a call from someone asking "can I come and stay?" They used to call Paul and he would pick them up after work/school. But since Katie started driving a year ago, she drives them up to visit. We both love it when they ask to stay and love having them here.

When they got here this last time Katie immediately asked "Can I drive the Corvette, Grandpa?" Being the cool grandfather that he is, Paul said yes. Still a couple years from driving and since the car is a two-seater, Madeleine had to be content with taking photos to document the event. Here are a couple.

Putting the top down on the car.

She's a natural, don't you think?

What Would You Do Without Me?

When Paul came in this morning saying he was having trouble getting the old battery out of his Corvette without removing what he thought were way too many parts and was just going to change the oil in the tractor instead, I calmly asked if he wanted me to see if I could find something online about it. At first he thought I was joking but waited while I typed "removing battery from 1990 Corvette" into Google. I started opening a few things and reading to him bits and pieces of the 107,000 hits that came up. It was obvious he is not the only owner of a '90 Vette who has had this problem. I found one site with photos and instructions, and he sat down and read through it. He said the photos would be helpful so we printed out the 6 pages and off he went back to the garage to hopefully finish what he started.

A couple years ago he would have scoffed at such a suggestion but obviously he didn’t this time. My husband has built and rebuilt cars going back to when he was a gear head in his teens. And you can be sure he didn’t even consult an automotive manual, never mind a computer, to figure something out. But a '90 'Vette is a long way from a '55 Chevy and cars sure are alot more complicated in this century (sorry, honey, couldn't resist). And while my involvement with my car and its maintanence pretty much stops at putting gas in it and running through the car wash, I do remember one time consulting Google about how to reset the Check Engine light after the mechanic who did an oil change forgot to.

To be fair, I must say Paul's computer ability has come a long way since he wrote that first email years ago which I suggested printing out to send to the grandkids to post on their refrigerator. But it hasn’t been easy. I am not a particularly patient teacher and he is not a very easy student. There have been a few lessons screamed rather than taught. And I have to say this sharing of one computer at home is getting old.

He still goes to the telephone book (I keep throwing them out, he brings another home) when looking for a number and will probably NEVER read a newspaper online but I do think he’s starting to see the value of the internet as a research tool. So there is progress!

He just came back in from the garage with a huge smile on his face saying “It’s amazing how easy that is when you know how to do it.” No kidding. My comment was “what would you do without me?” I’m not sure I heard his answer; maybe I don't want to.

NOTE: The Corvette in question is FOR SALE. It’s a 1990 Convertible in Polo Green with a tan top & interior with 28,000 miles and a NEW battery. If you or someone you know might be interested in it, drop me a line for more details and photos.