Notes about a summer road trip by an
overheated Armand:
Monday, August 11, 1947. Nashville, Tenn.
(352 miles). Started the day very
early. At about 4:45, we were awakened by a
woman's voice at our screen door: 'Would I
move my car; it was blocking theirs?'
Half asleep I hastened to pull on my
trousers and comply. Seems their car was in a
garage and mine outside (our cabin had no
garage attached) was unintentionally blocking
it. I pulled out of the way, getting not even
a word of thanks, and went back to bed.
Started for here at 8:15. Few moments
later we smelled something, found engine
smoking and spitting, so hot it ran after
ignition turned off and ran until I put it in
gear, let out clutch without pushing on
accelerator and thus stalled it. Turned out
radiator was bone dry.
I got a bucket at a house along road,
filled it. Radiator didn't then, nor has it
since leaked. All I can see is that the
woman's husband, a Texan, sore because I
blocked his way, let water out of radiator
then restored faucet to closed position (it
was closed when I checked it).
We didn't go to bed till midnight, and it
was OK till then. A kid could have done it: I
doubt it. Damn the Texas s. of a b.
Otherwise, a long, uneventful day.
Tuesday, August 12. Rogersville,
Tennessee (261 miles). FLASH! TEXAN
EXONERATED! No Texan but an intermittent leak
currently stopped with Dupont liquid solder
(as Time says) caused draining of H2O.
Photo: Chrispwalsh