Yesterday evening Chickie and I took a ride with our friend Bippy to the local Barrel of Fun to get some ice cream. It’s hot here in Louisville so ice cream sounded like a great way to cool down. But the main event was riding in Bippy’s old ’62 Ford Fairlane 500. Same type of car that Sheriff Andy Taylor drove in the old Andy Griffith Show in the 1960’s. Bippy plans to repaint the car black and white, same as the original police car Sheriff Andy drove. As you can see it already has the gold star on the driver’s door and the red siren light on top of the hood.

Just to see the car is fun but I was surprised at how much joy it gave me to ride in that car. Bippy had driven over to pick me up and I couldn’t stop smiling as I walked to the car’s passenger door. Simply to open the old car door, pushing in on the metal button of the handle, made me laugh. Instantly I was transported back in time to the days of my childhood.

“This is so fun, Bippy,” I said. “But boy is it hot!”

“I got the air conditioner running,” he replied.

Bippy and I both laughed out loud because the “air conditioner” was all four windows rolled down. And when the door handle fell off as I shut the passenger door we laughed some more. He calls his car Hoopty and I think it fits. He has plans to fix Hoopty up, back to a brand new look.

Cars in the early sixties had no air conditioning. There is a handle on the inside of the door and you turn it, or crank it in circles to roll the windows down. There is no remote button. There is a rear view mirror and the driver’s mirror sits up on the front hood and another one by the car door. The dashboard contained only a heater and a small radio. But what was really odd was no safety belts. I felt rather vulnerable and Chickie agreed with me. We are all so conditioned now to ride in a car with seat belts! And to think when I was a child no one had seat belts, or car seats. I remember climbing around the back seat with my brothers when one of our parents drove the car. Times have certainly changed and are much safer now with the modern car.

When Bippy parked the car in the parking lot of the Barrel there was quite the line of people waiting to place their order. Everyone sits outside on picnic tables to eat their food as this ice cream shop is very small, with no indoor seating. All eyes turned on Hoopty as we pulled up, some people laughing, and one lady saying, “That is so cool”. Bippy turned on the red light and I could hear the police siren above my head and I knew it was turning in circles also. People started to laugh and clap. It was all just so fun! Good to be reminded of the “good ole days”.

One young man came up to Bippy and showed him a picture of his dad’s car on his phone, a 1957 Ford, all painted up in the black and white with the gold star on the front doors. It too had the red light and his dad had installed a 2000 Camaro engine under the hood. Some people love their cars and there’s this instant kinship as they share their stories.

Bippy drove Chickie and me back to Chickie’s house. It was still hot but we had fun. By the way, I asked Bippy later if Bippy was his real first name. Even though I have known him for years I didn’t know this particular piece of information about him. I sensed a good story, too, and I love to hear people’s stories. He told me his dad used to call him his “little bitty” when he was just a baby. Bippy was the last of seven children. His four year young sister could not say bitty and called him Bippy. Six decades later Bippy still sticks. His actual first name is James but very few people know that.

Thank you Bippy and Hoopty for a wonderful sentimental and nostalgic evening!

c   Love, Joan