Imagine that it’s your 16th birthday and you receive a photo of your dream car. You turn the photo over and find a note on back telling you that, in fact, the car is now yours. That’s what happened to me in the fall of 1979. I was as shocked and elated as you might imagine! The car was my uncle’s 1930 Model A Ford. As you may have already read, my uncle received Chug from my great-grandmother when he turned 16. My uncle thought it would be a nice family tradition to pass the car through the generations in this manner. I received my driver’s license at age 17. I took every opportunity to drive contemporary vehicles in order to build some skill before driving Chug. Even so, much had changed in automotive technology between 1930 and 1980. My uncle very patiently taught the subtleties of driving 1930-style. I had a blast driving around little used dirt roads near my uncle and aunt’s home in Marshfield, MA. When I was finally ready to solo, we took the long, slow route (route 9) to my home in Amherst, MA. Chug attracted a great deal of attention around Amherst. A reporter for the Amherst Bulletin newspaper even mentioned Chug and I in her column along with a nice photo of us together. My friends loved having me drive when we went out. Unfortunately, I just didn’t have the resources to be able to keep up with Chug’s needs at that stage of both our lives. There were some turbulent times around then (health issues, etc.). I was, at one point, so strapped for cash that I actually used Chug to deliver pizzas! Soon, an alternator issue evolved that we couldn’t seem to fix. I had to take a battery charger with me everywhere I went. The battery in Model A’s is under the front floorboards. Frequent removal of the floorboards, movement of cables in and out of the car, and daily driving were taking a toll on Chug. I knew it pained my uncle to see Chug deteriorate, so I gave her back to him the next Christmas. The transfer of title was finalized in 1985. Was it difficult to give back my dream car? Yes and no. I missed having Chug but I knew she was in the right hands. Those few years of ownership were an incredible gift! It also makes me happy to know that my uncle has his dream car. I live in California now, so I don’t get to see Chug as often as I’d like. She is, however, a part of every family visit. I love going for rides in Chug as much today as I did as a child!