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    John's Old Truck: Living the Dream and Honoring Mom
    John's Old Truck: Living the Dream and Honoring Mom
    John's Old Truck: Living the Dream and Honoring Mom
    Ebook38 pages21 minutes

    John's Old Truck: Living the Dream and Honoring Mom

    By John P. Schneider

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    About this ebook

    This is a true story about never forgetting, persevering, paying tribute and living lifelong dreams. The centerpiece is a 1949 Chevrolet pickup truck that has been in our family since the summer of 1981, and that I have owned for just over a decade. The first part of the big dream became real on May 30th, 2015, when she went down the road under her own power for the first time in 30 years. After a fantastic first summer on the road, I thought it was a good time to start working on the next phase – the total restoration that will enable a drive the across the country, focusing on a full length run of Route 66. The thought of such an epic road trip has intrigued me since my early teen years, before I was old enough to drive.

    As you might imagine, fully restoring a nearly 70 year old truck in preparation for a coast to coast trip is not an inexpensive proposition. Like most other everyday working people, I would never be able to make it happen with just the day job, so I decided to write this story.

    My entire experience with the truck – the recently successful five year effort to get it back on the road, the long desired road trip and this book – is a tribute to the memory of my mother, who died tragically just as the truck came into our family. The circumstances surrounding this stunning loss, which are detailed in this story, created an unbreakable emotional attachment to this old Chevy. For as long as I live, no amount of money will buy it.

    The planned road trip will be documented from beginning to end with photos, video and blog updates. We'll stop along the way to visit with friends in various parts of the country, eventually ending up in Ohio for our annual family reunion, which has been happening on the family farm every August since 1969. Mom always loved the idea of such a big adventure, and I'm quite sure she would have wanted to ride along.

    You can ride along too, via the blog and/or social media links, which you'll find at the end of the story. Thank you for reading!

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherJohn P. Schneider
    Release dateOct 24, 2015
    ISBN9781311732293
    John's Old Truck: Living the Dream and Honoring Mom
    Author

    John P. Schneider

    Weekend radio personality and commercial truck driver from New Milford, Connecticut. Loves Rock & Roll, old trucks, corn dogs and Andy Griffith reruns...

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      Book preview

      John's Old Truck - John P. Schneider

      John's Old Truck – Living the Dream and Honoring Mom

      By John P. Schneider

      Smashwords Edition

      Copyright 2015 John P. Schneider

      I'm sure what first attracted young boys to pickup trucks was not so much the trucks themselves, but the idolization of the men who drove them. Fathers, grandfathers and uncles putting these utilitarian vehicles to work on the farm, the ranch or wherever else they were needed. Unlike today's trucks, the first pickups were certainly not built for style, comfort or convenience of the driver. They were built strictly to get the job done, and in doing so helped to instill a solid work ethic for millions of American youngsters.

      My lifelong love of pickups was sparked on the family farm in New Matamoras, Ohio, just up the river from Marietta & Parkersburg, West Virginia. Although I grew up in Connecticut, both of my parents were from Ohio, and toward the end of every summer since 1969 the family has gathered on the farm for the annual reunion. It's a 600 mile trip for us, and even farther for family members who live up near Boston, but we look forward to the weekend with great anticipation every year. We're all proud to be a part of this wonderful tradition. The huge smiles and hugs upon arriving have always made the trip so worthwhile. Truth be told, however, as a youngster the reunion didn't really begin for me until Uncle John came meandering up Cady Run in his pickup. He had several of them over the years, either GMC or Chevy as I recall, but I also seem to remember a green Ford.

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