I
took the two above photographs of my Cobra II in July, 1979. Again, I
wrote the dates on the photographs. I had just washed my Cobra II and
driven it across the road to the Caney Creek Community Club Park,
where I took the photographs. In high school, several of us boys
played sandlot football and softball in that park. I used to run
laps, about 20 or so, around that park for exercise and training.
I
loved my Cobra II! He had a four-speed shifter on the floor and a
Cherry Bomb muffler that split to dual exhaust pipes. My car rumbled,
not too loudly, when I upshifted or downshifted! My first Cobra II
and I had a lot of fun together! We went to and from WSCC. I often
carpooled with two or three friends. Those friends rode with us, when
it was my turn to drive. My Cobra II got me to gathering locations
with friends. I dated three young ladies, not at the same time,
taking them on various outings in my Cobra II. I kept my Cobra II
well-maintained, washed, and clean. I even washed him in winter, when
rinse water would turn to ice!
I
graduated from WSCC with an associate's degree just after I had
already started my first full-time job at Dodge-Reliance Electric
Company in my hometown. I worked from 1 to 9:30 PM as a computer
programmer and operator.
The
third young lady, whom I dated very seriously, decided that she was
no longer interested in me as a potential husband. We were never
engaged, but I did give her a promise ring. She went her own way and
married another man. The memories of all our dates in my first Cobra
II were heartbreaking. I decided to trade. Looking back, I wish that
I had kept my first Cobra II.
Dating
that young lady, however, did influence my conversion to Christ on
June 21, 1981. I thought that I'd been saved as a teenager, but I
wasn't.
#3:
1978 Ford Mustang Cobra II
In
the latter part of 1982, I found my 1978 Ford Mustang Cobra II at a
car dealership in Morristown, Tennessee. I traded even, not counting
tax and title.
I
think that I took the above photograph in the fall of 1983, just
outside my apartment in Cookeville, Tennessee. My second Cobra II was
an automatic without a Cherry Bomb muffler. It was a good car for a
maturing young man. The black paint, however, was a very sweaty ride
in hot weather! Air conditioning was rolling down the windows and
opening the rear window vents!
I
was still working at Dodge-Reliance Electric Company for a while. I
started dating the boss's elder daughter! We went on several dates in
my second Cobra II. She and I became and still are good friends. We
keep in touch. I don't think that she ever married. I still value the
depth of her Christian faith and spirituality.
As
far as I know, I was the last office employee to be laid off in the
1982 recession. I had earned enough money and decided to study for a
bachelor's degree at East Tennessee State University (ETSU) in
Johnson City, Tennessee. That fall, my father helped me move into a
small apartment that I rented just off campus.
Papaw
Wood passed away on March 14, 1983. I've written about Papaw Wood
several times. That summer, while living with Mom, Dad, Granny Wood,
and my two younger brothers at the homeplace, I remember a voice
saying, “You can do more than program computers the rest of your
life.” I consider that to have been my call to preach. I
preached a few sermons at the Bean Station Church of Christ. I had
found my calling.
I
worked on a temporary contract for Dodge-Reliance Electric Company in
the summer of 1983. That income, plus savings that I had, gave me the
opportunity to attend Tennessee Bible College in Cookeville,
Tennessee, that fall. I rented a small apartment. On Sundays, I
earned income by preaching for a small church in Livingston,
Tennessee.
I
sat at the feet of several biblical scholars, who taught me well.
Unfortunately, three of those scholars were not planning to continue
teaching after the 1983-1984 school year. I returned home in the
summer of 1984.
(2)
Just Before & With Mrs. Appalachian Irishman
This
section includes two cars in “the significance of the passage of
time.” I met Mrs. Appalachian Irishman, graduated college, and
started preaching full time. Early mission work started.
#4:
1978 Toyota Corolla
In
late 1983, I traded my 1978 Cobra II for a 1978 Toyota Corolla. I was
still attending my only year at Tennessee Bible College in
Cookeville, Tennessee.
My
1978 Cobra II, apparently, was “too flashy” for a “preacher
boy,” according to some wagging tongues, who bellowed their
opinions. Feeling the negative peer pressure, I traded almost even. I
had to make one or two payments after the trade.
To
this day, I regret that I didn't stand up to the negative peer
pressure from the wagging tongues! Only another short year or so went
by until I formulated my current attitude: I speak my mind. If I'm
wrong, I will apologize. If I am right, I will stand my ground. Don't
try to intimidate or pressure me! I will not back down, when I know
that I am right! I have lived and learned to stand solidly when right
and to laugh at “negative peer pressure!” It's the stubborn Irish
spirit in me!
I
couldn't find any photographs that I took of my 1978 Corolla, but it
looked like the above image. It was black and had a four-speed,
manual transmission on the floor. It was a good car, not as flashy.
