How many times had she rescued it? She'd lost count. It seemed that every year since she'd gotten it, it had dwindled down to nothing and she'd had to give it a serious haircut to get it going again. It would, almost overnight, grow lush and full only to start dwindling and drooping again with no warning. How often she had looked at it, remembering, or drawing comfort from its upright eager vines that never seemed to quit. Poor Charlie, she thought. How many more times can I hack away at you like this and expect you to live? What would be part of the celebration? Well there would be music for dancing from the Big Band which is sponsored by ITT Conglomerates. Of course, there would be food, party favors, and a chance to meet and greet other car lovers (and even lonely souls who had nowhere to go on New Year's eve).

Not only were the fads up in the air in the seventies, so were the headline news. In 1971, the 26th Amendment was passed allowing a U.S. citizen to be able to vote at age 18. In 1974, President Nixon resigned from office as the Watergate scandal unfolds. In 1975, President Ford announces war in Vietnam was finished as far as the U.S. was concerned. And Space became the "New Frontier". In 1972, Pioneer 10 lifted off to journey past Jupiter. In 1973, Skylab was launched by NASA. And in 1976, the Viking I landed on Mars. Boy, times were changing fast, just as Bob Dylan had predicted. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napco_Four_Wheel_Drive_Vehicles I should always watch what I say because with the PC their could be a small child on here collecting those hunting stories like I collected them from my grandfather. Although the word bullshit was one of those sacred words as a kid you used to say just out of ear shot of mom and dad. It had it's own mystique about it altogether back then. The questions continued and I kept dodging them. Finally he dismissed me with a frustrated wave of his hand. I went back through the corridor that Li-Li had led me earlier, but I didn't see her when I returned to the bar. In fact, I never saw her again nor did I ever return to the Shadow Bar. But there is certainly good news for those who just have no idea where to celebrate the holidays. You see, the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum is actually inviting everybody for a big event. The event is to actually celebrate the arrival of the new year, 2007. Come the last day of this year, 31st of December, there would be a celebration and an event which the museum dubbed as "A Classic New Year's Eve". No, the museum is not going to give away some of their cars or even some of the Custom truck xxl buy and sell parts at the very least. It is perhaps a way of saying thank you to all those auto lovers and to all of the public who has wholeheartedly supported the auto museum through the year. To digress a bit, I need to tell you that Sgt. Grace lied. First, the language I was assigned to study was Vietnamese. Second, after going through the 101st Airborne Division's jungle combat school in Phan Rang, I was assigned to the 1st Brigade, a reactionary unit. I joined them in Dak To, and early the next morning was flown out to join an artillery battery in what was called "Operation Eagle Bait". Didn't take long to find out we were the bait, and Charlie was the eagle. The objective was to tempt the Viet Cong into attacking us, then bring in an assault wave of Huey's loaded with infantry, and wipe the enemy out. What I quickly discovered is that there is nothing in the world comparable to the first night you are brought out of a deep sleep by M-60 machine gun fire. A couple of guys that had graduated from high school with me picked me up at the end of my afternoon shift, and we went drinking in Lorain. We ended up in Hannah's Bar on North Broadway just a couple of blocks south of Lake Erie. See, when my dad had his injury, all of the resentment, rage and shame I was feeling as a full time nanny, just melted away. When I see my dad taking steps with shaking knees, just like my granddaughter, I know that God has given me a great job. I am an angel, who teaches the art of walking in the face of fear.