My Idea of Heaven..

A big, greasy old shop of my very own. I grew up in a place like this and I can still smell the old rubber, cold steel, oil-stained floors, grit, grime and gasoline. I can still hear the big shop-heater and feel its warm air blowing down from the ceiling. I can still hear the music from the shop-radio echoing through the cavernous garage and I can still taste the cold pop from the shop-fridge, the candy from the vending machine in the office, the doughnuts that my grandfather bought fresh every morning and the strong black coffee forever percolating in that big, olive-green coffee-urn and the burgers that we used to get from the place across the street. They were so damn good! To me, it was a living, vibrant and sacred place filled with rich history and the ghosts of many thousands of cars, trucks, vans and motorcycles. It was home and the place where my grandmother and grandfather worked every day along with me and my little brother Richard, my Uncle Al, and close family friends Bob Denton and his wife Jane. I can still hear the laughter as they all sat in the office after work, each of them holding a cold beer in their hands while recounting the day's events. Sometimes, after closing time, we would have sort of a pot-luck and everyone would bring a dish and we would all eat dinner at the big old table in the back of the office like one big family. We enjoyed each other's company so much that we would even do this on Holidays! My heart will forever be in that old greasy shop. <3

My Grandparents who raised me, Harley & Alexia Street at Street Motor Company.