Before leaving Cookeville, I took a young lady out on a blind date in
that car. She was interested in me. I wasn't attracted to her.
The
Church of Christ in my hometown was between full-time preachers. I
earned income by preaching for them in the summer of 1984. That's
when I met Mrs. Appalachian Irishman and her family! Her paternal
grandfather had passed away. The family came up from Etowah,
Tennessee, for the visitation and funeral. I met my future wife
during the Saturday evening funeral visitation.
I
have joked for decades, at youth gatherings, church youth camps, and
in general, by asking, “How do you find a wife?” Various
answers come forth. “No, not at school, church, youth rallies,
sporting events, and so on. Find your wife at a funeral home! Just
check her pulse first!” In various settings, that joke
introduced a sermon, devotional, or conversation about dating and
marriage.
In
the fall of 1984, I was transferring as a senior, and my future wife
was returning as a senior, to Freed-Hardeman College (FHU, now a
university), in Henderson, Tennessee (near Jackson, in west
Tennessee). We had our first of several dates in my 1978 Corolla.
That car got us to and from FHU, in west Tennessee, several times.
I
was a “poor preacher boy” and college student. Some churches in
the East Tennessee area had given me monetary support to attend FHU.
I took out a student loan, which I paid off in time. I also earned a
little income by preaching for a small church near FHU.
My
future wife graduated in the spring of 1985. I proposed to her
earlier that spring, and she agreed. I had to return to FHU in the
fall of 1985 to graduate in December.
In
the summer of 1985, I earned income by preaching for the Mount Olivet
Church of Christ in Greene County, Tennessee. I enjoyed the rural
location, not far from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The
folks had good, old-fashioned, Appalachian values, based on the
Bible. I was accustomed to driving on narrow, curvy roads.
One
morning, I was driving east on a narrow road that curved sharply at a
one-lane bridge that crossed a creek. As always, I slowed to a crawl
and looked as carefully as I could to see if a vehicle was coming the
other way. The driver of the dump truck had done the same. We saw
each other at about the same time but too late. Trees and brush
hindered our views. We almost missed each other. My left front bumper
caught his left back tire. The dump truck was not damaged. The bumper
damage to my car was minor, but the slow-speed impact warped the
frame. The cost to realign the frame was almost more than my car was
worth.
#5:
1984 Chevy Chevette
I
was still in Greene County for the summer of 1985. I stayed at my
parents' house from Friday afternoon through Saturday evening. I
stayed alone in the church parsonage from Saturday evening to Friday
afternoon. One weekend, I saw my 1984 Chevy Chevette at a dealership
in my hometown. I had saved enough to pay the full amount. The
trade-in of my damaged 1978 Corolla helped.
My
Chevette got me to and from FHU for my final semester. I graduated in
December 1985, in the cold and snow, while sickly. I had to take more
than the usual full-time schedule of classes to graduate in December.
I had about worn myself out.
Shortly
after graduation, I “tried out” for the full-time preaching
position at the Charleston Church of Christ in Charleston, Missouri.
They wanted a married man with full-time preaching experience. They
settled for me, even if my lingering illness caused me to throw up on
a wall in the Palmer's home! Don't worry! I recovered quickly. The
Palmers and their clan became family!
From
my parents' house in January 1986, I drove a rental moving van with
my Chevette on the trailer behind to Charleston. Mom was sad, as she
watched me drive away. She realized that I would visit often but
never live at home anymore. I learned a lot quickly in my first
full-time preaching role. A special family group in that church
became family to me, to this day, even though some have already gone
to their everlasting home.
Mrs.
Appalachian Irishman and I were married on Friday evening, May 16,
1986, at her hometown church in Etowah, Tennessee. Before we married
and went on our honeymoon to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, I arranged
to have air conditioning installed on my Chevette. That was the first
time that I had an air-conditioned car!
I
took the above photograph of my Chevette in February 1993 at our home
in Dexter, Missouri. I have other photographs. At first, my Chevette
was our only car, while we lived in Charleston, Missouri.
In
1987, my wife and I experienced mission work for the first time for
two weeks in Santa Cruz, Jamaica. Bob Barker was on our flight to
Jamaica. I'd never flown before. I found film photographs from that
trip. I may include them in a future short story. We went with a good
group. One couple and their children became missionaries in
Sosnogorsk in the Komi Republic of northern Russia. They were there
during our five years in Moscow and Klin, Russia. We visited them,
and they visited us.
In
1989 and 1991, I went on two mission trips to the East Godavari
District in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. Each trip was for a
month or a little more. Both trips were in and around the cities of
Rajahmundry, Kakinada, Peddapuram, and others, including several
tribal areas. In 1989, I traveled with a man, who had made a trip the
previous year. In 1991, I went alone, just after Granny Wood passed
away on 8/12/1991, 31 years ago now. I've written about Granny Wood
several times. I found several film photographs of my trips to India,
which I may include in a future short story.
