Cruising Down Memory Lane At Crescent Beach

THERE IS NOTHING quite as likely to bring out the girl or boy in us as a trip down memory lane to explore vintage automobiles with an umbrella in hand for shade on a sunny day.

Polished and sparkling like gems, the cars of days gone by were neatly displayed at a recent show at Blackie Spit Park in Crescent Beach. Several hundreds of visitors ogled the rainbow of colors and curves.

The emerald beauty (below) reminded me why our love affair with the automobile is not dead. Although the resurgence of the bicycle that I wrote about in the previous post is real, how could we not be gripped by the allure of traveling greater and greater distances in the comfort of a family automobile?

A car for every home meant a garage for every home designed to sit prominently at the forefront. Friendly front doors receded into the background and streets grew broader and longer. It was heavenly not to be squeezed into stuffy trams and streetcars. We were the kings and queens of our homes and now of our very own transportation. We could even watch movies privately with our friends on the big screens created in open fields for our cars.

How wonderful when we realized we could put the top down and feel the fresh breeze ruffle through our hair.

And how glad we were when cranking a motor into action became rare.

Unlike the bicycle that was also evolving there was no pedaling necessary as more powerful engines did the work to take us from here to there. Over time we learned how to go further faster.

Trunks made it possible to take our possessions on ever-lengthening journeys.

Ordinary folk could explore the wider countryside to their heart's content and stop for family picnics on their own timetable. Soon mothers and all the children needed their own cars, bigger garages and more roads.

A car ride was as harmless as a spin on a bike but we came full circle. In an effort to ease the burden of bottlenecked roads and fume-filled air, many of us took a step back into the trams, trains and buses we left behind.

The marriage of car and bicycle added motorcycles to our options. A serious need to redesign roads for safety developed, and is growing, as more bikes (pedal-powered and not) whisk around traffic jams on congested streets.

But with over one billion cars traveling down the roads of our planet it is not too surprising that the automobile still holds the most clout to bring out sweet ensembles (above) to play classical music in tribute of the classic car.

To view more sights from around the globe visit Our World at the sidebar.

For a look at my pictures from last year's car show visit HERE.

Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms