The Reincarnation of SuzyH

I bought a nice overly practical Toyota Echo. I had jokingly told my dad I wanted the plates back (pre-car purchase) and well, now their mine. An excerpt from the correspondence below:

Hi Suzy,

Jacquie and I have finished your plates. I covered the SUZY H with masking tape and cut around each letter with an exacto knife. I then sprayed the plate with white paint and removed the masking tape from each letter. Jacquie painted each letter with a tiny paint brush and also the small letters (Ontario & yours to discover). The plates look great! So, the name lives on.

Tomorrow, I'm putting the finishing touches on the car transfer (I bought it off Pia who sadly has moved to Vancouver so it's been a slow, step-by-step process). I'm a little freaked out by the work involved. Words like the DMV, emissions test, CAA, oil changes, rust protector, collision insurance and snow tires are a growing buzz my ears. But, hey, it's paid for and I hooked up the insurance so it's 90% mine! I'm going to have to remove the snow bunny bumper stickers cause let's face it -- I'm a horrible skier and snowboarder even though I'd love to say otherwise. I might get a new air freshener and one of those ipod converters cause they car has a tape deck but ya, done.

Road trip anyone?

Farewell SuzyH

Suzy H: 1988 to February 28, 2007


I know it sounds kinda dumb to be broken up over a 19-year-old rotting Ford F150 truck but honestly, there's a good chance it will be my only namesake. My dad first bought the truck when I was 10 years old. It was shiny blue ALL-OVER (not three-toned as in later years) and it was the pride of the farm. My memory isn't that clear but I'm sure I got to spin it around a bit in the beginning if only up and down the laneway.

My first true driving experience began in grade 9 when I was a mere 14 and bored with my girlfriend. We decided to take it up and down the side roads for an hour or so but I didn't realize at the time that she ran on 4 tanks -two gas and two natural gas. The natural gas didn't last so long and almost ran out. My older brother took the heat and didn't rat me out -- or did he? I can't really remember... Below is a list of my favourite truck memories.

Memorable Experiences:

• Hitching it up to the camper and heading to the Pinery every summer. Some nights sleeping in the cab when the rain got heavy and my sleeping bag was soaked.
• Piling six or more friends into the back, covering them with blankets and sneaking into the Mustang drive-in (we also pulled this trick with Amy's matching red Ford).
• Showing up late for high school because Jim decided we'd try and make some cash by pulling helpless drivers out of snow-ditches with a chain.
• Spinning into the snowbank myself more than once.
• Getting my first speeding ticket at 16 and balling in front of my 13-year-old brother.
• Getting another ticket for faulty alignment at 22.
• Driving through Western campus with limited rear vision due to a full load of potted Christmas trees, buckets of woodchips and shovels.
• Making Craig drive it home from Robbyn's house in Westmount cause I was busy puking out the window.
• The Save Tamagami bumper sticker.
• Dad's eclectic mixed tape collection.

She will be sadly missed by all. Thanks for the many great years.