I Was Born a Ramblin’ Man
Well, I wasn’t born a man, but MTM was. Few people know that he put himself through high school and part of college by working as a mechanic. And racing cars. He’s a fast mover, that MTM.
So, it shouldn’t surprise me that when we pulled up last night beside a shiny red car with a white top, MTM knew all about the oldie-mobile.
Me: What kind of old car is THAT?
MTM: That’s a Rambler. My brother Jim had one.
Me: Oh.
MTM: Yeah. Best thing about those cars? The front seats lowered further than this. (Demonstrates by lowering Miss Mini‘s front seat all the way, to not-fully-horizontal.) They pretty much went horizontal, those Rambler seats.
Me: (Stupid face) Why does that matter?
MTM: Wellllllll……………..when one was on a date……………….and he drove that car…………………
Me: EW! EW!!!!!!! Stop!!!!!!! NEVER MIND!!!!!!!!! I DON’T WANT TO SULLY MY INNOCENT BRAIN ANY FURTHER WITH YOUR WANTON TEENAGE EXPLOITS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Silence.
More silence.
MTM: Yeah. That Rambler was a GREAT car.
I love this song! I was just looking for this song! I spent a lot of time on Highway 41 with my seat back fully upright this summer. I suppose MTM knows the seats would sit up straight, too?
He didn’t discuss his clear knowledge of the upright position, Roxanne.
Oh that rascally MTM, such a head of hair way back then. I will have to tell you sometime about my first car, a 1954 OLDS 88. That car’s back seat was bigger than the garage apartment I had while going to college. OH MY!!
I am still laughing at this comment, Lou.
Given your recent Arlo excellentness, Robert, this one is even more appropriate than the one I chose.
And then there’s Ramble On http://youtu.be/uKVp-atyiVA.
Describes another epic journey!
OH, that MTM is a keeper!
He is a very happy man today.
I guess it’s better than the back seat of a grayhound bus, rolling down highway 41.
I don’t know if MTM ever did the bus thing. That is a picture from his 8 month around-the-country motorcycle trip after grad school.
MTM doesn’t look like he’s aged a bit. A rambler? Huh. You know…my first husband (Sterling’s Daddy) had an Austin Healey (sp?) Sprite…um…we had no problem even though the seats went…nowhere. *sigh* Oh youth where, oh where did you go…(I cannot believe I’m not deleting this post – sorry if I’ve offended or grossed anyone out.)
Lori, this comment is just priceless. I love it. No offense here.
My mother had a Rambler but I’m pretty sure she didn’t do much with adjusting the seats (or at least I’d hate to think she did).
Ew! Ew! Scrubbing my brain! Scrubbing my brain!
He he.
Helps to have an automatic in those situations too, so you don’t, um, run into the gear shift. I could tell you stories about how the interior of cars are broken… purely from working at dealerships and parts stores, of course.
I love that picture of MTM! Reminds me of The Motorcycle Diaries. (Let’s see if my html llnk works. If not, just go look it up!
Oh, of COURSE.
Good thing our great-grandpas weren’t prone (oops) to that sort of thinking. Earlier incarnations probably weren’t such an accommodating design: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:1913_Rambler_5-passenger_Touring.JPG
I’m sure they were resourceful and had their ways.
My Daddy had a Rambler wagon. All I can remember about that was the back seats laid down so that my brother and I could sleep on long trips. It’s hard to imagine toting two kids around NOT in seatbelts and surrounded by all that steal and glass. Does MTM fix your cars?
MTM can’t work on newer cars, because the computer systems and such make them very different from old cars. I think 1981 or 1982 is his threshold.
Great musical accompaniment, Andra! Boys and their cars…my husband is a lot older than MTM and I don’t think a week goes by that I don’t hear some story about a car from his past! And yet I get very nostalgic about my grandparent’s Hudson…I would love to ride in it again!
Debra
Men and their toys, Debra. They all love their toys.
Station Wagon.
Spoken like an engineer.
My mother had a black Rambler station wagon that was then passed down to my sister. I only remember it having push buttons for driving. I’ll have to ask my sister about the seats. He he!
Haha! I bet she could tell you some stories………
Well, that MTM was a good lookin’ guy, wasn’t he? And I suppose he still is. I know NOTHING about cars. No, I take that back. I know LESS than nothing about cars. Plus, I wouldn’t have gotten the thing about the seat folding forward. I would have thought it was to help haul stuff. Silly me.
Hugs,
Kathy
In this case, the front seats reclined to horizontal. Perfect, according to MTM, for making a quick getaway when parking.
Ah, boys and their toys. Fun post, Andra, with lots of old songs (like me).
I think those boys love to poke at us sometimes, don’t they?
Thank you
I needed that belly laugh today.
Cool eighties getup, MTM. Once upon a time Phil had hair like that too.
I hope you’re enjoying Cornwall, Kate. Belly laughs are probably even better there.
great song, great post…you’ve a wild one in your midst ~ (you two are perfect for each other
)
He still surprises me, Angela. That’s never a bad thing.
I’m far too young to know about older autos.
But that hairstyle does look very familiar.
Haha!
What make is the bike Andra?
MTM cobbled that bike together from the parts of three or four different ones, Jim. The majority was a 1971 Honda CB-500, but it had Kawasaki, Suzuki and Harley parts.
Thanks – thought the engine was a CB 500 – if you haven’t seen it yet the site “The Selvedge Yard” is pretty cool on old bike shots and films. Have a good weekend Andra!
MTM will be all into that, Jim. Thanks.
A true mongrel, the bike took me all around the continent for the better part of a year. Never failed me, though it did shed non-essential parts along the way…speedo, tach, chainguard…
Ha! Nice last word on the subject.
We’ve laughed a lot about it since.