What's one date that sure to please a guy? How about a trip to a car museum? Actually, visiting the LeMay Car Museum in Spanaway, WA was not only fun for Gerhardt and his bro, it was fun for my sister-in-law and myself as well. We actually had a guide through part of this collection of hundreds of cars. Thank you Dennis for sharing your expertise. (Wish I hadn't accidentally deleted the video we shot from my iPad. Sigh.) So what did I learn from our guide? Well, originally, like in Britain, early car steering wheels were on the right of the car. Why was this? Well, two reasons. Cars started out as the horseless buggy and drivers were used to sitting on the right to handle the reins. Also sidewalks were to the right of the car and nobody wanted to step out onto the dusty, often muddy street. Early headlights were lit like a candle. Some early cars had tillers rather than steering wheels. Oh, and tires were all originally white. But not very sturdy, so manufacturers came up with some sort of process to coat them and the coating material turned black on the top, leaving the white exposed underneath. Hence, whitewall tires. The other thing I learned is... I really like old-fashioned sports cars. I so fell in love with a jazzy red roadster from the thirties, and my sis-in-law and I both figured we could do a great girl road trip in it. Alas, once cars come into the museum they never leave. In summer, however, they do host a car auction. Oooh, how tempting! But, alas, again, now that we've downsized to a condo and only have two parking spots (one of which belongs to Gerhardt's beloved truck) I doubt there will be a red convertible in my future. Anyway, thank you LeMays for providing a lot of fun and a tasty bit of history for car buffs to enjoy. | |
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March 2018
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