Sunday, April 26, 2009

Back in Black





With Bryan's schedule, we only get one weekend together each month. We woke up extremely late on Saturday to slushy snow outside. Since the day was now shot for outside work, we decided to go on a street vacation. We chose to drive down to Bridal Veil Falls in Provo Canyon. Partially due to its proximity, but also because Bryan took a picture of the train cars a couple years ago with the 35 mm, and wanted to get more shots with his medium format. We started our drive with rain in Logan, and then beautiful sunshine through Ogden and Davis County. We stopped at the London Market in Salt Lake and then went by Moochie's for the best Philly cheesesteaks. It started raining again, and poured the entire way to Provo Canyon. We arrived at the falls with the rain falling harder. We waited a little while to see if the weather would change, but it kept getting worse. So we moved on to the train cars. Here it was pouring rain with brutal gusts of wind. The longer we waited, the snowier the rain became. We finally gave up, and started our way back down the canyon. We then came across a small black Honda that had obviously lost control and ended up sandwiched in the mud. I noticed there were people still inside the car and made Bryan go back to help. The two guys in the car were definitely shaken up; they had a hard time communicating, and were a little scared of us. Bryan hooked up the chain and slowly backed them out of their situation. Once we knew they were ok, we got back in the truck to start our journey home; this is when I realized IT WASN'T RAINING! We hurried up to the train cars and started snapping away. Bryan got all the pictures he wanted, and I even took a few. We stopped at the falls and finished the roll. It always pays to do the right thing.

Sunday, April 5, 2009

My Mechanic

When I was young I always wanted to marry someone just like my dad. The biggest qualification was cars. My dad had hot cars when he was a teenager, and owned a Chevelle when I was a small child, and then several Bugs. He was always tinkering on them, even though they worked just fine. This image of legs sticking out from under a vehicle is common at our home. Bryan is very passionate about cars. He has loved them since a small boy. There are pictures of him around 3 years old fixing his toy trucks with magic markers. He was destined to be a mechanic. He has owned so many cars, that it is becoming difficult to remember them all. In this shot, you can see his current project, the transmission upgrade to the truck. You can also see his 1970 1/2 Camaro in the background; on jackstands ready for a new engine build. And then in the far corner, a 1940 Chevy that is his first hot rod. I've spent many hours sitting beside him chatting and working on my favorite projects (blankets and cross-stitches). It's amazing how much I can accomplish while he turns wrench. While he was a mechanic at Willey Ford, I loved to hang out. It is fascinating to me that he can pull apart ANY vehicle and put it back together better than before. I could never be that smart (or brave). His knowledge of mechanical parts and how things go together is astounding. I love to question him about what he's doing and how it makes it better. I've learned so much that I sometimes can help figure out a solution to a problem. He's even started quizzing me on why a specific set up is the best. Or what the 442 stands for with Oldsmobile. And surprisingly I can work out the answer. I am very protective of his knowledge, and hurt greatly when someone calls him a 'grease monkey', turns their nose up at his valuable advice, or gives him a hard time for his disorganized work space. I love my husband's ability. I love going on test drives with him. I love his work ethic. He will not let a vehicle leave without knowing it is perfectly fixed. He'll spend sleepless nights going through each step making sure in his mind that every nut and bolt was put back. He can answer anyone's question about any problem. Very rarely is he stumped. And when he is, he'll spend hours researching the subject until he knows what needs to be done. I love enjoying the final product too. The last time he did work on his Camaro, we went out for a summer night drive to get some ice cream. On the way back, we saw a fox in a farmer's field! There's nothing better than an old car. I love fumes of fuel, the hum of the exhaust, the lope of a cam while idling, and the smiles of onlookers. And driving one is addictive. Even slowpokes couldn't help themselves from slamming the shifter down and stomping on the gas. The squeal of tires, curl of exhaust, and roaring of eight cylinders is thrilling.
So thank you Bryan, for having ostentatious dreams that fulfill mine.