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 The Legacy Trans Am  TA #2 Arrival  On the Job  Texas Motor Speedway  High School Reunion  The Field of Mourning  A Car Wash  Medical Pit Stop  Muffler Replacement  A Triple Wash |
Trans Am Central This is the site map for my 1976 Pontiac Trans Am. The links appear in acending order: older events at the top of the list and more recent activities populate the end of the list. This only seems fitting in tribute to my legacy Trans Am, which I foolishly sold when I graduated from Texas A&M University (TAMU) in 1980, thinking it was time to grow up. How I could switch from a Pontiac Trans Am to a Pontiac Sunbird remains a mystery to this day. I finally came to my senses and bought a second Trans Am in January 2006, almost an identical match to my first TA, following an 18 month search. Times change, but one thing remains constant between the two Trans Ams. I seldom drove the original Trans Am, and I presently seldom drive the current car. During my years at TAMU, I dared not drive the machine during the week, for doing so would forfeit my parking spot, which were hard to come by. Plus there was no real reason to drive a car on campus anyway; no place to park should you lose your space. And losing your space often meant parking 3/4 miles away from Aston dorm, then walking back in the a combination of darkness, heat, cold, rain or wind. But living in the dorm reduced the need for a vehicle anyway. You could walk or bike to class (no way would I bike to class however). Food was available in the "Commons" cafeteria and laundry was also a part of the dorm. So we would drive on weekends to home and back, or to eat somewhere, or just for the love of driving (you could fill up a Trans Am for less than $10 back then), but not during the week. And during football season, we had to move our cars to make room for Former Students for football games. But even today, I drive my current Trans Am on the average once every two weeks. Why? Well honestly, my 1999 Ford Taurus is more comfortable, easier to start, enter and exit and more economical to operate (28 mpg highway versus 14 mpg) and has a better sound system to boot. I care not to try to impress anyone and so the bird rests in her garage nest safely. I have fond thoughts of my first Trans Am with the after market T-Tops, Appliance mag Wheels and Pioneer radio, and of this one: a 30+ year authentic automotive survivor, complete with "matching numbers" and a 400 cubic inch big block engine with 74,000 original miles, the OEM honeycomb wheels, interior, correctly decaled, and with WARP 76 plates, a means of taking me back in time for a moment to see the Lord's faithfulness to me and how He has brought me to this point in time. There are various reactions to the site of a classic muscle car like this Trans Am. Some track me down via email, saying they googled Trans Am and found my bird. Others just stare as the TA drives by. A few approach me as I leave a restaurant, while folks at car shows have a natural affinity to cars, and I typically return their automotive interest. But most people do not take notice of this magnificent car, too busy on their cell phones, or getting to the store or back to their car, or hopefully, concentrating on the road, or just not in tune to automobiles in general. I see similarities between the visible, earthly Trans Am and the invisible, heavenly God in that He has placed Himself "out there" in splendor and majesty for all to see, even sending His only Son, Jesus Christ, to walk amongst us. His unmistakable and awesome handiwork is seen in creation, for where there is a design there must be a grand Designer. His Word, the Bible, tells His story and how we can be made right before Him, assured of a heavenly final destination when our physical life on earth is over. And yet many people are caught in the whirlpool of the temporal and the tyranny of the urgent, especially the young and healthy. A vacation is planned to the finest detail, but little thought is given to matters of eternity. How about you? Do you have the big picture?
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Copyright 2004-2008 by Jerry D Kline. All rights reserved. Site design by Pegasus Web Design Resources and DataMax Corporation |