The
Charleston Church of Christ agreed that I could begin graduate
studies at Harding School of Theology, in Memphis. The one-way drive
was about 2.5 hours. I drove back and forth one day a week, sometimes
staying overnight in a dorm room. My Chevette was reliable
transportation.
Mrs.
Appalachian Irishman had started teaching, so we needed a second car.
She was teaching kindergarten at a Christian school in Sikeston,
Missouri. Later, she enrolled and earned her teaching degree at
Southeast State University in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
I
gave my 1984 Chevy Chevette to my youngest brother in 1994, before my
wife and I moved to Russia.
(3)
With Mrs. Appalachian Irishman
This
final section includes seven vehicles in “the significance of the
passage of time.” My wife and I journeyed from Charleston to nearby
Dexter, Missouri, to Russia, and then back to Tennessee.
This
section contains many memories. I have written many articles about
this section of life. My inaugural article was on 3/6/2006. Our
journey into the undiscovered country continues, day by day.
#6:
1986 Ford Tempo
About
1987 or 1988, when we still lived in Charleston, Missouri, we bought
a second car for my wife to drive mostly and for visits to family in
Tennessee. We bought our 1986 white Ford Tempo at a dealership in
Dexter, Missouri. The car had fancy gadgets like power windows and
such! I was amazed!
I
couldn't find a photograph of our Tempo, so I used the free image
above. In the spring of 1991, my wife, with my begrudged blessing,
drove alone to FHU to attend an annual “Makin' Music” event. It
was a weekend trip that included her trip from Henderson to Nashville
to visit her youngest sister. I had to stay home to preach and
minister. I had a premonition that something bad might happen. It
did.
While
on an interstate near Nashville, a red vehicle swerved into our
Tempo. Our car hit a guardrail. My wife had relatively minor
injuries, which required recovery at home. Our niece, the daughter of
my wife's younger sister, was with her. She was not injured. Mrs.
Appalachian Irishman was treated and released from an emergency room.
My Chevette took me to get my wife and bring her back to Charleston.
The red vehicle was a hit and run, never to be found. The vehicle was
red, since our white Tempo had red paint streaks on the left front
quarter panel. Our automobile insurance paid for the value of our
totaled Tempo.
#7:
1988 Nissan Stanza
Later
in 1991, just after that wreck, we acquired our 1988 Nissan Stanza
from a dealership in Cape Girardeau! I nicknamed our Stanza “Baby.”
She was a fine car! She had a five-speed, manual transmission on the
floor and a retractable sunroof! I loved that car!
I
took the above photograph probably in January 1996. In September
1992, we moved the short distance from Charleston to Dexter,
Missouri. I became the associate minister for the much larger church.
About 385 attended at the time. My role involved preaching often,
teaching the high school youth classes, starting and leading a youth
ministry, and preparing for mission work in Russia. Mrs. Appalachian
Irishman worked as a substitute teacher. Yes, we were very busy!
We
moved from Dexter to Moscow, Russia, on 10/1/1994, joining two other
families already there. The Dexter Church of Christ was our
“sponsoring” church. I raised additional support from 15 other
churches in Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky, South Carolina, and
Mississippi, and from one corporate trust fund in Texas. I have many
film photographs from our five years of mission work in Russia. I
could write an entire book, with photographs included, about our work
there. I may do so eventually.
Each
Christmas, except 1994, Mrs. Appalachian Irishman and I had a
four-to-six-week furlough in the States. We got new Russian visas,
visited with family and friends, and reported to supporting
congregations in five states. Further, we visited FHU to recruit
future missionaries. Our Stanza got us where we needed to travel,
very faithfully!
While
we were in Russia, our Stanza rested in the full basement (garage
included) at the homeplace. My youngest brother would take her out
about once a week for a drive to keep her limber.
The
January 1996 photograph (above) is not the most beautiful image of
our Stanza! We were staying during a furlough with our Palmer family
in Charleston, Missouri. The area had experienced snow and ice. Our
Stanza was tough! She took it!
We
moved back to Tennessee from Russia on 9/30/1999. Mom became ill
unexpectedly on 12/28/1999. As of this entry, the “Topic Sections”
column of this website includes nineteen articles about "Light
at the End of the Tunnel." The first article in the section is
“Happy
Birthday, Mom,” published on 11/24/2009. I would not change one
word today. Our Stanza took us to and from the hospitals during my
mother's 110 days in two Kingsport hospitals. I've written several
articles about my parents.
