My grandfather is 85, so he is not the youngest guy anymore. But sometimes he acts like he's 40, when he is driving his bike towards Canada. I can be very proud to have a grandfather like mine who is still interested in life with all its beauty and huge range of possibilities. For instance, last month he started climbing and I couldn't believe that he was able to climb the summit of a small but pretty precipitous hill near San Diego, where I live with my huge lovely family.
Although I have to admit that my grandfather did a very good job with everything he did in the past, I began to think about the risks that are associated with such dangerous sports; especially if they are involving an 85 year old pensioner. So I visited him last week to show him my point of view. My exact words were, ?Grandpa, Listen! You are in an age where you are supposed to watch TV or play cards with other seniors who just want to talk about the glory of the past and the grievances of the present caused by the lazy and disinterested youth. I don't want you to be exactly like these guys. Of course not! I am very proud of the fact that you are different and more fun-loving in comparison with the other guys at your age. But please do me this favor: Don't do any risky sports that could have negative consequences for the duration of your life. Please!?
You don't know my father, so you cannot imagine how he reacted to this small request. And seriously, you can be very glad that you didn't join this conversation. I don't want to go details, so I will sum it up. He was not amused, like the queen, when her lovely grandson Harry had one of his many amorous adventures again. After grandpa yelled at me for around 20 minutes, where he said things like ?You cannot tell me to stop doing the things I want to do!? I left my grandfather's house to find another solution to prevent him from experiencing any bad sport's accidents. I wasn't mad at him because honestly I can understand him. But on the other side, I didn't want to see him in danger.
After I had sat maybe two hours at my place without any productive results, I got a call from grandpa, who sounded very angered, ?Ey Tony, can you come very quickly? I had an accident with my truck. I think I got injured a bit. Please hurry up!? When I arrived I was very surprised what I saw. My grandpa was lying beside his truck holding his right leg that was bleeding. You can imagine that when I heard that he had a car accident, I was thinking of a real car accident---sitting in his car and crashing into another car or something like that.
So I was very happy to see him in a relative good condition. It was not a big deal to bring him to the hospital and after one hour he was able to leave it again without any problems. In the evening we talked about his accident and I got to know that he fell from his truck as he tried to leave his driver's side cabin. Beside that it was the first time that he admitted to being old and that he had to take care of himself more so than 50 years ago. At the end of our conversation I was able to convince him to stop his climb career and focus more on other safer activities. And we decided to purchase running boards for his truck. Because one thing is fact: I could never convince him to sell his lovely truck.
I admit that I obsess over my Jeep. Jeepy was the first vehicle that I ever bought and well, they say your first car is like your first love… I knew that when I left SF I had to somehow take my beloved Jeep with me. Then I hit on a plan. Rather than ship her to Italy, I would hire out a cargo plane and fly with her there! The plan sounded adventurous and it appealed to me because I wouldn’t be separated from Jeepy for a moment.
Initially, the flight out of San Francisco was routine. The pilot was an expert and a car fan to boot, so we had a great time talking over Jeepy’s finer points. But a couple hours into the flight, disaster struck. We got caught in turbulence caused by a fast moving storm and the plane groaned and shook with tremendous force. It was exactly like the scene from that movie Castaway. The pilot tried unsuccessfully to radio for help. “Mayday!" he shouted, but the equipment started to crackle and smoke. Suddenly, a sharp jolt flung him from his seat and across the cabin where he struck his head against a bar and lay still.
I was in a panic. I grabbed the controls and tried to keep the shaking plane steady, but I had no idea what I was doing. I knew we were loosing altitude and a crash was imminent, and there was nothing I could do. A few seconds later, we slammed into the ground and I blacked out.
When I came to, I was lying on a beach next to the smoldering wreckage. I staggered to the cabin, but I was too late. The pilot was dead. But more importantly, how did Jeepy fare? Amazingly, she had somehow survived the impact and her engine started up in no time. I climbed in and carefully drove out of the twisted metal and started explore the beach. We had apparently crash-landed on a medium-sized tropical island, and as far as the eye could see was the sky and the endless blue ocean. The island was volcanic and clearly deserted; the only sounds were chirping birds and Jeepy’s rumbling.
At first I thought the terrain would be too rugged, but I shouldn’t have worried�"Jeepy’s, powerful engine allowed me to rove over the rocks and through the forests to explore. There was some good news. I found that the island was well populated with fruit trees and streams of fish so I wouldn’t starve. I also found pools of fresh water and a cave which would shelter me for the time being.
It suddenly occurred to me that most people dream of retiring early and moving to a tropical island, and now my dream had come true. I had peace and quiet and a kingdom of my own with Jeepy to reign as my queen. My only concern now is what to do once all my gasoline runs out!
Both Tim Saunier & Jimmy Plant are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Tim Saunier has sinced written about articles on various topics from Trucks, Brakes and Debts Loans. No matter, if you are old or young, I think you will always benefit from and. Tim Saunier's top article generates over 9900 views. to your Favourites.
Jimmy Plant has sinced written about articles on various topics from Air Filters, Exhaust and Cars. If I ever get off this island, my Jeep is definitely going to get a reward. I’m thinking I’ll get her some and. Jimmy Plant's top article generates over 18100 views. to your Favourites.