The Sunday Drive

[Smithy]

Oh the old Chargers, you used to see quite a few of those round Oz and NZ, but they are getting rarer and rarer these days.

If you've a bit of a soft spot for the Aussie muscles and haven't already seen it watch "Love the Beast" about Eric Bana's XB Falcon Coupe. Great doco and monster of a car!

 

[swinggal]

Hehe, that's a great movie Smithy. Love the 'Bana'.

We used to go on Sunday drives a lot as a kid in the 70s and even the early 80s. I lived in the country til I was 13 (Kalgoorlie) and we always used to go out for long drives to the bush or on picnics with mum and dad or other friends. My dad is a member of the vintage car club there too, so sometimes we'd get to go out on a Sunday rally in the A Model with all the other cars in the town. Was quite a spectacle. Then we'd head down some bush track for lunch

I liked it when it was just us the best. On the way home we'd get to have an icecream. Here's me on a Sunday drive when we were visiting my grandma once on holiday in the 70s.

[/IMG]

 

[Flivver]

The problem with the Sunday Drive is all the bloody Sunday Drivers

Here's a great recording from 1927 entitled "We're the Sunday Drivers":

http://www.archive.org/details/BillyMurraysTrioCarlMathieuMonroeSilverandMurray

Stepping out in my machine...

 

[Big Man]

While not a "Sunday drive", I think this trip today (a "Friday drive"?) would qualify for this thread.

We tried to beat the heat today by loading the grandchildren up in the old '48 Plymouth and heading to Lake James State Park for a swim and a picnic. We all had a great time, and taking the old car made it just that much more interesting and fun.

And on the way back, everyone was worn out from a full day of having fun ...

 

[davestlouis]

I have fond memories of driving to Lawrenceburg Indiana in my dad's 69 Oldsmobile Delta 88 4 door base model hardtop, gross medium green with dark green vinyl top and seats. There was an ice cream place there called the Dairy Boat, and we would get ice cream and watch cars go by. It was probably only an hour each way from Cincinnati but I always looked forward to it.

Now we take the Great River Road (Illinois 100) up past Alton IL to Grafton, IL...there's a cool restaurant called the Fin Inn, and they have fish tanks set into the walls.

www.fininn.com

 

[Big Man]

Drove the old '48 Plymouth to homecoming at church today. Here we are backing out the drive on our way to church. It was a beautiful day for a "Sunday drive" today.

 

[Cracker]

I grew up riding around with my grandfather in a '64 CJ-5 Jeep. Most weekends we drive out to the kennels to check on his bird dogs and horse. When I got old enough, I learned to drive in that Jeep, grinding 3 gears and watching the asphalt pass beneath the rusted out floorboards. I wish we still had it. One day I'm going to buy an old Jeep and take my kids for rides.

 

[CopperNY]

i spent a lot of time living/staying with my grandparents growing up. my paternal grandfather was a Buick man. every Sunday he, my grandmother (who never drove in her life) and i would drive the winding back roads of the Catskills where we lived, with the windows open if possible because it was "good for you".

 

[John in Covina]

Sunday Blue Laws

Back when there was Sunday "Blue Laws" the Sunday drive was a bit different because many stores were not open. Sunday was a day apart for many people, a lot of people attended church in the morning and with stores closed it definately wasn't a weekday or a Saturday. People often stayed dressed up from church for the rest of the day so a lot more people were well dressed on Sundays. The very feel of Sunday was different than the other 6 days of the week.

For the Sunday drive we would sometimes go to the Walt Whitman Mall in Huntington on Long Island and all of the stores were closed so it was truly window shopping.

fftopic:
I don't know if anyone else experienced this but, Sundays for me had a certain melancholy somewheres about 4pm to about 6 or 7pm came the realization that the "weekend" is almost over and I have to go back to school tomorrow. Back then the thing that saved Sunday evenings was that the Walt Disney Show would be on TV and they could show almost anything!

It's the same melancholy would occur at the end of August knowing that Summer vacation was almost over.

Another thing was if my mom had done the Sunday dinner for early in the afternoon we would sometimes have Breakfast for Supper around 6pm.
If you were lucky it was waffles hot out of the waffle iron.

 

[Big Man]

... Back then the thing that saved Sunday evenings was that the Walt Disney Show would be on TV and they could show almost anything! ...

I believe Sunday evening was the only time we sat down as a family and watched TV. We would eat our supper in the living room. For some reason I associate Sunday suppers back then with tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches, and, of course, the Walt Disney show and Lassie. What great memories.

 

[Cricket]

I know this may be off topic of Sunday drives...but it is in reference to Sundays in general.

As a child, I would love the routine in the evening time to prepare for the upcoming week. My bookbag would be organized, ready to go. I had bath time, which was always fun.

And for some reason, I smile thinking about the feeling when I got out of the tub, slipped on my grandfather's baggy shirts for a nightgown, ran through the house barefoot with wet hair and that "bath" smell and slid down into the living room floor where I had a Mickey Mouse tin tray waiting on me with a hot plate of food, usually left over Sunday fried chicken with a bowl of soup.

We too would all eat in the living room and watch The Wonderful World of Disney.

And I loved it. :eusa_clap

 

[Big Man]

Today's Sunday Drive ...

After church today we decided to take the old '48 Plymouth for a ride to the new section of Lake James State Park.

The park is about five miles from the house, and takes in the area where Paddy's Creek enters the lake. The road winds through the park and across a really nice new bridge that has a "vintage" feel.

The park has a new swimming beach, picnic area and hiking trails, as well as some great views.

One of the nicest views is up the mouth of the Linville Gorge and Shortoff Mountain.

 

[Stearmen]

Great Falcons

Oh the old Chargers, you used to see quite a few of those round Oz and NZ, but they are getting rarer and rarer these days.

If you've a bit of a soft spot for the Aussie muscles and haven't already seen it watch "Love the Beast" about Eric Bana's XB Falcon Coupe. Great doco and monster of a car!

Love to see that the Falcon name lives on! Sadly here in its place of birth, the Falcon is just an old econo car that gave it's underpinning for the Mustang. Never mind the great rally victories, or the 65 Falcon Ranchero, which alone should insure greatness! Wish we could get some of those Falcons up here.

 

[Derek Cavin]

Dad never liked to drive, so Sunday Drives were out. But with two kids now, we like to take them out and just. We are fairly new to Georgia, so we are still learning. So getting and lost and exploring is just as exciting for my wife and myself as it is for the kids.

 

[StraightEight]

Gettin' a fill up down by the whales in Newport Beach.

 

[Big Man]

Gettin' a fill up down by the whales in Newport Beach.

That's one sharp looking car!

 

[Big Man]

Today was a great day for a nice, leisurely, Sunday drive. I drove the old '48 Plymouth to church today and afterwords took "the long way" back home. The old car runs good, and there's something about driving along at a nice, slow pace and enjoying the scenery. The "long way" is the road around the back side of the lake that is not overly traveled. I don't care too much for driving the old car around town or on the busy highways. Give me the old country roads every time!

 

[RBH]

Great photos Big Man!

 

[Big Man]

Great photos Big Man!

Thanks

 

[BigFitz]

Love those photos Big Man. Is that a chief's helmet in the backseat?