We
kept our Stanza in the garage of our current home in “Corrytonvegas”
for some time. We had bought our 2000 Camry (#9, below). Eventually,
we gave our Stanza to one of my first cousins. We didn't drive our
Stanza often, after the air conditioning system went out, and she
began to suffer from lack of driving. The exterior and interior of
our Stanza were in mint condition, when we gave her to my cousin. Her
mechanical parts, however, were deteriorating.
#8:
1995 Nissan Hardbody Pickup
In
August 2000, when my mother was recovering at home, I started a job
that lasted five years at DeRoyal Industries. I was a second-shift
computer operator and help desk agent. Mrs. Appalachian Irishman had
worked briefly at the nearby mall, within walking distance, downhill
and uphill, from our little Knoxville apartment. She was starting her
current job as a teacher (vice principal and teacher now). We needed
a second vehicle. Our Stanza couldn't take us both to and from work
on the same day!
On
March 22, 2001, we bought our (my) 1995 Nissan pickup! He had 83,978
miles on him. We paid in full in cash. I nicknamed him “Brother.”
His first owner was a local professor at the University of Tennessee,
as I was told. He had a five-speed, manual transmission on the floor.
I loved my ol' truck! I have a number of photographs of my ol' truck
in articles, which I could count and cross-reference, on this
website. Aside from usual wear maintenance, my ol' truck kept on
running like a top! I never had to replace the muffler, transmission,
exhaust system, or engine.
My
1995 Nissan truck and I, with Mrs. Appalachian Irishman many times,
had many adventures. They involved the good, bad, and ugly in life.
He took me to many of my hikes on House Mountain.
From
September 2005 until March 29, 2016, the day that lives in infamy, my
ol' truck was instrumental as I bounced from job to job: DeRoyal,
life and health insurance sales, salaried jobs at two non-profit
provider agencies, insurance sales again, and finally to the State of
Tennessee job. I retired from my state job on Friday, May 13, 2022,
three months ago.
I
took the above photograph of my (our) 1995 Nissan pickup on 3/5/2016.
He helped me clear and haul brush at the homeplace. We had a lot of
fun together that day!
On
3/26/2016, I filled up my ol' truck for the last time, unknown to me
at that moment. He had 319,759.3 miles on him at the fill-up. My ol'
truck and I traveled over 235,781 miles together!
On
Tuesday, March 29, 2016, my 1995 Nissan pickup died, saving my life.
The eighteen-year-old, uninsured female, who had nothing and did
nothing for a living, failed to yield to my right of way. The impact
killed my ol' truck. It almost killed me. If interested, you may
begin reading the topic section “My
Bionic Life - since 3/29/2016,” starting with the article I’M
STILL ALIVE – WHY? (published 8/26/2016). It's old news. My
life has moved on.
#9:
2000 Toyota Camry
On
June 7, 2003, Mrs. Appalachian Irishman and I moved from our little
“Knoxvegas” apartment into our newly constructed and current home
in “Corrytonvegas.” I was still working at DeRoyal. She was still
teaching.
In
August 2003, we had arranged a week's vacation at Myrtle Beach, South
Carolina. The complete air conditioning system on our 1988 Nissan
Stanza had gone out. A supposedly reputable repair shop, which I've
never used again, replaced the system. The replacement did not work.
Some but not all of the money we paid was reimbursed to us.
On
my birthday, in July 2003, we bought on the “airport motor mile”
our 2000 Toyota Camry. It took us to the beach the next month! We
paid just over half the cost up front and financed the balance until
our final payment on 6/19/2006. Our Camry was my wife's car mostly. I
drove it several times. Mrs. Appalachian Irishman loved that car!
I
took the above photograph on 10/28/2007. We were at Clingman's Dome
(supposedly to be renamed Kuwahi;
see my
7/14/2022 article).
That was during one of our weekend vacations in the Gatlinburg area.
On January 25,
2008, Dad joined Mom at their heavenly home. I've written several
articles about my parents.
Life rolled on,
“such as it was” at the time, until the 4/6/2011 “Camry
crunch.” I thought about including one of the photographs that I
took after the crunch, but I decided not to do so.
Mrs. Appalachian
Irishman had been on her way home from a nearby store. At a
crossroads, which we pass often, an insured driver failed to yield to
my wife's right of way, hitting our Camry on the left front quarter
panel. Airbags deployed and saved my wife from severe injury. She had
only minor injuries that healed well. Our Camry was a total loss,
since the airbags deployed.
#10:
2008 Honda Civic
The
three-day car search concluded on 4/9/2011, the birthday anniversary
of one of my brothers. We paid cash for our 2008 Honda Civic! The
insurance company for the at-fault driver paid a proper value for our
Camry. That helped us pay for our Civic. The salesman took the
photograph below after the sale was completed!
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