
If you look closely at the picture above you will see a lot of Fords. And, though you won’t recognize them, probably, you’ll see some of the kids I went to high school with, my brother, my niece, and myself. The Fords are “yesterday’s cars.” There is the model parked in my grandma’s yard in one of the photos I have of that yard (Model T?). There’s the Ford that my dad used to drive on his dates and in which he made out with the girls. There’s the Galaxie 500 I learned to drive and the Falcon that was my dad’s last car. The title of this piece is “Hippy Fords of July.” That came from when my friend, A, back in 1994, had newly arrived from Switzerland and was still mastering English. We were walking along the sidewalk to the Ocean Beach Pier where we were going to watch fireworks. He asked me, “What do people say on the Fourth of July?”
I answered, “Oh, Happy Fourth of July.”
He said, “Huh? Hippy Fords of July?”
I guess I said it fast or mumbled.
This is in a window frame from my old house in San Diego, turned sideways. The fireworks are crayon with black tempera painted over them. The people are watercolor pencil on paper. The nails on the top held a plastic thing one of the Boys on Bikes had found in the canyon, just the “Grateful” part of something mentioning the Grateful Dead, a band I didn’t like much, but the word, Grateful, definitely fit me and the Grateful Dead fit the artwork.
At the time I was driving this 88 Ford Ranger. The topper was a real Cinderella shoe. It was in some guy’s yard in East County and just happened to fit my truck. $50. I had so much fun with this truck which was only 2 years old when I bought it. It is my all time favorite car.

I drove Fords for years with only one major exception, Bella which is a Jeep Renegade, made in Italy by, I believe, Fiat. ❤ She’s my second all-time favorite car.
I’ve driven a few Ford Fiestas, now I’ve got something else. X
Now, that is a truck with personality! The picture is fascinating – all the layers. I don’t remember what kind of cars we had when I was a kid, except they were station wagons. Third seat…very cool. 🙂
that truck was the most wonderful thing in the world. I had a little camping trailer it could pull. the boys on bikes could put their bikes n the back and sit comfortably on the carpet kit. The dogs could wait back there safely with the windows open in the shade of a tree. It had a tape deck which was unbelievably awesome! ❤
Sounds almost like a home away from home! 🙂
It was! ❤
❤️
A fabulous story and a great read Martha. Thanks for joining in 😀😀
My pleasure.
One of the best Fords ever was the Crown Victoria Skyliner, possibly the first sunroof made (in 1955-56). My brother had one and I had the distinction of nearly falling out of it as a child, a story I was admonished to never tell Mom and Dad.
Oh wow. That was an awesome car.
Enjoyed the story, it made me spend more time with the painting. I made sure to see the Fords.
🙂 I had to go to the university library and find advertising in old magazines to get all those Fords.