Return of The Field Car

Longtime readers of this blog may recall last year’s blog about my boys and their field car. Later, I blogged about how the car had died... finally... or so I thought.

This past month, after setting in the back yard for the whole winter, my son Robert got it going. A friend brought the battery from his field car and they hooked it up. The old Ford Taurus wagon fired to life again. Amazing car, that old Taurus.

Robert and his younger brother, James, removed the back doors. I’m not sure why. Probably because someone thought it was the thing to do. That’s the beauty of a field car. If you want to take the doors off, you take them off. The government isn’t going to do anything about it if you’re not on the government roads. Field cars are Libertarian vehicles. They are a wonderful expression of freedom.

The boys also taped a Superman logo on the front hood. And they have taken to driving alarmingly fast through the neighbor’s field. Fortunately, we have a very neighbor who doesn't mind boys being boys out on his land. A good man, that neighbor is.

It has been a wet spring. The grassy field is slick. The front wheel drive Taurus has remarkable traction but Robert is able to do a lot of sliding turns, frontwards, backwards, with mud flying. It’s a lot of fun to watch. I imagine it’s a whole lot of fun to drive too, especially when you’re 15 years old.

Marlene and I watched the show yesterday afternoon from the kitchen window. With motherly concern, she asked me if I thought he might flip the car. I told her I didn’t think so. But I was sure that Robert would eventually get the car stuck in the bottom corner of the field, where it is really soft. In past years, when the field was used to grow something other than weeds, I’ve seen tractors get stuck in that area. Once, I saw one tractor get stuck while trying to pull out another stuck tractor.

Sure enough, Robert drove to the edge of the wet land and bogged down. But, to my surprise, he managed a power turn and used the slope of the field to his advantage, spinning down to dryer land, where the front wheels were able to find purchase.

Back to the top of the field he motored and, then, again, he barreled down to the edge of the wet spot. With momentum and luck, he fishtailed his way out of the mire. Back to the top of the hill he went. Would he try again?

Certainly. The third pass, in a little further this time, was the last. The Taurus put up a valiant fight but it was too firmly in the clutches of the mud this time. The fun was over.

I think I see a Biblical analogy in this story.

I decided to walk up with my camera and record the event for posterity. The first picture is of Robert in the driver’s seat. He’s stuck in the mud but still smiling. The next picture shows the mud and the boys digging. Robert and his friends shoveled and pushed and tried putting boards under the tires, but it was to no avail. The third photo (notice the Superman logo on the hood) shows the crew helplessly looking at their situation. In the end, they decided to go fishing.

The car is still stuck. I don’t know how Robert will get it out. But I’m sure he will find a way. Stay tuned