My daddy was a mechanic and my weekends as a child were often spent at car auctions in Maryland. We lived outside of Hagerstown, Maryland where the rolling hills and country roads played havoc on any vehicles driving on them. I remember many cars that my father bought and fixed up. We went “hill hopping” in the back of a pick up truck and like a cheap Six Flags ticket my sister and I sat in the back and laughed as our stomachs often leapt into our throats as we bumped up and down.
Car Auctions In Maryland
We often had two or three cars in our driveway at a time that daddy had bought at car auctions in Maryland. Sometimes he would drive as far away as Washington, D. C. or even somewhere off the Chesapeake Bay to get a car to work on. I remember sitting next to him on the gravel as he lay under a Corvair fixing new headers on for my mom, which would sound out loud and proud when she went up a steep hill. He had a purpose under the cars, I would hand him a wrench or a rag, or what ever he needed as he lay on the ground with just his lower body jutting out from beneath the car.
Sometimes, my dad would wake me up before dawn so we could drive to the car auctions in Maryland. I’d lean on him wrapped in a sweater or blanket and we would drive dark country roads to large garages or a fairgrounds where many cars in various states of repair lay waiting for their new owners. Sometimes there were hot rods and classic cars, sometimes there were rusty old Junkers that needed a tow truck or flatbed truck to bring back home to our yard. Daddy was always looking for a gem amidst the grass.
Once in a while my dad would come across a motorcycle at the car auctions in Maryland. He would take those home and tinker with them too until they roared into existence. I think my dad just liked to get his hands dirty. No matter how many times he washed with Lava brand soap there was black grease under the fingernails and in his cuticles. I think about daddy through his stained hands, always finding something else to take apart and put back together. He was at his happiest and so was I in those moments.
Car Auctions In Maryland – Conclusion
Some of my earliest and most pleasurable memories of my dad were while we were at car auctions in Maryland. I remember the traveling, the hunt for a Model A or Mustang. And I remember the gravel under my skinny tanned legs as I sat Indian style and watched him silently and handed daddy tools to create car magic. This was our time together: Daddy and his little girl/the tomboy who grew up to love hot cars and who learned how to change the gasket in a carburetor on engines we bought at car auctions in Maryland.
